Monthly Archives: June 2013
Community Spotlight: The Mayerson Student Philanthropy Project
The Mayerson Student Philanthropy Project of Northern Kentucky University provides an opportunity for students to participate in experiential philanthropy through a wide variety of courses each year.
Residents of the Cincinnati Ronald McDonald House, a nonprofit organization that provides shelter in Cincinnati for families such as Leah and her mother who are living hundreds of miles away from their home for Leah’s treatment. The Cincinnati Ronald McDonald House was recently selected as one nonprofit organization to benefit from a $2,000 grant by Northern Kentucky University students as a part of the NKU Mayerson Student Philanthropy Project.
The Mayerson project is designed to use a “learn by giving” approach in the college classroom. Every semester select university courses are named Mayerson courses, are given a sum of money, and are asked to evaluate nonprofits and then invest in those they think will make the most effective use of the funds (typically, $1,000 per nonprofit).
Cincinnati Student Competing In National Science Contest
Way to go Alex Kelley, 5th grader at Aldersgate Christian Academy! Rebecca Kelley’s son needs your vote. He is the only Cincinnati student competing in a national science contest for a prize of $10,000 to his school.
How did he get this far? He submitted a 16-page paper on his gravity experiment that tested his hypothesis: that a 
bubble wrap layer would absorb the force of impact of an egg hitting asphalt when used with a parachute.
“The bubble wrap layer will absorb the force of impact when the egg hits the asphalt. The parachute slowed the descent of the egg onto the asphalt. The bubble wrap and the parachute will protect the egg,” he wrote.
Alex listed these REAL LIFE APPLICATIONS for the PHYSICS PRINCIPLES he applied:
- An air bag in a car increases the time it takes a person to potentially fly forward.
- When a sports player wears padding, the person is increasing the time and decreasing the force if someone were to tackle them. The padding absorbs the force.
- Shock absorbers on vehicles keep us from bouncing up and down.
- Shipping with bubble wrap protect the mail.
- Playgrounds now use shredded rubber tires instead of mulch, since it is safer
- A parachutist bending his or her knees reduces shock.
Alex’s video:
To vote for Alex, please click here.
Twitter CEO Dick Costollo Inspires With Commencement Speech
This time of year I get so much inspiration from reading commencement speeches. Words of wisdom shared with graduating seniors are words from which we can all benefit.
Dick Costolo, Twitter CEO, had this advice to share at the University of Michigan
“When you’re doing what you love to do, you become resilient because that is the habit you create for yourself. You create a habit of taking chances on yourself 
and making bold choices in service to doing what you love. If on the other hand, you do what you think is expected of you, or what you are supposed to do, and things go poorly or chaos ensues as it surely will, you will look for external sources for what to do next because that will be the habit you’ve created. You’ll be standing there frozen on the stage of your own life. If you are just filling a role, you will be blindsided…What I implore you to do is that if you make courageous decisions and bet on yourself and put yourself out there, that you will have an impact as a result of what you do and you don’t need to know now what that will be or how it will happen because no one ever does.“
Here is the full speech:
