If you know of any local families or organizations that are especially in need at this time, please give me a call or reply to this email. I will do my best to spread the word!

With March 21 being the first day of spring, here is a fun compilation of some links you can use now that can help get you ready for the season!

With the season comes so many beautiful occurrences, like tree blossoms and baby animals. This link gives you a variety of activities to do to welcome spring. https://tinyurl.com/uplift03231

Is it time for a deep clean or a clear-out? The clue is in the name. Use this spring cleaning checklist to help organize your March. https://tinyurl.com/uplift03232

Changing your decor depending on the time of year is a game changer. Here are a ton of ideas to explore how to update your home for spring. https://tinyurl.com/uplift03233

Eating seasonally is really in right now, so here are some recipes focused on delicious spring veggies and fruits in season to help you in the kitchen. https://tinyurl.com/uplift03234

Explore the observable universe. A team of astronomers have created an awe-inspiring interactive map of the known universe that anyone can explore online. They used two decades’ worth of data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey to map the positions of 200,000 known galaxies, working with 3D artist Nikita Shtarkman to bring their beautiful map to life in a way that will incite wonder in anyone fortunate enough to explore it. More: https://tinyurl.com/uplift0323b

GIFs are art too. The ubiquity of hilarious GIFs on the internet can cause us to sometimes overlook the creative ingenuity and artistry that go into making a great GIF. This article from It’s Nice That explores the history and evolution of the internet’s most enduringly comedic file type, from the earliest-ever GIFs to the artists and animators behind some of the most recognizable GIFs on the internet and why, today, it’s a format that is still going strong. More: https://tinyurl.com/uplift0323c

The 14-year-old from Westview High in San Diego was recently named America’s Top Young Scientist for working out how to use blue light therapy in headphones to identify middle ear infections. Through this incredible breakthrough, the young scientist could help prevent millions of children from experiencing hearing loss.

The reason Fan wanted to focus on middle ear infections (or in scientific terms, otitis media) is because both she and her mother suffer from them. In fact, there are as many as 700 million cases globally each year, but it’s a lot harder to diagnose and treat than you’d think, especially in children in areas with limited access to healthcare. If left untreated, this kind of infection can cause full hearing loss.

So how do you find a solution to this problem? Easy, Fan thought. Create a device that’s inexpensive, easy to transport, and simple enough for kids to use. Enter the blue light Finsen headphones. The idea is relatively simple: the headphones are two in one. First, the headphones connect with a Google machine that compares images of the ear, searching for infection. This is the diagnosis. If an infection is confirmed, the headphones then use blue light to treat the infection without damaging healthy cells. The most exciting thing? The headphones actually work to play music, meaning kids can listen to their favorite tunes while their ear health is being assessed.

Speaking about her invention, Fan said, “Healthcare should be available to everyone.”

These headphones are a breakthrough, not only for showcasing the talented young minds of America but also for children everywhere. The Finsen headphones are named after Niels Finsen, who famously used light to treat skin diseases. Now Fan is taking it a step further. Who knows where else the young minds of tomorrow may take us?

The venue, which is frequented by gig-goers and clubbing crowds alike, is on a mission to become net zero, producing no carbon emissions and relying on sustainable energy. Now, after three years of development, their plan has finally come to life. SWG3 has launched their BODYHEAT system, which harnesses human body heat on the dance floor to be used later for cooling or warming the venue. That’s right, your sweet dance moves could be saving the planet when you visit this club!

The venue tested out the system during an opening night, inviting hundreds of people to partake in a traditional Scottish “Slosh” line dance. When revelers get sweaty on the dance floor, the excess heat is transported through a maze of pipes before being stored beneath their feet. The BODYHEAT system is then able to store the thermal energy, keeping it in 12 underground boreholes for days, weeks, or months until it can be used to manage the temperature of the venue.

This eco-friendly system works in three spaces. Two of them are large-capacity event spaces that see crowds of up to 1,000 people, while the third is the foyer entrance of the venue. If this doesn’t sound like a great green future already, then wait until you find out about the simultaneous heating and cooling pump, which captures body heat during live events to instantly cool the crowds and then transfers this same heat to keep the foyer at a cozy temperature for when people leave the venue.

Keeping with the net-zero goal, the BODYHEAT system runs itself using electricity powered by renewable energy sources. If more clubs and music venues can invest in this technology, the entertainment industry could indeed become one of the greenest.