Our DonorsChoose Challenge and the Haiku Phylogeny Project

As a Director of a science teaching facility, who sees maybe close to 2000 high schoolers in my lab each year, I'm hoping we can have a good showing in this great DonorsChoose challenge that Janet set up. There's certainly a lot of incentive, ranging from the simple act of promoting science within the school setting, to the prizes and offer of matching funds from Seed Headquarters.

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From our end, to sweeten the pot even more, we would like to let you know that donations, $10 or higher, placed via our World's Fair + Science Creative Quarterly challenge, will immediately entitle the donor to publication of a science haiku of their composition. In particular, we'd like a Haiku that relates to an organism of sorts, which would dovetail into a Science Creative Quarterly sidebar.

Essentially, for a while, I've been interested in presenting a phylogeny related section at the SCQ, which would use some type of creative form as its driving force. And why not haikus (or is it Haiki?). I might even see if the SCQ's manner of presentation can be relatively sophisticated by calling upon folks who have bioinformatics software experience.

Anyway, this Haiku offer stands indefinitely for now, and will also be formally presented at the SCQ as of tomorrow, but if you want in on the other prizes and to squeeze that matching offer from Seed as well, you would need to donate before the 1st of July. Note that to clarify your inclusion in the Haiku Phylogeny Project, please also forward your DonorsChoose confirmation to tscq@interchange.ubc.ca along with your Haiku.

More like this

A big thank you for the folks who contributed to our little portion of that wonder of a wonder, the scienceblogs.com DonorsChoose challenge. The SCQ also recieved a number of stellar Haiku's which will be used in the Haiku Phylogeny project. Here is a small sampling of them (feel free to submit…
Our unpaid interns have alerted us of our less than enthusiastic showing at the Scienceblogger's DonorsChoose challenge. For those, who missed the first announcement, we had offer guaranteed publication of a Haiku of your writing at the Science Creative Quarterly, which culminates in the…
This is what happens when an individual is comfortable with the sciences... Einstein's EEG The World's Fair, in collaboration, with the Science Creative Quarterly is pleased to participate in The ScienceBlogs/DonorsChoose raise-money-to-help-science-classrooms-a-thon!. In our case, donations $10…
We kicked off the ScienceBlogs/DonorsChoose drive just over 50 hours ago. Since then: ScienceBlogs readers have made donations totaling $8498.73 SEED is matching that $8498.73, and will match up to another $1501.27. Doing the math, your donations plus SEED matches means at least $16, 997.46 will…

I think this is a great project and have forwarded my submission and contribution. (Curious as to whether funds go to both Canadian and American schools? Just curious, doesn't diminish what a wonderful thing this is).

Also had to share my own variation on the "pure" haiku I submitted. Seeing as I'm very torn on the issue of genetic engineering and preselection:

DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER DISASTER

fruit fly punnett squares
tic-tac-toeing genotypes
give birth to Mothras
and monstrously perfect phenotypes

--thanks for the catalyst guys

It's still Haiku I believe, not haikus or Haiki but either way, I'm so excited and will begin working on haiku right away.