littleBits, the award-winning company that empowers kids to be inventors, today announced the launch of its Droid Inventor Kit, which enables kids to create their own Droid. An integral part of the global launch of Disney and Lucasfilm's Force Friday II, the Droid Inventor Kit brings Droids to life, inspiring imagination and invention for kids around the world. Kids can easily create and power up their own mechanical companion using littleBits electronic Bits--along with the free Droid Inventor app--to send their creation on more than 17 special Star Wars missions, complete with authentic Droid sounds from the Star Wars films. As they unlock new capabilities and level up their Droid Inventor skills, kids can also learn how to create their own custom R2 Units and experiences, combining play with real hands-on learning.
“Today we are continuing a global inventor movement that empowers young people to participate in a story that inspires them to be creators, not just consumers of technology,” said Ayah Bdeir, founder & CEO of littleBits. “We’ve created a gender-inclusive product that celebrates kids’ own self-expression and ingenuity, while showcasing the same characteristics of imagination, grit and invention that are embodied in the Star Wars franchise.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8170651-littlebits-droid-inventor-kit-star-wars-kids-toys-stem/
In an effort to improve outcomes for patients with some of the deadliest childhood cancers, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital scientists have created the world’s largest collection of pediatric solid tumor samples, drug-sensitivity data and related information and have made the resource available at no charge to the global scientific community.
St. Jude and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute collaborated to create the resource, known as the Childhood Solid Tumor Network. The work is reported today as an advance online publication in the scientific journal Nature.
“Survival rates for children with recurrent solid tumors have not improved significantly in more than 20 years and remain below 30 percent,” said corresponding author Michael Dyer, Ph.D., chair of the St. Jude Department of Developmental Neurobiology and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. “This research will change that by promoting scientific collaboration to leverage the efforts of researchers worldwide to advance understanding and ultimately treatment of pediatric solid tumors.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8121952-st-jude-childrens-childhood-solid-tumor-network/
Cancer takes more children’s lives than any other disease in the U.S., and nearly 25,000 kids will be diagnosed during the month of September alone. As the largest private funder of childhood cancer research grants, the St. Baldrick’s Foundation is on a mission to take childhood back from cancer by raising critical dollars for lifesaving research and spreading awareness about the harsh realities of childhood cancer.
This September, in recognition of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, St. Baldrick’s will show how the research it funds is accelerating the development of new therapies and cures for kids with cancer everywhere. The Foundation will also share stories of kids affected by cancer – kids like David and Hazel who were both diagnosed with neuroblastoma, but faced two different outcomes.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/7916553-st-baldricks-childhood-cancer-awareness-month/
Bayer and National 4-H Council amplified their commitment to the future of our rapidly expanding global population by launching a new effort to grow the pipeline of tomorrow’s innovators, starting now. The two organizations announced today a nationwide collaboration, Science Matters, which will address the need for an enhanced STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) workforce by planting a love of scientific exploration in thousands of youth in urban and rural areas across the country.
Science Matters will leverage Bayer’s more than 150 years of scientific breakthroughs and 4-H’s century of hands-on learning to equip more than 25,000 youth with tools and support they need to deepen their understanding of science.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/77126512-bayer-4-h-launch-science-matters/
The U.S. workforce is changing and, with it, so are the ways in which employees are being relocated for companies across the United States. Cartus Corporation, a leading provider of global relocation services, recently released its 2017 Domestic U.S. Relocation Policy and Practices Survey results, a report that examines the responses of 141 mobility managers representing more than 10 million employees. While the overall survey explores trends in how companies are supporting home sale for transferring employees, responding to a growing rental population, and developing intern programs, the primary finding is the identification of a changing pattern in employee relocation, in which an increasing demand for flexibility is translating into different types of work transfers.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8035752-new-cartus-survey-shows-employee-relocation-trends/
Volvo Cars today declares an end to a problem faced daily by drivers around the globe: a lack of suitable and functional storage space inside their car. With its innovative approach inside the new XC40 small city SUV, set to be launched in the coming weeks, Volvo Cars takes the lead in the small premium SUV segment in terms of space, storage and all-round functionality.
The highly anticipated XC40 from Volvo Cars will complete the company’s SUV line-up that also features the top-of-the-range large XC90 and the mid-sized XC60.
As part of the XC40’s development phase, Volvo Cars’ customer research team spent considerable time investigating how city dwellers around the globe use their car on a daily basis – and, more importantly, how they store their belongings in their cars. Customers were also asked how they would like to see the interiors of their cars improved.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/uk/8163951-end-clutter-volvo-cars-XC40-small-SUV/
Matt Cogar furthered his legacy at the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® U.S. Championship, presented by RAM, besting seven of the top lumberjack athletes in the country to win his fifth straight title. The Championship took place at BMO Harris Pavilion at German Fest Milwaukee in front of a crowd of over 10,000, in a three-day Championship weekend that attracted more than 17,000 fans.
“It was so amazing. It was such a wonderful event with some tough competition,” said Cogar. “I’m thankful for my family, who mean everything to me, and who supported me in all that I do.” In addition to the glory of being named U.S. Champion, Cogar was awarded a brand new Ram 1500 for his victory.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8130351-stihl-timbersports-us-championship/
Entry-level employees are becoming less proficient in the skills most needed to succeed in today’s workplace, according to a recent national survey of human resources (HR) managers responsible for hiring. The survey, sponsored by leading early education provider Primrose Schools®, revealed skills like adaptability, teamwork and problem solving are critical to workplace success. Yet, 70 percent of seasoned HR managers report that entry-level employees are rarely proficient in these skills.
According to the survey, critical thinking, problem solving, teamwork, self-control, adaptability and working memory – collectively referred to by educators as executive function skills – are more highly valued in entry-level candidates than technical abilities, academic background and other factors. And while respondents state that entry-level employees are rarely proficient in these skills, two-thirds say hiring entry-level employees with good executive function skills is a top priority for their company’s long-term success.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8014453-primrose-schools-early-childhood-career-success-survey/
Kiehl’s Since 1851, the 166-year-old skincare company, has used its fleet of iconic motorcycles to raise funds and awareness for AIDS research and awareness for the eighth year in a row. Kiehl’s LifeRide for amfAR, a charitable motorcycle ride from Minneapolis to Nashville, July 31 to Aug. 7, has already raised more than $125,000 for amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research and fundraising will continue through August.
Kiehl’s President Chris Salgardo and amfAR CEO Kevin Robert Frost led the 1,200 mile, 8-day journey, accompanied by actors Tyler Posey, Gilles Marini and Ian Bohen, tattoo artist Luke Wessman, and TV hosts Anthony Carrino and Grant Reynolds. Over eight days, the riders participated in nine public events, meeting customers and educating about HIV/AIDS research.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8160451-kiehls-liferide-for-amfar-aids-research-liferide8/
This summer, homeowners across the United States will beat the heat with the help of Carrier ductless home comfort systems and Habitat for Humanity. Carrier has donated more than 500 systems to Habitat and they will be installed in homes throughout the country to provide cooling when it’s hot and heating when it’s cold. Carrier is a part of UTC Climate, Controls & Security, a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX).
Carrier has teamed up with pro football legend and longtime Habitat supporter, Warrick Dunn, in Atlanta to celebrate the donation. For 20 years, Dunn’s Home for the Holidays program has provided single mothers working toward their first home purchase with financial assistance. He began the program in honor of his late mother, a Louisiana police officer killed in the line of duty.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8134651-carrier-habitat-for-humanity-warrick-dunn-ductless-air-conditioning-heating/
Today, HHS’ Administration for Children and Families (ACF), along with the National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse, has launched a new series of public service advertisements (PSAs) recognizing the critical role fathers play in the lives of their children.
The public service campaign created by the non-profit Ad Council coincides with Tell a Joke Day and centers on the popularity and growing trend of telling “Dad” jokes. Through sharing dad jokes, the PSAs aim to communicate to fathers that the smallest moments spent with their children can make the biggest difference in their children’s lives. The ads direct fathers to Fatherhood.gov where users will find helpful tips, tools, information and jokes to help them get more involved with their kids.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8156551-ad-council-fatherhood-dad-jokes/
On your next shopping trip, you might meet a 18th-century British convict in the wine aisle! Don’t worry, there hasn’t been a prison break. In fact, 19 Crimes wines is bringing their band of rogues, depicted on the wine labels, to life with the launch of the first-ever wine Augmented Reality (AR) app. Available now via the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, the new app will animate three of 19 Crimes’ convicts-turned-colonists, who each tell their own infamous story.
19 crimes turned convicts into colonists. In 18th-century Britain, criminals guilty of at least one of the 19 crimes, were sentenced to live in Australia, rather than death. For the rough-hewn prisoners who made it to shore, a new world awaited. As pioneers in a frontier penal colony, they forged a new country and new lives, brick by brick. Today, 19 Crimes wines celebrate the rebellious spirit of the more than 160,000 exiled men and women, the rule breakers and law defying citizens that forged a new culture and national spirit in Australia.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8159151-19-crimes-wine-augmented-reality-app/