Coronavirus (COVID-19) Closures and Update

MoMA Temporarily Closes Museums and Stores in New York

MoMA announced today that it will close The Museum of Modern Art on 53rd Street, MoMA PS1 in Queens, and the MoMA Design Stores on 53rd Street and in Soho, effective immediately and through March 30. MoMA will continue to monitor developments with COVID-19 and regularly reassess this temporary closure.

Glenn D. Lowry, The David Rockefeller Director of The Museum of Modern Art, said: “Nothing is more important to MoMA than the health and safety of our community. We take seriously our responsibility as a civic institution to serve the public good. With that in mind, as it is more and more challenging to predict the impacts of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, we have decided to temporarily close MoMA.”

MoMA has been prepared for this possibility for several weeks and made the decision in ongoing consultation with public health experts, city and state officials, peer institutions, and the Boards of The Museum of Modern Art and MoMA PS1. There have been no confirmed cases of COVID-19 among MoMA employees. Plans are in place to continue to support employees and MoMA’s better than best practice cleaning and sanitization protocols.

MoMA plans to re-open at the first opportunity that ensures the health and safety of all visitors and employees.

All Events at Carnegie Hall from Friday, March 13 through Tuesday, March 31, 2020 are Cancelled

All March events cancelled in effort to reduce spread of COVID-19

With the health and safety of its public, artists, and staff as its foremost priority, Carnegie Hall today announced that it will be closed for all public events and programming through the end of March, effective midnight tonight, in an effort to reduce the spread of the new coronavirus (COVID-19).

All events and programming at Carnegie Hall from Friday, March 13 through Tuesday, March 31, 2020 have been cancelled. For a list of performances at Carnegie Hall that are affected, please see the attached list or click here. Carnegie Hall events on Thursday evening, March 12 will take place as scheduled.

Upcoming education programming presented by Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute—whether taking place at Carnegie Hall or in off-site locations—is suspended through March 31. All free Carnegie Hall Citywide performances in venues throughout New York City are cancelled through March 31.

All other scheduled concerts and programming starting on April 1, 2020 and beyond remain on the schedule pending the reopening of Carnegie Hall. The general public is encouraged to check carnegiehall.org/events for the most up-to-date programming information.

Patrons who purchased tickets by credit card from Carnegie Hall for a performance that has been canceled will receive automatic refunds; those who purchased by cash at the Box Office may email a scan or photo of the tickets to feedback@carnegiehall.org, along with complete contact details (name, mailing address, and phone number), through June 30, 2020, for a refund. Those who purchased tickets directly from other concert presenters should contact that presenter for refund information.

Patrons who have any further questions should contact CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800 or email feedback@carnegiehall.org. Please note that email and call volume may be high with limited in-house staff, and tickets may be refunded on a delayed schedule. We thank you for your patience as we navigate this evolving situation together.

Asian Art Museum, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Announce Temporary Closure Effective March 14, 2020

The Asian Art Museum, the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF), comprising the de Young Museum and the Legion of Honor, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) collaboratively announce a temporary closure to the public effective at 5 pm PST on Friday, March 13. With their united focus on the health and safety of their visitors and staff members, the museums made this decision to align with local and federal guidelines and social distancing recommendations for the containment of the coronavirus.

The Asian Art Museum and SFMOMA will tentatively reopen to the public on Saturday, March 28, 2020, and the FAMSF museums will reopen on Tuesday, March 31, 2020. The museums will individually evaluate whether the closure timeframe needs to be extended.

ASIAN ART MUSEUM

The closure of the Asian Art Museum includes the museum, its café (Sunday at the Museum) and its store. More information can be found at asianart.org.

FINE ARTS MUSEUMS (FAMSF)

Both the de Young and the Legion of Honor, including museum cafes and stores, will be closed. Please find the most up-to-date information at deyoungmuseum.org/coronavirus-response.

SAN FRANCISCO MUSEUM OF MODERN ART (SFMOMA)

SFMOMA’s closure includes the museum, its restaurants (In Situ, Cafe 5 and Sightglass coffee bars), stores (museum and SFO store) and the Artists Gallery at Fort Mason. For the most up-to-date information including information on rescheduling a visit, go to sfmoma.org/coronavirus-update.

National Air and Space Museum 2020 Trophy Awarded to Charles Elachi and the Hubble Space Telescope Team

Museum Renames Prestigious Award to Honor Apollo 11 Astronaut Michael Collins

Honoring Astronaut Michael Collins’ legacy in aviation and space, the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum is renaming its trophy for the Apollo 11 command module pilot. The recognition is awarded annually for Lifetime and Current Achievements. The 2020 recipients are Charles Elachi for Lifetime Achievement and the Hubble Space Telescope Team for Current Achievement. The recipients will receive their awards March 26 at a ceremony at the museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia.

The National Air and Space Museum Trophy event is made possible through the support of Atlas Air Worldwide, BAE Systems Inc., Blue Origin, Booz Allen Hamilton, The Claude Moore Charitable Foundation, Jacobs, Leidos, National Air Traffic Controllers Association, National Business Aviation Association, Pratt & Whitney, Seabury Capital, Sierra Nevada Corp. and Thales.

Established in 1985, the award recognizes outstanding achievements in the fields of aerospace science and technology and their history. Trophy winners receive a miniature version of “The Web of Space,” a sculpture by artist John Safer. The renaming of the trophy recognizes Collins’ contributions to aerospace and his service to the museum as director during a critical time in its evolution.

“The Web of Space” sculpture by John Safer. A miniature version of this sculpture is given to the National Air and Space Museum’s Michael Collins Trophy winners every year.

“I am deeply honored to have been made a part of the museum’s legacy recognizing the best in the aerospace industry,” said Michael Collins. “The National Air and Space Museum is a testament to thousands who helped craft it into the wonder it is today. I hope the award inspires future generations to keep reaching outward bound.”

2020 Michael Collins Trophy Recipients

Elachi will receive the 2020 Michael Collins Trophy for Lifetime Achievement honoring his distinguished career in the fields of remote sensing, planetary science and spaceflight-program management. After pioneering techniques in radar remote sensing for surface, ocean and atmospheric phenomena, he executed these techniques in leadership roles in various missions. He was the director for space and Earth sciences for almost 20 years at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL), and the director of JPL for 15. Under his leadership, JPL achieved many successful planetary, earth and astronomy missions including several Mars lander, rover and orbiter missions, pioneering missions to outer planets, such as the Cassini mission to Saturn, and the Spitzer and Kepler Space Telescopes. The breadth of his expertise allowed synergy between the technical aspects of radar remote sensing and the interpretation of the acquired science data, which is now a standard approach in Earth and planetary science. Through this lifetime of success, he has also served as a significant mentor to many in industry and academia.

Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum logo

As the Hubble Space Telescope celebrates its 30th year in operation, the team behind Hubble will receive the 2020 Collins Trophy for Current Achievement. Hubble has changed humans’ fundamental understanding of the universe, having taken over 1.4 million observations and provided data that astronomers have used to write more than 17,000 peer-reviewed scientific publications on a broad range of topics. Through the efforts of the Hubble team since 2018, the observatory has continued to produce science unachievable with any other instrument, including studies of the first possible moon orbiting a planet outside the solar system, imaging the first known interstellar object to visit the solar system and finding water vapor on an extrasolar planet in the habitable zone. System engineers in Hubble’s control center and science operations facility have continued to find creative ways to operate the 30-year-old spacecraft to make this revolutionary science possible and ensuring its capabilities will continue for years to come.

The National Air and Space Museum on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., is located at 655 Jefferson Dr. The museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is located in Chantilly, Virginia, near Washington Dulles International Airport. Both facilities are open daily from 10 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. (closed Dec. 25). Admission is free, but there is a $15 fee for parking before 4 p.m. at the Udvar-Hazy Center.

More information about the Michael Collins Trophy and a complete list of past winners are available at https://airandspace.si.edu/trophy-award.

Nat Geo WILD Rings in the New Decade and Its 10th Anniversary by Announcing Robust Slate of New Series and Specials

The Network’s Wild Look Ahead Includes Diverse Programming From Multiple Genres: Veterinary Profiles, Zoo Docs, Animal Rescue & Conservation and Sweeping Natural History

Beloved Australian Actress Naomi Watts to Narrate Franchise Series SECRETS OF THE ZOO: DOWN UNDER, Premiering March 1

Additional Key Announcements Include:

Next Season of Hit Series SECRETS OF THE ZOO (2/23)

New Series ALASKA ANIMAL RESCUE (4/11) and WORLD’S BIGGEST ZOO (Fall 2020)

New Natural History Special THE REAL BLACK PANTHER (Winter 2020) and Return of SAVAGE KINGDOM (Winter 2020)

New year, new decade, New “Roaring” ’20s — and Nat Geo WILD certainly has a lot to roar about. Celebrating its 10th year on the air, the fastest-growing network for animal lovers of all ages celebrates its wild achievements throughout the past decade by announcing its robust 2020 programming slate.

The network that made the Dog Whisperer Cesar Millan a household name has launched more than 200 series and 780 specials in its decade on air. Since the network first took to the airwaves on March 29, 2010, Nat Geo WILD has commissioned more than 2,000 hours of content and has grown by nearly 10 million households, reaching 59.3M in the U.S. Its global footprint delivers 247M international households in 131 countries in more than 40 languages.

“Nat Geo WILD has distinguished itself as the premier destination for viewers who love animals and the natural world as much as we do. Over the years, we’ve been incredibly successful in breaking through with passionate animal caregivers, experts and advocates who are the heart and soul of our biggest hit series. We’ve also transformed National Geographic into a world leader in the creation of awe-inspiring blue-chip natural history,” says Geoff Daniels, executive vice president of global unscripted entertainment for National Geographic Global Networks. “I couldn’t be more proud of our results; the real-world impact we’ve had over these past 10 years; the lives we’ve touched; and the trails we continue to blaze. This is all in service of National Geographic’s mission and commitment to inspiring family audiences everywhere to join us in making our planet a better place for all living things for generations to come.”

Following the success of network stalwarts like WILD’s top ranker and longest-running series, THE INCREDIBLE DR. POL, vet-based docuseries have developed into franchise series, including DR. K’S EXOTIC ANIMAL ER, DR. OAKLEY, YUKON VET and DR. T, LONE STAR VET.

Zoo programming has also taken off on the network with original hit series SECRETS OF THE ZOO, featuring the world-renowned Columbus Zoo in Ohio, leading to the greenlight of SECRETS OF THE ZOO: TAMPA — which is posting strong numbers after only two weeks on air. And now, we’re going bigger — MUCH bigger — to the only country in the world that’s also a continent. SECRETS OF THE ZOO: DOWN UNDER premieres Sunday, March 1, at 10/9c, and is narrated by Academy Award-, Golden Globe- and BAFTA Award-nominated Australian actress Naomi Watts (“Luce,” “Mulholland Drive,” “The Impossible”). Watts, who is recognized for her love and concern for all of Australia’s indigenous animals, especially in perilous times, will lend her voice to this 10-part series set within the one of the world’s most famous zoos — Taronga Zoo — which employs more than 240 keepers who care for 5,000-plus animals. SECRETS OF THE ZOO: DOWN UNDER provides rare, behind-the-scenes access while also bringing to focus the horrific wildfires that have killed more than a billion of the continent’s animals.

Nat Geo WILD is renowned for its cinematic, natural history portfolio, underscored by its “Wild” franchise, beginning with early titles, including WILD MISSISSIPPI, AFRICA’S GREAT RIFT and WILD ALASKA. The successful performances of these specials launched a total of nearly 70 additional titles. Looking ahead, the network sinks its teeth further into natural history with the return of the beloved epic SAVAGE KINGDOM and the premiere of THE REAL BLACK PANTHER, profiling Saya, the only black panther in India’s Kabini Forest. This saga, told in first-person narrative, builds drama around Saya and his rival, Scarface, the current king of the forest, and tells an astounding story that defies the laws of natural selection.

NAT GEO WILD UPCOMING PROGRAMMING SLATE

*Schedule and Titles Subject to Change*

VET SERIES

New Series:

CRITTER FIXERS: COUNTRY VETS

Premieres Saturday, March 7, 10/9c; 6×60

Dr. Vernard Hodges and Dr. Terrence Ferguson are two lifelong friends who own and operate Critter Fixer Veterinary Hospital, located 100 miles south of Atlanta. Together with their loving staff, these physicians bring real heart, soul and a lot of humor to their treatment and care of more than 20,000 patients a year across their two locations. Between emergency visits to the office and farm calls throughout rural Georgia, this special team is constantly bombarded with unique cases. From a police dog with cactus thorns around her eye to a potbellied pig with life-threatening lacerations, for the Critter Fixer team, there is no such thing as “normal.”

“Feel Good” At STORY At Macy’s

STORY at Macy’s teams up with Well+Good to demystify wellness with curated products, health tips and experiences at 36 stores nationwide

STORY at Macy’s, the ever-changing, narrative-driven retail concept inside 36 Macy’s stores nationwide, unveils its latest theme: “Feel Good.” Now through April 2020, Feel Good STORY brings a fresh focus on wellness and uses merchandise curation and events to explore simple and actionable ways for customers to find greater balance, energy and nourishment. In partnership with the award-winning fitness and wellness media platform, Well+Good, Feel Good STORY leverages its expertise in the field to help define and demystify what it means to live a healthy life through both editorial tips and product picks.

The wellness-focused retail narrative invites discovery through three curatorial spaces and each introduces merchandise and experiences to help you feel Balanced, Energized and Nourished. The Balanced moment is all about mindfulness and invites guests to pause for a complimentary meditation in partnership with Calm, the number one app for sleep, meditation and relaxation. To feel Energized, customers are invited to explore something new, from weighted arm bangles by Bala to an in-store barre fitness class. Finally in Nourished, healthy habits are the focus with new takes on snacking from Dada Daily and alcohol-free elixirs by Seedlip.

Bala – Bangles Resistance Loop Bands, Set of 5 $19.00

STORY at Macy’s product curation meets with editor-approved intel from Well+Good to add a simple, informative layer to the experience. For example, shoppers will discover that to get a good night’s sleep, editors suggest “cooling down your bedroom,” alongside the dodow, a glowing timer that teaches you to fall asleep. Additional tips cover topics like the benefits of dark chocolate, relaxation techniques, and how to maximize your crystals. Well+Good also supports STORY’s merchandise curation by leveraging its 2020 Wellness Trends to inform product selections like snack-able chickpeas. Within these broad moments, STORY at Macy’s and Well+Good take aim at trending topics like sleep, self-care, exercise, hydration, muscle recovery and healthy snacking.

Bala – Weighted 1lb Bangles $49

Bed of Nails – Pillow $49

“Well+Good decodes and demystifies wellness to help our community live a healthy lifestyle in a way that works for them,” said Alexia Brue, co-founder of the award-winning media company Well+Good. “Partnering with STORY at Macy’s allows us to share our rigorously researched editorial content in a new and exciting way, giving people in-person tips to feel more Balanced, Energized and Nourished.”

VIM & VIGR-Compression Socks $36.00

Well + Good 100 Healthy Recipes + Expert Advice For Better Living Cookbook $29.99

To bring the Feel Good experience to life, STORY energizes its in-store environment with meditation spaces in partnership with the Calm app at all locations and a range of community-centered events focused on wellness. The concept will host events featuring local experts in the health and wellness space for cooking classes, panel discussions, journaling and meditation workshops, a manicure bar, yoga and barre classes, and mocktail-faking workshops.

AcousticSheep -Sleepphones Headphones $100.00

The Growing Candle-Hyggelight Edith Sandalwood Growing Candle $28.00

Eat For Beauty by Susan Curtis and Tipper Lewis 25.00

The Wellness Project By Phoebe Lapine $25.00

A special selection of STORY at Macy’s wellness product will also be available on macys.com, curated by the three focus areas. From a lavender mimosa candle by Paddywax in Balanced and collapsible foam roller by Brazyn Life in Energized to a mocktail faking kit by Luckies of London in Nourished, online shoppers will be able to discover something that will make them feel good, too.

Nat Geo Channel Is Bringing Back the Best of Its 2019 Programming for You to Binge Over the Holidays.

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year! Catch up on all your NGC favorites from the past year, including The Hot Zone, Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted, Running Wild with Bear Grylls and more!

See why IndieWire named National Geographic one of the top five Best Television Platforms of 2019!

Don’t forget to plan movie night! Academy Award-winning documentary film Free Solo airs Dec. 26 at 9/8c.

Tune in for two full weeks of marathon programming beginning today.

That’s a wrap! National Geographic is saying goodbye to 2019 with some of your all-time favorite National Geographic Channel programs of the year. From the dangerously frigid Alaskan terrain to the 3,200-foot summit of El Capitan, explore breathtaking sights, heart-pounding adventure and groundbreaking science from wherever you’re spending the holidays. After a year of such amazing content, we won’t judge if you stay on the couch for the whole two weeks.

This year’s breadth of programming continued to break boundaries through thrilling exploration, risk-taking and transcendent storytelling. Highlights of the two-week blitz include the following:

• To kick things off, Nat Geo is exploring new life and old legends with Expedition Amelia: Bob Ballard’s Search (Dec. 23 at 8 p.m.), on the search for renowned aviator Amelia Earhart’s remains, and episodes of Lost Cities with Albert Lin (Dec. 23 at 9 and 10 p.m.), as the National Geographic Explorer uncovers the greatest mysteries of ancient cities from El Dorado, to Stonehenge, to Petra!
• You thought the cold weather was tough! Catch the animal kingdom’s most epic survival stories as Bear Grylls guides you through Hostile Planet (Dec. 24 at 11 a.m.), showcasing the world’s most extreme environments and the animals that have adapted to cruel evolutionary curveballs.
• The year 2019 was a milestone one for the multi-Emmy-winning series Life Below Zero (Dec. 25 at 9 a.m.) as it celebrated its 100th episode. Meet some of the toughest individuals in the world as they attempt to survive in the most unforgiving and remote corners of America. After watching all day, tune in to a new special episode on Dec. 25 at 9 p.m.
• Spend the holidays with some of Hollywood’s most beloved celebrities as they push physical and mental limitations on Running Wild with Bear Grylls (Dec. 26 at 9 a.m.). With guests including Brie Larson, Cara Delevingne, Armie Hammer, Channing Tatum, Bobby Bones and more, you won’t want to miss the chance to catch up on the boldest season yet.
• Grab some popcorn (and your seats!) — don’t miss the Academy Award-winning documentary film Free Solo (Dec. 26 at 9 p.m.), as climber Alex Honnold sets out to achieve his lifelong dream: climbing the world’s most famous rock, 3,200-foot El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, without a rope.
• Looking for some not family-related drama? Tune in to Nat Geo’s most-watched scripted series yet, The Hot Zone (Dec. 28 at 5 p.m.). An edge-of-your-seat thriller inspired by Richard Preston’s international bestseller, The Hot Zone recounts the appearance of Ebola on U.S. soil in 1989 and the courageous heroine who put her life at risk to stop this deadly killer. These episodes will include never-before-seen enhancements with real archival footage, scientific interviews and more, diving into the true story behind this lethal outbreak.
• Forget your classic holiday libations! Gordon Ramsay serves up a taste of adventure in Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted (Dec. 29 at 9 a.m.) as he travels across the globe to learn about local flavors. His journey takes him to Peru’s Sacred Valley, Alaska’s panhandle, New Zealand’s rugged south, Morocco’s mountains, Hawaii’s Hana Coast and Laos’ Mekong River.

In addition to the marathons highlighted above, there’s even more. Don’t miss your chance to watch wildlife prosper in America’s National Parks (Dec. 24 at 5 p.m.) or explore the depths of the oceans with all kinds of sharks (When Sharks Attack beginning Dec. 30 at 9 a.m.) (yes, that rhyme was intentional). And better yet, see what’s in store for 2020 with a sneak peek of the reimagined Brain Games hosted by Keegan-Michael Key (Dec. 29 at 10 p.m.).

For more information on the two-week best of Nat Geo Channel marathon, visit www.natgeotv.com

Seattle Museum Month Offers Big Savings in February

New Museum Openings Enhance Month Of Significant Discounts At More Than 40 Museums

Every February, savvy travelers look to Seattle, also known as the Emerald City, where big savings can stack up for arts and culture lovers of all ages with Seattle Museum Month. From Feb. 1-29, 2020, travelers who stay at any one of nearly 60 participating downtown Seattle hotels receive 50 percent off admission prices to more than 40 museums and cultural institutions. February also historically offers lower rates for airfare to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and special hotel packages to entice winter travelers. To see the full list of participating museums and hotels, visit the Seattle Museum Month website at www.seattlemuseummonth.com.

Seattle Museum Month is produced by Visit Seattle and funded by the Seattle Tourism Improvement Area (STIA), a dedicated marketing fund assessed from guests at 73 downtown Seattle hotels. The program was created to encourage travelers to visit Seattle in February and celebrate the remarkable collection of unique museums in the region.

(PRNewsfoto/Visit Seattle)

“Seattle has a richly diverse and world-renowned collection of museums that draw people to our city year-round, but Seattle Museum Month offers unparalleled discounts for our visitors,” Visit Seattle Senior Director of Cultural Tourism Tracey Wickersham said. “Engaging hands-on experiences with history-making computers, vintage pinball machines, and experiential music galleries where you can look, listen and re-create some of rock ‘n’ roll’s greatest moments mean our museums entertain as well as educate. You’ll find mind-blowing gardens made of glass and ancient artifacts that explore all facets of life on earth, and art from around the globe. A trip to Seattle for Museum Month will make memories that last a lifetime.”

Seattle Museum Month celebrates with a host of museum openings that give travelers the opportunity to explore Seattle’s cultural legacy.

Photo by: Dennis Miller. Caption: Savvy travelers look to the Emerald City for deep discounts on arts and cultural attractions all February with Seattle Museum Month. Travelers who stay at any one of nearly 60 participating downtown Seattle hotels receive 50 percent off admission prices to more than 40 museums and cultural institutions. The newly reopened Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture is among those participating this year.

The Seattle Art Museum hosts the grand re-opening of the Seattle Asian Art Museum February 8 and 9. After a two-year renovation and expansion, the museum reopens with a reimagined collection installation that breaks boundaries with a thematic, rather than geographic or chronological, exploration of art from the world’s largest continent. Set in Seattle’s picturesque Volunteer Park, the historic Art Deco-era museum underwent a $56 million renovation and expansion to more fully display one of the largest collections of Asian art in the nation. Visitors wishing to attend the historic re-opening weekend on February 8 and 9 can reserve free timed tickets online. Beginning Feb. 12, Museum Month passes will be accepted.

Photo courtesy of Visit Seattle. Caption: Every February, savvy travelers look to the Emerald City where big savings can stack up for arts and culture lovers of all ages with Seattle Museum Month. February also historically offers lower rates for airfare to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and special hotel packages to entice winter travelers. To see the full list of participating museums and hotels, visit the Seattle Museum Month website at www.seattlemuseummonth.com. (PRNewsfoto/Visit Seattle)

With 16 million objects in its collections and infinite stories to tell, the recently re-opened Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture – the oldest museum in Washington state – welcomes visitors to an entirely new experience. Locally known as The Burke, the museum is located at the north end of The University of Washington Seattle campus and re-opened in October 2019. The new building designed by Olson Kundig creates unprecedented opportunities for visitors to see university faculty, researchers and students uncovering dinosaur skeletons, analyzing insects and collaborating with Native communities every day.

Enjoy renowned favorites as well like Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI), The Museum of Flight, Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) and explore other regional museums, like LeMay – America’s Car Museum in Tacoma, USS Turner Joy Museum Ship in Bremerton or the Bellevue Arts Museum in downtown Bellevue.

Seattle Museum Month discounts are only valid for guests staying at one of the participating hotels, up to four people, during hotel stay dates. Visitors must present an official Seattle Museum Month guest pass at participating museums to redeem the discounts.

Pantone Reveals Color of the Year 2020: PANTONE® 19-4052 Classic Blue

A Reassuring Presence Instilling Calm, Confidence, And Connection

Tapping into sight, sound, smell, taste, and texture Pantone makes PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue the first multi-sensory Color of the Year in the company’s history.

Pantone, provider of professional color language standards and digital solutions, today announced PANTONE 19-4052, Classic Blue, as the Pantone® Color of the Year for 2020; a timeless and enduring hue elegant in its simplicity. Suggestive of the sky at dusk, the reassuring qualities of the thought-provoking PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue highlight our desire for a dependable and stable foundation from which to build as we cross the threshold into a new era.

Pantone Reveals Color of the Year 2020: PANTONE® 19-4052 Classic Blue

“We are living in a time that requires trust and faith. It is this kind of constancy and confidence that is expressed by PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue, a solid and dependable blue hue we can always rely on,” said Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute. “Imbued with a deep resonance, PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue provides an anchoring foundation. A boundless blue evocative of the vast and infinite evening sky, PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue encourages us to look beyond the obvious to expand our thinking; challenging us to think more deeply, increase our perspective and open the flow of communication.”

The Color of the Year selection process requires thoughtful consideration and trend analysis. To arrive at the selection each year, Pantone’s color experts at the Pantone Color Institute comb the world looking for new color influences. This can include the entertainment industry and films in production, traveling art collections and new artists, fashion, all areas of design, popular travel destinations, as well as new lifestyles, playstyles, and socio-economic conditions. Influences may also stem from new technologies, materials, textures, and effects that impact color, relevant social media platforms and even up-coming sporting events that capture worldwide attention. For 21 years, Pantone’s Color of the Year has influenced product development and purchasing decisions in multiple industries, including fashion, home furnishings, and industrial design, as well as product packaging and graphic design. Past selections for Color of the Year include:

• PANTONE 16-1546 Living Coral (2019)
• PANTONE 18-3838 Ultra Violet (2018)
• PANTONE 15-0343 Greenery (2017)
• PANTONE 15-3919 Serenity and PANTONE 13-1520 Rose Quartz (2016)
• PANTONE 18-1438 Marsala (2015)
• PANTONE 18-3224 Radiant Orchid (2014)
• PANTONE 17-5641 Emerald (2013)
• PANTONE 17-1463 Tangerine Tango (2012)
• PANTONE 18-2120 Honeysuckle (2011)
• PANTONE 15-5519 Turquoise (2010)
• PANTONE 14-0848 Mimosa (2009)
• PANTONE 18-3943 Blue Iris (2008)
• PANTONE 19-1557 Chili Pepper (2007)
• PANTONE 13-1106 Sand Dollar (2006)
• PANTONE 15-5217 Blue Turquoise (2005)
• PANTONE 17-1456 Tigerlily (2004)
• PANTONE 14-4811 Aqua Sky (2003)
• PANTONE 19-1664 True Red (2002)
• PANTONE 17-2031 Fuchsia Rose (2001)
• PANTONE 15-4020 Cerulean (2000)

The color selected as the Pantone Color of the Year 2020 was taken from the Pantone Fashion, Home + Interiors Color System, the most widely used and recognized color standards system for fashion, textile, home, and interior design.

Imprinted in our psyches as a restful color, PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue brings a sense of peace and tranquility to the human spirit, offering refuge. Aiding concentration and bringing laser-like clarity, PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue re-centers our thoughts. A reflective blue tone, Classic Blue fosters resilience.

As technology continues to race ahead of the human ability to process it all, it is easy to understand why we gravitate to colors that are honest and offer the promise of protection. Non-aggressive and easily relatable, the trusted PANTONE 19-4052, Classic Blue lends itself to relaxed interaction. Associated with the return of another day, this universal favorite is comfortably embraced.

“The Pantone Color of the Year highlights the relationship between trends in color and what is taking place in our global culture at a moment in time, a color that reflects what individuals feel they need that color can hope to answer.” added Laurie Pressman, Vice President of the Pantone Color Institute. “As society continues to recognize color as a critical form of communication, and a way to express and affect ideas and emotions, designers and brands should feel inspired to use color to engage and connect. The Pantone Color of the Year selection provides strategic direction for the world of trend and design, reflecting the Pantone Color Institute’s year-round work doing the same for designers and brands.”

To fully bring to life the true meaning of PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue, Pantone has translated PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue into a multi-sensory experience. By extending the sensory reach of PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue, Pantone is hoping to reach a greater diversity of people to provide everyone with an opportunity to engage with the Color of the Year 2020 in their own unique way.

“As we all head into a new era, we wanted to challenge ourselves to find inspiration from new sources that not only evolve our Color of the Year platform, but also help our global audiences achieve richer and more rewarding color experiences,” added Pressman. “This desire, combined with the emotional properties of PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue, motivated us to expand beyond the visual, to bring the 2020 Pantone Color of the Year to life through a multi-sensory experience.”

Classic Blue in Fashion

PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue is a poised and self-assured blue hue elegant in its simplicity. Genderless in outlook and seasonless in endurance, this foundational anchor shade enables color mixes throughout the spectrum, as well as making a strong statement on its own. Emblematic of heritage but at the same time highly contemporary, versatile PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue takes on distinct appearances through application to different materials, finishes and textures from shimmering metallics, lustrous sheens and high-tech materials to hand crafted looks and more fragile fabrics.

Classic Blue in Beauty

In the ultimate display of personal expression, PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue makes a dramatic statement for eyes, nails and hair in a variety of finishes from glittery and glam to dusty matte.

Classic Blue in Home Décor

Offering the promise of protection PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue is a pervasive favorite for home. Creating a stable foundation from which to build, PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue injects creative confidence into interiors, transforming a space through unique color combinations and tonal statements. Easily applied across so many different materials, textures and finishes, PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue is a dependable blue that can take you in different directions expressing tradition and elegance as well as unexpected boldness.

Classic Blue in Graphic Design and Packaging

Because of PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue’s relation to the sky at dusk, something we see every day, it maintains a perception of dependability and constancy. A color we respond to viscerally as being trustworthy, PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue is an ideal shade for many applications of graphic design. This is especially true for packaging where PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue conveys the message of honesty, credibility and reliability that today’s consumers are connecting to.

The CDC and HIV.gov Outlines New Information in the Battle to Fight AIDS/HIV in The United States

World AIDS Day 2019 #WAD2019

“We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to end the HIV epidemic in the United States. Now is the time.“

World AIDS Day was first observed in 1988. Each year, on December 1, organizations and individuals across the world work to bring attention to the continuing HIV epidemic, endeavoring to increase HIV awareness and knowledge, speak out against HIV stigma, and call for an increased response to move toward Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America.

HIV in America

Collective efforts over many years at the local, state, and federal levels have successfully increased the proportion of people living with HIV who know their status and who are in care and receiving HIV treatment. In addition, our collective efforts have reduced new HIV infections to the lowest level ever. But, progress is slowing and new threats to our continued progress have emerged.

According to the latest available data, in 2017, 38,739 people received an HIV diagnosis in the United States. [1] That annual number of new diagnoses has remained essentially stable since 2013. Further, approximately 15% (or 1 in 7) of the estimated 1.1 million people with HIV in the U.S. don’t know they have it. These data make clear that not all people who need them are benefitting from the proven HIV prevention and treatment tools currently available. Specifically, certain populations and geographic areas continue to bear a disproportionate burden of HIV disease, requiring us to sharpen the focus of our collective prevention efforts on:

• Gay and bisexual men who are the population most affected by HIV in all regions of the country. In 2017, gay and bisexual men accounted for 66% ( 25,748) of all HIV diagnoses and 82% of diagnoses among males. [2]
• African Americans and Hispanics/Latinos who are disproportionately affected by HIV. African Americans account for only 13% of the population, but 43 % of HIV diagnoses in 2017. [3] Hispanics/Latinos account for only 18% of the population, but 26% of HIV diagnoses in 2017.
• Southern states accounted for 52% of the 38,739 new HIV diagnoses in 2017. Southern states account for just 38% of the U.S. population, so HIV diagnoses are not evenly distributed regionally in the United States. Further, in the South the impact of HIV is greater than in any other region. The latest data tells us that 51% of annual HIV infections, 46% of persons with HIV, and 51% of undiagnosed HIV infections were found in the South.

Knowledge of HIV status is the entry point to linkage to receiving effective care and treatment for those who test positive, helping them to stay healthy and prevent new HIV infections. A person with HIV who takes HIV medicine daily as prescribed and gets and stays virally suppressed [having very low levels of HIV present in the body, known as a low viral load] can stay healthy and has effectively no risk of sexually transmitting HIV to HIV-negative partners.

Despite these outstanding benefits of HIV treatment, the latest data tells us that among all adults and adolescents with HIV in the U.S., only: [4]

• 63% received some HIV medical care,
• 49% were retained in continuous HIV care, and
• 51% had achieved viral suppression (having a very low level of the virus as a result of treatment). [5]

Knowledge of HIV status is also an entry point to prevention services for those who test negative. Today’s highly effective HIV prevention tools include pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP, a daily pill which reduces the risk of getting HIV from sex by more than 90%. However, fewer than 10% of Americans who could benefit from PrEP have been prescribed it.

EnChroma Glasses Enable Color Blind Visitors to Experience Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Vibrant Color

EnChroma Color Accessibility Program Supports Museum’s Efforts to Provide a Full and Color Rich Experience to All Visitors

Color blindness affects 350 million people worldwide – 1 in 12 men (8%) and 1 in 200 women (.5%).

EnChroma, Inc. – creators of patented eyewear for color blindness – announced that The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art will participate in the EnChroma Color Accessibility Program. Based in Kansas City, Missouri, the museum is making EnChroma eyewear available to color blind visitors so they can experience a fuller range of color as they tour the museum’s collections.

Paul Gauguin. Autumn in Brittany (The Willow Tree), 1889. Gift of Henry W. and Marion H. Bloch, 2015.13.9. Photo: Chris Bjuland and Joshua Ferdinand. Color Blind Conversion Courtesy of EnChroma, Inc. (Photo: Business Wire)

The Nelson-Atkins initiative is being launched in conjunction with a traveling exhibition currently on display at the museum called Access + Ability, on loan from the Cooper-Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum. Access + Ability includes an exhibit on EnChroma color blind glasses and the condition of color blindness. The EnChroma glasses were also part of the museum’s Access + Ability exhibit at the prestigious, recently concluded World Economic Forum 2019 in Davos, Switzerland.

“We are committed to making the experience of everyone who comes to the museum as rich and complete as possible,” said Anne Manning, Director of Education and Interpretive Programs at the Nelson-Atkins. “It is exciting to be able to offer EnChroma glasses to our visitors who are color blind and know that we are making it possible for them to walk through our galleries and appreciate the range of color in each work of art.”

Backed by science, EnChroma lenses are engineered with special optical filters that remove wavelengths of light where the red and green cones have an excessive overlap in the eyes of people with color vision deficiency. This enables those with red-green color blindness to see colors more vibrantly, clearly and distinctly, helping them to overcome everyday obstacles and frustrations and access more of life’s colorful experiences. To learn more about EnChroma’s Color Accessibility program, contact accessiblity@enchroma.com.

Holiday Gift Guide 2019: Williams-Sonoma, Inc. Brands Launch Holiday Collections Benefitting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®

Collections now available online; A portion of sales from each collection benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. brands Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, Pottery Barn Teen, Mark & Graham, West Elm and Williams Sonoma celebrate the launch of their exclusive holiday collections benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®.

This year’s assortment includes: celebrity-designed water bottles from Pottery Barn Teen; playful ornaments inspired by patients’ artwork and a special edition Anywhere Chair® from Pottery Barn Kids; a ceramic catchall and whimsical ornaments from Pottery Barn; keepsake ornaments and totes from Mark & Graham; double-sided knit and faux fur throws from West Elm; as well as a mug set, spatulas and chocolate confections featuring patients’ artwork from Williams Sonoma.

Williams-Sonoma logo

“We are incredibly grateful for the imaginative and meaningful ways Williams-Sonoma, Inc. creates opportunities for people of all generations to engage in the lifesaving mission of St. Jude, especially around the holiday season,” said Richard Shadyac Jr., president and CEO of ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. “By introducing ornaments inspired by St. Jude patient artwork, designing beautiful gifts, and inviting celebrity friends to create items as well, the brands are helping raise critical funds and awareness for St. Jude to fulfill its mission: Finding cures. Saving children.”

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has partnered with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital since 2005 through various fundraising efforts.

“Williams-Sonoma, Inc. is a proud partner of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and is honored to have helped in its lifesaving mission for the past 15 years,” said Laura Alber, president and CEO of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. “Thanks to the generosity of our customers and employees we have raised more than $47 million since 2005, and we look forward to continuing to support the hospital in its tireless efforts with the launch of these exclusive holiday collections.”

Details of each brand’s St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital assortment is listed below:

• Pottery Barn Teen releases special edition water bottles featuring one-of-a-kind artwork by Olympic medal freeskier and actor Gus Kenworthy; actor and singer Cody Simpson; singer and songwriter Austin Mahone; Olympic Gold medal gymnast Laurie Hernandez; and actress and entrepreneur Genevieve Hannelius. The celebrity artwork includes song lyrics (Cody Simpson), out-of-this world graphics (Genevieve Hannelius), a simplistic and serene nod to nature (Austin Mahone) as well as personal mantras such as “Be Kind” (Laurie Hernandez) and “Be True” (Gus Kenworthy). Twenty-five percent of the purchase price from each water bottle sale will directly benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
• Pottery Barn Kids introduces four new ornaments inspired by artwork from patients at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. This year’s playful felt ornaments include a colorful sequined rainbow fish, an animated pine tree, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Santa Claus. Pottery Barn Kids is also releasing a special edition Anywhere Chair®, benefitting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The St. Jude Peanut Bear Cozy Sherpa Anywhere Chair® is GREENGUARD Gold Certified and the perfect cozy kid-size chair for reading, relaxing or snuggling. Fifty percent of the purchase price from the ornaments and twenty-five percent of the purchase price of the Anywhere Chair® will directly benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
• Pottery Barn debuts a collection of products benefitting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, including two holiday ornaments and a ceramic catchall featuring the word “LOVE” written in nostalgic green and red plaid lettering. The holiday ornaments are both Fair Trade Certified and include a St. Jude teddy bear wearing a cozy hat and scarf, as well as a whimsical pair of felt reindeer holding a heart. Twenty-five percent of the purchase price will directly benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
• Mark & Graham debuts holiday ornaments with personalization options designed to become forever keepsakes. An inscription, such as a date, or a child’s name can be engraved on the timeless boy or girl silhouette ornaments, which are available in gold or silver-plating. Additionally, Mark & Graham will offer a 100% cotton canvas totes bearing the same timeless boy or girl silhouette and a child’s name. Free gift wrapping is included. Twenty percent of the purchase price will directly benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
• West Elm releases two special edition, double-sided knit and faux fur throws benefitting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Each St. Jude Faux Fur Chunky Knit Throw offers style and comfort, and is certified healthy for you and the environment through Oeko-Tex® textile certification. The West Elm St. Jude Faux Fur Chunky Knit Throw is available in Natural Canvas and Heathered Pewter. Fifty percent of the purchase price will directly benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
• Williams Sonoma launches a collection of products benefitting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital including spatulas, a mug and chocolate confections. The St. Jude Spatulas for Williams Sonoma feature festive holiday designs inspired by artwork created by St. Jude patients. The set of four St. Jude Gold Heart Mugs features a gleaming heart created from real gold. The St. Jude Chocolate Thins are prepared directly on the celebrated Poundbury Estate by British Master chocolatier House of Dorchester and the paper wrappers feature original drawings by the young patients of St. Jude. Twenty-five percent of the purchase price will directly benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Its purpose is clear: Finding cures. Saving children.® It is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. Treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20 percent to more than 80 percent since the hospital opened more than 50 years ago. St. Jude won’t stop until no child dies from cancer. St. Jude freely shares the discoveries it makes, and every child saved at St. Jude means doctors and scientists worldwide can use that knowledge to save thousands more children. Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food – because all a family should worry about is helping their child live. Join the St. Jude mission by visiting stjude.org,

Publishing Giant Condé Nast Announces New Global Leadership Structure

U.S./New York-based Condé Nast and London-based Condé Nast International Are Integrated as One Global Team. New Consumer Marketing Function to Bring Focus on Direct-to-Consumer Efforts With Unified Commercial Team to Better Serve Global Clients’ Holistic Needs

New Leadership Structure is Expected to Help Further Turn the Financial Ship Around As Company Moves Beyond Closing and Selling Off Magazine Titles, Layoffs and Consolidation of Workforce Across All Titles

Long expected, Condé Nast yesterday appointed a new global leadership team designed to accelerate the company’s evolution into a 21st-century media company. The new organizational structure, which combines Condé Nast and Condé Nast International into a unified global team, was created with several guiding principles in mind, including the preservation of local editorial voice and authority, an enhanced focus on the consumer, unification of the company’s ad and commercial sales functions to reflect clients’ local and global needs and the development of new ways to share capabilities and best practices across the company.

Condé Nast is a global media company, home to iconic brands including Vogue, The New Yorker, GQ, Glamour, AD, Vanity Fair, and Wired, among many others. The company’s award-winning content reaches 84 million consumers in print, 367 million in digital and 379 million across social platforms, and generates more than 1 billion video views each month. The company is headquartered in London and New York and operates in 32 markets worldwide including China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico & Latin America, Russia, Spain, Taiwan, the U.K., and the U.S., with local license partners across the globe. Launched in 2011, Condé Nast Entertainment is an award-winning production and distribution studio that creates programming across film, television, social and digital video and virtual reality.

“One of my top priorities has been to define our organizational structure so that we can take full advantage of our unique growth opportunities and exceptional content around the world,” said the recently-appointed CEO of Condé Nast, RogerLynch “I’m confident that our new global structure will better enable us to collaborate across teams and markets and, ultimately, deliver unparalleled experiences for our consumers and clients.“

The new structure is as follows:

Global Content Functions:: Anna Wintour, U.S. Artistic Director, Editor-in-Chief of Vogue U.S. and (newly-appointed) Global Content Advisor, will continue in her role as U.S. Artistic Director and Editor-in-Chief of Vogue U.S., and will add Global Content Advisor and oversight of Vogue International to her responsibilities. In her expanded role, Wintour will advise the executive leadership team on global content opportunities and act as a resource to editors-in-chief and editorial talent worldwide.

Oren Katzeff, President of Condé Nast Entertainment (CNE), will expand the company’s digital video, film and television operations to create best-in-class video content experiences for audiences worldwide. The company has been increasing its focus on video content and currently generates 1.1 billion video views per month. Under Oren’s leadership, CNE will now be the core of our global network of video teams, supporting the growth of our video businesses in all markets.

David Remnick, Editor-in-Chief of The New Yorker, will also continue to report directly to Lynch.

Global Operations Organization: Wolfgang Blau, President, International & Chief Operating Officer will oversee all non-U.S. markets, as well as selected global strategic functions, including Product & Technology, Data, Licensing, Global Editorial Operations, Business Development, and Delivery & Business Transformation. This organization will ensure day-to-day operational excellence and capability sharing across the business.

Global Commercial Organization: Pamela Drucker Mann, Global Chief Revenue Officer & President, U.S. Revenue, will lead a new global revenue organization that brings together the company’s U.S. and international ad sales, creative and agency, B2B marketing and client service capabilities. Jamie Jouning, promoted to Chief Client Officer, will report to Drucker Mann and oversee key global accounts, multi-market deals, and central digital ad operations. Drucker Mann will define ad sales and ad product strategies globally, and work closely with Jamie and the central team and commercial leads in the company’s worldwide markets to drive overall ad, agency, and B2B revenue and share best practices.

Consumer Marketing Organization: Condé Nast is creating a new consumer marketing organization that will be led by a Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) and will bring added focus to the company’s direct-to-consumer efforts. As the company expands its consumer offerings, this team will be charged with developing best-in-class capabilities and consistency across consumer experiences on every platform. The team will also be responsible for consumer revenue, with a core focus on subscriptions and memberships. In addition, the team will have responsibility for global brand management, consumer research, and insights and global audience development, ensuring a data-driven approach to the company’s efforts. The search for a CMO to lead this new organization will begin immediately.

Corporate Functions: The company is also globalizing its three corporate functions to leverage skills, expertise and standardize processes and best practices: People, Finance and Communications. The company will begin an immediate search and selection process for these and other open roles. Until new leaders are identified, teams will maintain their existing reporting lines and responsibilities.

“We’re bringing added focus to our direct-to-consumer efforts and will build a new consumer marketing function that will be charged with developing best-in-class subscription and membership capabilities, and maintaining the authenticity of our iconic global brands,” Lynch continued. “And by transforming our sales organization into a unified global team, Condé Nast will be better positioned to serve the holistic needs of our clients around the world and make it easier for them to do business with us.“

The new structure and appointments take effect immediately.

National Geographic Launches ‘Starstruck,’ A Yearlong Celebration Of Space Across Its Global Networks, Magazines, Books And More

Starstruck Kicks Off With Second Season of Critically Acclaimed Series MARS and Fifth Season of Emmy-Nominated Series STARTALK With Neil deGrasse Tyson

Event to Also Include Two New Specials: MARS: INSIDE SPACE X and MISSION TO THE SUN, Plus Fall Book Releases “Space Atlas” and “Apollo to the Moon“

Starstruck Continues Into 2019 With a New Season of COSMOS and Weeklong Celebration of the 50-Year Anniversary of Apollo 11 Lunar Landing in July

Visit New Starstruck Portal for All Things Space, Including National Geographic Space Photography and In-Depth Reporting on the Latest Space News

For 130 years, National Geographic has been helping people explore the unknown, from the deepest oceans to the farthest reaches of the universe. Today, National Geographic announced that it will embark on a new storytelling odyssey, exploring the past, present and future of space across its vast media and entertainment platforms with Starstruck: National Geographic’s Yearlong Celebration of Space.

From the very dawn of the space age, National Geographic has covered the science, mystery and adventures of space exploration with unrivaled access, in-depth news reporting and cutting-edge science and technology.

National Geographic logo. (PRNewsfoto/National Geographic Society)

In 1935, National Geographic and the U.S. Army Air Corps jointly launched aeronauts into the sky in the Explorer II Stratosphere Balloon, helping to pave the way for the space program and marking a manned altitude record that lasted for 21 years. Later, in recognition of National Geographic’s contributions to space research and photography, astronaut John Glenn carried the National Geographic flag on the first U.S. manned orbital space flight in 1962. And on July 16, 1969, a National Geographic flag was again vaulted into the sky on the 238,000-mile voyage to the moon, with Neil Armstrong observing to his team that it was a privilege that the flag that had “accompanied every major recent expedition,” should also accompany the first one ever to set foot on the lunar surface. In 1977, National Geographic was part of the curation of the Golden Record, and more recently, presented the first-ever Instagram Live from the International Space Station with Will Smith in April 2018.

National Geographic Launches ‘Starstruck,’ A Celebration Of Space Across Its Global Networks, Magazines, Books And More

With Starstruck, National Geographic aims to once again inspire people to “look up” by bringing the awe and wonder of space to audiences around the world.

The yearlong commitment to presenting the best of space content kicked off this past week with the launch of the Starstruck Space Portal, as well as the recent release of National Geographic’s updated “Space Atlas.” The celebration continues Nov. 4 with an all-day marathon of the critically acclaimed series One Strange Rock beginning at 10 a.m., and with new seasons of MARS and STARTALK with Neil deGrasse Tyson in an intergalactic block of programming that premieres Monday, Nov. 12.

Additionally, two new specials will air this fall: MARS: INSIDE SPACE X also on Nov. 12, and MISSION TO THE SUN on Nov. 19.

Culminating with the 50^th anniversary of the historic Apollo 11 moon landing next July and a coinciding week of blockbuster Apollo programming on the National Geographic channel, Starstruck will rally National Geographic’s unrivaled portfolio of storytelling platforms around the spirit of space exploration and the nostalgia, curiosity, and feeling of limitless possibility that it brings.

With this announcement, Natgeo.com/Starstruck will be National Geographic’s one-stop digital hub for all things space.

Highlights of the content across all platforms include:

OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD TV PROGRAMMING:

• Season 2 of Nat Geo’s groundbreaking, genre-busting, hit docudrama MARS premieres Nov. 12 at 9/8c.
  

  A scene from the first episode of Season two of Mars.

• A new season of the award-winning STARTALK with Neil deGrasse Tyson debuts Nov. 12 at 11/10c.

  

  MARS: INSIDE SPACE X, premiering Monday, Nov. 12, at 8/7c, is an unprecedented glimpse into one of the world’s most revolutionary companies’ plan to make Mars home.

• MARS: INSIDE SPACE X, premiering Monday, Nov. 12, at 8/7c, is an unprecedented glimpse into one of the world’s most revolutionary companies’ plan to make Mars home. Filmed over the course of three years, this journey will take viewers behind the scenes with Elon Musk and his engineers as they persevere amid both disheartening setbacks and huge triumphs to advance the space industry faster than thought possible.
  

  Mission To The Sun: The United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket is seen in this long exposure photograph as it launches NASA’s Parker Solar Probe to touch the Sun, Sunday, Aug. 12, 2018, from Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. Parker Solar Probe is humanity’s first-ever mission into a part of the Sun’s atmosphere called the corona. Here it will directly explore solar processes that are key to understanding and forecasting space weather events that can impact life on Earth. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

• MISSION TO THE SUN, debuting Nov. 19 at 8/7c, goes behind the scenes as NASA preps for the launch of the Parker Probe, a historic quest to explore the last great frontier of our solar system — the sun. The special will feature new NASA footage, interviews, and animations to further capture this groundbreaking mission, and a behind-the-scenes look at the exclusive team of NASA scientists who have made this skillfully planned endeavor a reality.
• A brand-new season of EXPLORER programming will launch Nov. 12 at 10/9c, with a special Starstruck episode featuring space lemurs, flat-earthers and real space cowboys, premiering Dec. 10.
• Following a wildly successful run in 2014 as the most-watched series ever on National Geographic Channels internationally — seen by more than 135 million people worldwide on National Geographic and FOX — the highly anticipated Emmy award-winning worldwide phenomenon COSMOS returns this spring with COSMOS: POSSIBLE WORLDS. Neil deGrasse Tyson, the famed pop-culture icon, astrophysicist and host of the Emmy-nominated StarTalk, returns as host of COSMOS.
• A special week of Apollo programming in July shines a light on the grit and glory of the Apollo missions and a look at the new era of space travel and exploration.

LATEST SPACE NEWS, SKY WATCH GUIDES, AND STUNNING PHOTOGRAPHY:

• Up-to-the-date reporting from National Geographic’s prize-winning editorial team on the Starstruck news page, including live news coverage of the NASA InSight Mars landing (Nov. 26) and the NASA Kuiper Belt flyby (set for Jan. 1, 2019), the latest insights on the upcoming blood moon eclipse, and more
• Exciting National Geographic magazine space content, debuting in various issues over the next year, including an essay from November guest contributor Bill Nye on space sailing, and future features celebrating the 50th anniversary of the moon landing
• Monthly sky-watching guides, best space pictures of the month and a spacecraft love letter series (featuring first-person essays written by journalists, scientists, educators and enthusiasts who have a personal connection with the space probe), starting this month on the Starstruck portal.

The Los Angeles LGBT Center Receives $10,000 Grant From The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation in Partnership with Macy’s

The Los Angeles LGBT Center has been awarded a grant for $10,000 from The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF) in partnership with Macy’s to fund an HIV prevention program tailored for LGBT youth. The grant will be used by the Center’s Sexual Health and Education Program, which provides cutting-edge HIV prevention care that includes rapid HIV antibody testing, ultra-sensitive PCR/DNA HIV testing, comprehensive Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) testing and STI treatment, post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), and more.

The Los Angeles LGBT Center

The Center is honored to be recognized by ETAF for its unique work in the community. Since 1969 the Los Angeles LGBT Center has cared for, championed and celebrated LGBT individuals and families in Los Angeles and beyond. Today the Center’s nearly 600 employees provide services for more LGBT people than any other organization in the world, offering programs, services, and global advocacy that span four broad categories: Health, Social Services and Housing, Culture and Education, Leadership and Advocacy. The organization is an unstoppable force in the fight against bigotry and the struggle to build a better world; a world in which LGBT people can be healthy, equal and complete members of society.

The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF) logo

The late Dame Elizabeth Taylor established The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF) in 1991 to support organizations delivering direct care and services to people living with HIV and AIDS, especially the most marginalized communities. Today, ETAF also provides grants for innovative HIV prevention education and advocacy programs to existing organizations around the world. With key domestic advocacy funding focuses on comprehensive sexual health education and HIV criminalization reform, ETAF continues to bring the marginalized to the center of attention and advocate for their rights. The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation has granted to more than 675 organizations in 44 countries and nearly all 50 states in the U.S.

“The work that the Los Angeles LGBT Center does to help people affected by HIV/AIDS is impressive and very much aligned with Elizabeth Taylor’s passionate commitment to the cause,” said Joel Goldman, Managing Director of The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation. “ETAF and our partners at Macy’s are thrilled to present the Los Angeles LGBT Center with these funds to help further our shared mission.”

Through their Cause Marketing Program, Macy’s recognizes their responsibility to the community and their concern for the needs of their neighbors. They are proud to partner with ETAF and have contributed to this grant.

Immigrant Contributions To American Society Recognized With 2017 Vilcek Prizes

Visual Artist Nari Ward And Biophysicists Lily And Yuh-Nung Jan Receive $100,000 Vilcek Prizes

Winners Of Vilcek Prizes For Creative Promise Each Receive $50,000 Awards

The Vilcek Foundation is pleased to announce the winners of the annual Vilcek Prizes, recognizing outstanding immigrant contributions to the American arts and sciences. The Vilcek Prize in Biomedical Science will be awarded jointly to Chinese-born Lily and Yuh-Nung Jan, a collaborative research duo and professors of molecular physiology at the University of California, San Francisco. The Vilcek Prize in the Arts recognizes Jamaican-born Nari Ward, a New York-based visual artist known for found-object assemblage art. Each prize includes a $100,000 cash award. The prizewinners were selected by panels of experts in each field; they will be honored at an awards gala in New York City in April 2017.

“Like all great artists and scientists, these immigrant prizewinners challenge our very perceptions of the world,” said Rick Kinsel, president of the Vilcek Foundation. “Their works are attempts to understand fundamental questions and concepts in American society, from the neurological underpinnings of the self to the institution of democracy.”

The Vilcek Foundation was established in 2000 by Jan and Marica Vilcek, immigrants from the former Czechoslovakia. The mission of the foundation, to honor the contributions of immigrants to the United States and to foster an appreciation of the arts and sciences, was inspired by the couple’s respective careers in biomedical science and art history, as well as their personal experiences and appreciation for the opportunities they received as newcomers to this country. The foundation awards annual prizes to prominent immigrant biomedical scientists and artists and manages the Vilcek Foundation Art Collections, a promised gift from its founders.

This year, the Vilcek Prize in the Arts is awarded in the fine arts, marking the completion of an 11-year cycle through various disciplines in the arts and humanities. The recipient, Nari Ward, was born in Jamaica and immigrated to the U.S. at the age of 12. He is known for found-object assemblage artworks that invite both a public conversation and an intimate dialogue with the viewer around topics of race, immigration, and the Caribbean diaspora identity. His usage of found objects aims to highlight the history of a place and the urgency of the moment; his installation Naturalization Drawing Table features a large desk—built out of Plexiglas bodega barriers—covered with dense linear drawings made over copies of Immigration and Naturalization Service applications. On select days during the exhibition, viewers are invited to “apply” for naturalization by lining up and filling out an application, giving them a taste of the bureaucratic process of applying for citizenship. Ward has won several prestigious art prizes, including the Joyce Award, the Rome Prize, a Bessie Award, and several other awards from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation.

Lily and Yuh-Nung Jan were both born in China and raised in Taiwan. They came to the U.S. as graduate students of physics at the California Institute of Technology but switched their focus to biology, in part inspired by their mentor, the renowned biophysicist Max Delbrück. Over the course of a collaborative career spanning over four decades, the husband-and-wife team has made many significant discoveries in the field of neuroscience, with far-reaching clinical implications. They isolated the gene encoding a protein that shuttles potassium ions across cell membranes, enabling the characterization of a molecular player important to functions as vital as maintaining heart rate and controlling muscle movement. Today, this type of ion channel is implicated in diseases such as epilepsy, ataxia, and hypertension. Simultaneously, the Jans identified genes and principles underlying the processes by which neurons acquire distinct identities, burgeon into thickets, and establish precise circuits; their work in this area may help unravel human diseases such as autism and schizophrenia. Currently, professors of molecular physiology at the University of California, San Francisco, the Jans have been honored with membership in the United States National Academy of Sciences, as well as with Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator awards.

The Vilcek Foundation also awards the Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise, given to younger immigrants who have shown substantial talent and ability early in their careers. Each prize includes a $50,000 cash award. The winners in the fine arts are the following:

Iman Issa, born in Egypt, a conceptual artist, creates objects and installations in an attempt to address complex philosophical questions. Her original area of study was phenomenology, a branch of philosophy that examines the structures of consciousness that organize subjective experience—or, put another way, how we take meaning from things we individually experience. Later, Issa realized that art allowed for nuanced exploration of those topics, and continued her philosophical questioning through art. She is particularly interested in monuments and memorials—aesthetic forms tasked with a function that holds a shifting relevance based on their location in time and relationship to history. Her work has been shown at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the 8th Berlin Biennial, and the New Museum, and she has received the DAAD 2017 Artist in Residence Award, the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Award, and the HNF-MACBA Award.

Meleko Mokgosi, born in Botswana, is a slow, considered painter; behind every painting he produces are hours of research, reading, and conversations with people. Mokgosi is interested in depictions of Africa and its people; he believes that the widespread misrepresentation of Africa and Africans has done a violence to the people of the continent, and through his art he attempts a representation that is fair and just. He is deeply concerned with politics and seeks to understand and illuminate the relations of power that shape people, families, villages, regions, and nations. Mokgosi has been named the recipient of the Joan Mitchell Foundation Painters Grant and the Jarl and Pamela Mohn Award, and he has shown his work at Art Basel, the Armory, the Hammer Museum, and the Whitney Museum.

Smart & Blue Unveils 3 New Smart Shower Products plus First International Availability at CES 2017 in Las Vegas

In the run-up to CES 2017 in Las Vegas, French Eco-Tech company Smart & Blue today announced three new HYDRAO smart showerhead products, the much-awaited international availability of its products, plus new industry awards. Smart & Blue is an innovation leader in smart solutions for water conservation. Headquartered in Grenoble, France, the company was founded by founder Gabriel Dell Monica in 2015. The company now employs 10 people directly.

The new HYDRAO Loop and First smart showerheads and HYDRAO Drop smart shower light bring innovation, color, enjoyment – and now French design chic – to the bathroom. They are designed to increase awareness of water usage and encourage reduced water and energy consumption. HYDRAO First will be the first product to become available internationally – starting tomorrow.

Smart & Blue Founder Gabriel Dell Monica

The designs of HYDRAO Loop and Drop have already won two new CES Innovation Awards: HYDRAO Loop in the Smart Home category and HYDRAO Drop in Tech for a Better World category.

THREE NEW SMART SHOWER SOLUTIONS

HYDRAO Loop: a combination of advanced Smart & Blue technology innovation with French luxury design to bring smart-shower capabilities to stylish, modern bathrooms.

HYDRAO Loop smart shower set (Photo: Business Wire)

HYDRAO Loop Hand shower

HYDRAO Drop: adds smart-shower water saving capabilities to an existing shower. It is simple to install, and has a flexible arm that can be positioned to illuminate any shower surface or water jet.

HYDRAO Loop on a showerhead

HYDRAO First: a fun, educational and affordable smart hand shower. Launched in France at the end of 2016, HYDRAO First is available internationally from Jan. 4th 2017.

HYDRAO First is a LED-illuminated showerhead that brings color and enjoyment to families, while educating users on water usage.

SMART-SHOWER INNOVATION WITH LUXURY DESIGN

DESIGN INNOVATION AND WATER EFFICIENCY: Both HYDRAO Loop and Drop benefit from a new miniaturized version of Smart & Blue’s patented smart shower technology, allowing users to benefit from a sleek, streamlined design, with no compromise to HYDRAO’s water conservation guidance. Also new is the ability to allow individual users to monitor their own personal usage and savings – on either one or multiple HYDRAO smart showers.

New smart water pressure innovations also let users enjoy an enhanced shower experience, even at low pressure levels.1 These enhancements include increased energy efficiency for the internal turbine, new water pressure regulation capabilities and an innovative aerated water flow feature. Together they ensure optimum water flow and lighting intensity, while decreasing overall water consumption.

For professional customers, the fully modular, interchangeable design of HYDRAO Loop and Drop allow for design customization. Smart & Blue smart shower technology can also be integrated into own designs.

Celebrate Culture and the Arts During Seattle’s Third Annual Seattle Museum Month

Downtown Seattle Hotel Guests Receive Half-Price Entry to Region’s Museums and Cultural Institutions in February 2017

February Is The Best Time To Save On Admission To More Than 40 Participating Museums Throughout Seattle And The Surrounding Region.

Visit Seattle‘s third annual Seattle Museum Month – returning February 1-28, 2017 – offers hotel guests half-price admission at more than 40 participating museums throughout Seattle and the region.

Chihuly Garden and Glass. (Photo Credit: Terry Rishel)

Seattle Museum Month , a program created to encourage travelers to visit Seattle in February and celebrate the incredible arts and culture scene present in the region, is produced by Visit Seattle and funded by the Seattle Tourism Improvement Area (STIA), a dedicated marketing fund assessed from guests at the 61 downtown Seattle hotels.

Seattle Art Museum’s Olympic Sculpture Park. (Photo Credit: Benjamin Benschneider)

For visitors and locals alike, Seattle Museum Month offers an immersive way of experiencing Seattle’s art, history, music, design and culture. Since its inaugural year in 2015, Museum Month has been an exciting cultural complement to Seattle during a mid-winter vacation.

Seattle Art Museum. (Photo Credit: Benjamin Benschneider)

Seattle’s major museums have returned for this year’s offer – including Seattle Art Museum, Museum of History & Industry, Museum of Flight, Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP), Seattle Aquarium, Woodland Park Zoo, Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience and the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture. Two internationally renowned glass art museums are included – Chihuly Garden and Glass in Seattle and the Museum of Glass in Tacoma. The Flying Heritage Collection and the Suquamish Museum are new participants this year.

Museum of Pop Culture (MoPop) (Photo Credit : Brady Harvey)

Furthermore, many exhibitions of note are timed during the month-long promotion. Epicureans can indulge themselves at Edible City: A Delicious Journey at Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI), a new exhibit highlighting Seattle’s natural resources, cuisine, famous chefs and its role in the culinary industry.

Also on display in February is part three of the Day in the Life of Bruce Lee: Do You Know Bruce? exhibit at the Wing Luke Museum of the Pacific Asian Experience – the only museum outside Hong Kong to present an exhibition about Bruce Lee. Additionally, Star Trek: Exploring New Worlds at MoPOP commemorates the 50th anniversary of the famous science fiction series and is offered to Museum Month pass holders at a discount.

Seattle Asian Art Museum. (Photo Credit: Benjamin Benschneider)

Visitors can enjoy natural scenery while indoors at Seeing Nature: Landscape Photography from the Paul G. Allen Family Collection, opening February 16 at the Seattle Art Museum (SAM), or familiarize themselves with Puget Sound sea life during Octopus Week Feb. 18-26 at the Seattle Aquarium. Dance Theatre of Harlem: 40 Years of Firsts will be on display through Black History Month at the Northwest African American Museum.

National Geographic Announces World Legacy Awards Finalists

Innovative Travel Companies, Organizations And Destinations Put Sustainability Into Action

The 15 finalists of the 2017 National Geographic World Legacy Awards were unveiled today. The World Legacy Awards, a partnership between National Geographic and ITB Berlin, showcase the leading travel and tourism companies, organizations and destinations — ranging from entire countries to small islands and from urban hotels to jungle retreats — driving the sustainable tourism transformation of the global travel industry.

This year’s World Legacy Awards entries spanned the planet, representing 45 countries and six continents, showcasing how sustainable tourism has no boundaries. Finalists in five award categories were selected by an international team of more than 20 judges. A multi-step judging process also included on-site inspections of each finalist. For details on the judges, go to http://www.nationalgeographic.com/worldlegacyawards/judging.html

The 2017 National Geographic World Legacy Awards finalists are:

Conserving the Natural World — Recognizing outstanding support for the preservation of nature, restoring natural habitat, protecting rare and endangered species, whether on land or in the oceans.

• Mark Thornton Safaris, Tanzania — This guide-owned outfitter works to protect endangered wildlife habitat by establishing indigenous community partnerships on the Simanjiro Grazing Easement of the Maasai Steppe, a critically important wildlife migration corridor and wildebeest calving ground.
• Misool Eco Resort, Indonesia — Misool actively works to protect marine habitat, influence policy, and empower local communities. They manage more than 350 square miles of marine protected area in the heart of the Coral Triangle – the global center of marine biodiversity.
• North Island, Seychelles —Hailed as the Galapagos of the East, this eco-resort’s innovative Noah’s Ark project has successfully reintroduced some of the Seychelles’ rarest species back to nature as part of their restoration of native habitat on the former plantation island.

Earth Changers — Recognizing cutting-edge leadership in environmentally friendly business practices and green technology, from renewable energy and water conservation to zero-waste systems and carbon-emissions reduction.

• Cayuga Collection, Costa Rica and Nicaragua – Reduce, reuse, recycle is a daily mantra at this ultra-green hospitality company. Innovative practices include a program to eliminate plastic waste (even drinking straws are reusable bamboo) and guests join back-of-the-house tours to learn how sustainability touches their vacation experience.
• Finch Bay Eco Hotel, Ecuador – Finch Bay’s closed-loop sustainable technology produces organic food for their guests with a high-yield process that conserves water, eliminates pesticides, and reduces carbon food miles. Their success is now being replicated by other Galapagos hotels.
• ITC Hotels, India – Demonstrating that large luxury urban hotels can set a new standard for going green, ITC’s 11 iconic city properties, spread across India, are all LEED Platinum certified – the highest level recognized by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

2016 Holiday Gift Guide: Give The Gift Of Pure Luxury With Ada Diamond’s Latest “Delicate” And “Strong” Jewelry Collections

Ada Diamonds, best known for bespoke, high-end cultured diamond jewelry, unveiled its latest jewelry collections featuring soft and bold pieces for both women and men, perfect for the holiday gift giving season.

Cultured in high-end laboratories, Ada Diamonds offers the most meaningful diamond jewelry across the globe, combining cutting-edge technology, unmatched craftsmanship and sustainable designs. Especially knowing Ada’s lab-grown diamond process brings no harm to the environment, ecosystems or wildlife, the company presents customers the chance to wow their loved ones with 100% conflict free, luxury jewelry pieces sure to impress everyone on their list.

Launching the Delicate and Strong Collections the first week of November, Ada Diamonds celebrates its laboratory-grown diamonds through the creation of these spectacular pieces brightening the holidays for anyone who receives them.

Ada Diamonds’ new Delicate Collection. www.adadiamonds.com.

Ada Diamonds‘ Delicate Collection boasts modern, timeless pieces that take the guesswork out of gift giving. Offered in a setting of 14kt white, yellow or rose gold, this gorgeous set of necklaces, earrings, rings, and bracelets are ready to wear and feature up to 0.24ctw of cultured diamonds. Retailing at just $500, the Delicate Collection launches with 30 different pieces and is ideal for the holidays, graduation and bridesmaid gifts and even as a personal, well-deserved treat.

Ada Diamonds’ new Strong Collection. www.adadiamonds.com (PRNewsFoto-Ada Diamonds)

In contrast to the Delicate Collection, Ada Diamond‘s Strong Collection gives customers the opportunity to wear something extraordinary. Each ring in the Collection is made of millions of cultured diamonds permanently fused together under a million PSI and under temperatures of over 1500 degrees Celsius. The polycrystalline diamond material, Polydiamond, possesses incredible strength and is the ultimate expression of unbreakable, long-lasting love for both men and women. The striking black color is a result of these millions of diamond crystals pressed together in non-symmetrical orientation, thus absorbing light rather than light passing through as it does a single diamond crystal. The durable, unscratchable nature of the Strong Collection makes it an excellent choice for men’s wedding bands, starting at $1,500.

“We all have people on our holiday lists that we want to impress this season – look no further than Ada Diamonds and our two latest collections that are daily wear and ready to wear,” says Jason Payne, CEO of Ada Diamonds. “Jewelry pieces from both the Delicate and Strong Collections ship in one to two weeks.”

National Geographic Presents Extreme Weather

An Astonishing Documentary Film About Wildfires, Melting Glaciers, Tornadoes and How These Powerful Forces Are Colliding

Extreme Weather Opens in IMAX®, Giant Screen, and Digital Cinemas in North America beginning Today

This fall, National Geographic presents Extreme Weather, an immersive new giant-screen film experience that brings audiences face to face with Mother Nature at her most dangerous. Wildfires, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, tsunamis — hardly a week passes without a natural catastrophe making the nightly news. Extreme Weather goes behind the headlines to explore the rapid changes to Earth’s oceans, atmosphere and land and their connection to these increasingly devastating events.

Traveling to Alaska’s melting glaciers, filmmakers capture the action as massive chunks of ice shear off into the frigid water with explosive force. In the Midwest, cameras roll as storm chasers risk their lives to capture data as deadly tornadoes race toward them. And in drought-ravaged California, filmmakers embed themselves with courageous first responders fighting to contain raging wildfires.

Featuring insights from experts including National Geographic Emerging Explorer Dr. Erin Pettit and Oklahoma tornado researcher Justin Walker, Extreme Weather dramatically demonstrates how climate change is rapidly affecting our land, oceans and atmosphere to produce natural disasters as ruinous as they are spectacular. The film unveils the surprising linkages between these three areas, demonstrating how a small change in one place can have large effects elsewhere.

Extreme Weather features a first-hand examination of tidewater glaciers in southern Alaska, where Pettit bears witness to massive iceberg shards shearing into warming seawater. In Oklahoma, the film captures astonishing footage of powerful tornadoes as Walker and his team collect data with their “Tornado pods.” And in the drought-ravaged American West, camera crews accompany firefighters to document the ferocity of California wildfires, where forests have become so dry the slightest spark can ignite out-of-control flames.

Interwoven with these stunning images are startling facts about the rapid changes our planet is undergoing. Richly informative and visually astonishing, Extreme Weather underscores how seemingly random changes impact the planet’s intricately interconnected ecosystem.

Extreme Weather also provides viewers with a remarkable look at violent twisters ripping through the American heartland. (Image provided by Meaghan Calnan of Natinal Geographic) 

Directed and filmed by Sean Casey (“Storm Chasers”, “Tornado Alley”, “Forces of Nature”), EXTREME WEATHER showcases breathtaking cinematography reflecting Casey’s life-long immersion in the world of giant-screen nature documentaries. “I’ve always had a fascination with weather,” says Casey. “We wanted to go into the field and capture incredible imagery. The 150-foot flames, the 400-foot wall of ice falling, the tornadoes — there’s a majesty to all of that. The way I see it, EXTREME WEATHER lives at the crossroads of beauty and destruction.” The film is produced by Jen Casey.

“EXTREME WEATHER offers viewers an up-close look at some of the most astonishing and potentially deadly natural phenomena, while showing how they are interconnected and changing our world in dramatic ways,” says Antonietta Monteleone, vice president of film distribution for National Geographic Cinema Ventures. “It’s exactly the type of film giant-screen cinema was made for.”

As a boy growing up in southern California, Extreme Weather director Sean Casey remembers tagging along on expeditions with his filmmaker father George Casey. “For 30 years, my dad was an IMAX filmmaker,” Casey recalls. “At an early age, I’d go on film shoots with him, so that kind of life got imprinted on me as the family trade: ‘This is how you make a living. You travel to places with a very large camera and film visually stunning natural phenomena.’”

After receiving a film degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara, Casey served as a time-lapse photographer on the 1999 large-format documentary Amazing Journeys and as cinematographer on Natural Disasters: Forces of Nature, both directed by his father. “For Forces of Nature, I filmed earthquakes and volcanoes,” he says. “Then I volunteered to go storm chasing. I fell in love with tornadoes.” Casey and his high-tech approach to monitoring and filming tornadoes were central to the Discovery Channel’s reality series “Storm Chasers.”

After stepping into the director’s role for Tornado Alley in 2011, Casey was anxious to include an even broader array of weather-related phenomena in his next large-format production. “I’ve always had a fascination with weather,” he says. “We wanted to go into the field and capture some incredible imagery. The 150-foot flames, the 400-foot wall of ice falling, the tornadoes — there’s a majesty to all of that. The way I see it, Extreme Weather lives at this crossroads of beauty and destruction.”

That destruction has been exacerbated in recent years by the fact that our planet is getting warmer at an alarming rate. In the past decade alone, 150 million people have lost their homes to fires, storms, flooding and other weather-related catastrophes. And while sea level rose only eight inches in the 20th century, it is projected to rise three feet this century, which could spell disaster for the one billion people who live in 11 of the world’s largest cities located in coastal regions.

Still from Extreme Weather: To document this literal meltdown, Casey and his small crew set up camp across the river from Dawes Glacier in the Endicott Arm Fjord of southern Alaska. (Image provided by Meaghan Calnan of National Geographic)

Glaciers on Ice

The rising seas are caused by the rapid melting of billions of tons of glacial ice in places like Alaska, Greenland and Antarctica, where an ice shelf the size of Rhode Island collapsed in two weeks. To document this literal meltdown, Casey and his small crew set up camp across the river from Dawes Glacier in the Endicott Arm Fjord of southern Alaska. “I worked on a film called Alaska: Spirit of the Wild in 2004 and in that scenario, there was a river between us and the glacier creating a fixed distance,” Casey recalls. “For Extreme Weather, our goal was to get as close to the glacier as possible.”

Of course Casey couldn’t predict exactly when pieces of the glacier would shear off. “During our first expedition, in the spring of 2015, there was a lot of waiting around,” says Casey. “We beachcamped a mile away from the glacier and hit a rough patch of rain. We were wet, miserable and cold for a week.” The crew put in 14-hour days in front of the glacier, dealing with the potentially deadly currents, winds and icebergs it generated. “It was this constant process of re-positioning ourselves and navigating how close we could get to the glacier and still feel comfortable. We realized there’s a real fine line between being a safe distance and being in what we called the kill zone.”

National Geographic Launches First Hosted Digital Video Series

“Ingredients,” with Host George Zaidan, Launches on National Geographic’s YouTube Channel and on NationalGeographic.com

National Geographic is bringing its 128 years of science, adventure and exploration to its first hosted digital video series, “Ingredients, The Stuff Inside Your Stuff,” premiering today on YouTube and on NationalGeographic.com.

Join MIT-trained chemist and science-educator George Zaidan (@GeorgeZaidan), co-host of CNBC’s “Make Me a Millionaire Inventor,” as he tries to recreate everyday household products like toothpaste, lipstick and shaving cream using only natural ingredients… and no recipe. In each episode, George will decode long lists of intimidating chemical names, figure out what they all do, try and find natural substitutes and cook up the do-it-yourself versions in his chemistry lab/kitchen. While George may or may not succeed, we’ll all learn something new and surprising about the products we take for granted every day. For more information on the series by executive producer Danielle Steinberg, visit natgeo.com/ingredients or follow National Geographic on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat.

“In this series, I take viewers on a journey to discover the magic behind some of our society’s most common and widely used products,” said Zaidan. “I want to understand why there are so many different ‘things’ in some of the most basic products many of us use every day, what they all do and how complicated (or in some cases, straightforward) it is to make natural consumer products in my kitchen. We’ll all learn together. It’s fun. It’s exciting. It’s science.”

Episodes Include:

• Toothpaste on Sept. 15: Ancient toothpaste used stuff like rocks and bones — and modern toothpaste isn’t all that different.
• Lipstick on Sept. 22: From ground-up bugs to rust, there might be some unexpected ingredients in your lipstick.
• Shaving Cream on Sept. 29: What gives shaving cream all that lathery goodness?
• Nail Polish on Oct. 6: Nail polish has a ton of ingredients. Here’s why.
• Gum Base on Oct. 13: What makes gum stay chewy for so long?
• Air Freshener on Oct. 20: Do air fresheners really purify the air? Kind of…
• Peanut Butter on Oct. 27: Crunchy vs. creamy, runny vs. solid… there’s more to peanut butter than peanuts and salt.
• Conditioner on Nov. 3: Conditioner — it makes your hair silky smooth and it’s a lot like… fat.
• Hand Sanitizer on Nov. 10: There’s more to hand sanitizer than just alcohol.
• Dry-Erase Markers on Nov. 17: What makes a dry-erase marker erasable?
• Gum Sweetener on Nov. 24: How can sugar-free gum taste sweet?

“This series offers a better understanding not just of the products themselves, but of how our world is constructed for us from afar,” said James Williams (@burningtoast), Vice President Of Digital Video for National Geographic. “We often take for granted the science behind ordinary life, but it’s fascinating when you start peeling back the layers. You’ll never look at these products the same way again, and you’ll likely appreciate them even more.”

George Zaidan is the co-host of CNBC’s new hit TV series, “Make Me a Millionaire Inventor.” He co-writes and directs MIT’s webseries “Science Out Loud.” He has also developed, written and hosted shows for TED-Ed, The Weather Channel and The Pentagon Channel. His work has been featured in Forbes, The Boston Globe, NPR’s The Salt, NBC’s Cosmic Log, Science, Business Insider and Gizmodo. Zaidan holds an S.B. in chemistry from MIT, where he won the F.D. Greene Teaching Award. He is a New Media Consortium Emerging Leader and Khan Academy Talent Search Winner. He is a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Education and a member of the American Chemical Society. He is an avid rock climber, former single-digit-handicap golfer, beginning tennis player and recreational cook.

National Geographic Partners LLC, a joint venture between National Geographic Society and 21^st Century Fox, combines National Geographic television channels with National Geographic’s media and consumer-oriented assets, including National Geographic magazines; National Geographic Studios; related digital and social media platforms; books; maps; children’s media; and ancillary activities that include travel, global experiences and events, archival sales, catalog, licensing and e-commerce businesses. A portion of the proceeds from National Geographic Partners LLC will be used to fund science, exploration, conservation and education through significant ongoing contributions to the work of the National Geographic Society. For more information, visit www.nationalgeographic.com and find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, YouTube, LinkedIn and Pinterest.

PBS Rolls Out New Dramas, Arts, Performance, History and Election Coverage This Fall

PBS Confirms Premiere Date for HAMILTON’S AMERICA, a Behind-the-Scenes Special on the Making of the Tony Award-Winning Broadway Phenomenon and Centerpiece of PBS Arts Fall Festival

MASTERPIECE Offers New Seasons of “Poldark” and “Indian Summers”

Renée Fleming Performance to Headline PBS TCA Press Tour Sessions Also Featuring Josh Radnor, John Singleton and Aidan Turner, andTony Award-winner Sophie Okonedo

Election and History Specials Bring New Insights Into Past and Present

PBS’ fall 2016 primetime schedule is rich in politics, arts, drama and political history, covering a span from the American Revolution to the upcoming Presidential election. FRONTLINE’s acclaimed series “The Choice 2016”returns on September 27 with an in-depth look at this year’s presidential candidates, while THE CONTENDERS – 16 FOR ’16, debuting September 13, looks back at previous elections through the stories of former candidates. History and politics carry over into the arts with “Hamilton’s America” from GREAT PERFORMANCES, an intimate look at the making of the wildly successful Broadway production of Hamilton, winner of 11 Tony Awards and the Pulitzer Prize, which kicks off the sixth season of the PBS ARTS FALL FESTIVAL on October 21. Fall 2016 also brings the highly–anticipated return of “Poldark” on MASTERPIECE (date TBA), whose Season 2 continues the story of Captain Ross Poldark (Aidan Turner) in a love story set in windswept Cornwall of the late 1700s. On September 6, PBS presents 9/11 INSIDE THEPENTAGON, a documentary that goes behind the scenes at the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, and airs in commemoration of the 15th anniversary of the attack [VIEW CLIP]. On September 20, Ken Burns’s DEFYING THE NAZIS: THE SHARPS’ WAR tells the moving story of an American couple who rescued hundreds trying to escape the Nazis [VIEW CLIP].

Image: (L) MASTERPIECE “Poldark,” Aidan Turner as Ross Poldark. © Robert Viglasky/Mammoth Screen for MASTERPIECE. (R) GREAT PERFORMANCES “Hamilton’s America,” Phillipa Soo and Lin-Manuel Miranda. © Joan Marcus

As part of PBS’ commitment to education, the fall season will kick off with “SPOTLIGHT EDUCATION”, a week of primetime programming focused on the challenges facing America’s education system. Starting Monday, Sept.12, PBS will lead a national dialogue on-air, online and across communities, exploring ideas and solutions to improve outcomes for all of America’s youth. National broadcast programs include POV “All the Difference,” TED TALKS “Education Revolution,” [VIEW CLIP] FRONTLINE “The Diploma Mill,” (w.t.), NOVA “School of the Future,” CRAFT IN AMERICA “Teachers” and TIME FOR SCHOOL. Funding for these programs is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), in partnership with PBS, as part of the public media initiative, “American Graduate: Let’s Make It Happen.”

On October 25, “Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You” on AMERICAN MASTERS celebrates the life of the acclaimed, and often controversial, TV writer and producer. In BLACK AMERICA SINCE MLK: AND STILL I RISE, which debuts in two-parts on November 15 and November 22, acclaimed scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the last 50 years of African-American history, looking at culture, politics and an ever-changing racial landscape to explore the remarkable progress, daunting setbacks and deep contradictions of black America. ANNE OF GREEN GABLES, a new feature film starring Martin Sheen and based on the iconic book by L.M. Montgomery, will air on Thanksgiving night, November 24.

As part of PBS’ partnership with NPR to cover the 2016 elections, the 2016 Campaign Connection site offers a round-up of election coverage from across public media. FRONTLINE’s “The Choice 2016” and THE CONTENDERS – 16 FOR ’16 are part of the PBS ELECTION 2016 lineup, which  brings together venerable news and public affairs shows with new programs and specials to offer viewers information and insights about the 2016 elections, the candidates and key issues for voters. PBS NEWSHOUR, WASHINGTON WEEK WITH GWEN IFILL and PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND will provide distinctive coverage of the ongoing national, state and local campaigns, as well as presidential and vice presidential debates. On election night, PBS NEWSHOUR will offer live coverage of national and local results. 

“PBS’ fall programming truly stands out for its amazing variety, quality and diversity,” said Beth Hoppe, PBS’ Chief Programming Executive and General Manager. “Like the artists who populate our Friday primetime cultural programs this fall, PBS brings new perspectives to stories both well-known and untold. PBS viewers will discover everything from joyous musical creations to thoughtful approaches to presidential elections, learn from biographies of acclaimed Americans and find inspiration even in history’s darkest hours.”

MASTERPIECE enhances PBS’ Sunday night drama block with the September 11 debut of CHURCHILL’S SECRET, with Emmy® Award-winner Michael Gambon as Winston Churchill in an all-star production based on a little-known incident in Churchill’s illustrious life. Following CHURCHILL’S SECRET on September 11 is INDIAN SUMMERS, set during the tumultuous period of British Colonialism in the 1930s.  Rachel Griffiths and Art Malik join Julie Walters, Henry Lloyd-Hughes, and Nikesh Patel for Season 2 of the picturesque series. POLDARK, starring Aidan Turner in a love story set in windswept Cornwall in the late 1700s, returns for a second highly-anticipated season (date TBA).

The PBS Arts Fall Festival kicks off on October 21, and continues with a number of new programs on Friday nights throughout the fall. Joining “Hamilton’s America” from GREAT PERFORMANCES are Imelda Staunton as the iconic Momma Rose in a British revival of the classic American musical “Gypsy” and “Shakespeare Live! From the Royal Shakespeare Company.” LIVE FROM LINCOLN CENTER returns to the festival this year with “Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater” and pianist “Lang Lang’s New York Rhapsody.” Full broadcast dates and several other programs that are part of the PBS Arts Fall Festival will be announced later. SOUNDBREAKING: STORIES FROM THE CUTTING EDGE OF RECORDED MUSIC, an eight-episode series that explores how cutting edge technology combines with human artistry to create modern recorded music, premieres on November 14. ART IN THE 21ST CENTURY, hosted by Claire Danes and produced by ART21 premieres a new season on September 16.

PBS will unveil many of these new shows at the Television Critics Association Press Tour July 28 and 29 with a range of stars from the worlds of arts and politics. Talent appearing at the TCA include Jenna Coleman, Tom Hughes, Rufus Sewell and Daisy Goodwin for MASTERPIECE “Victoria”; Aidan Turner, Heida Reed and Eleanor Tomlinson for Season 2 of “Poldark” on MASTERPIECE; Ken Burns for DEFYING THE NAZIS: THE SHARPS’ WAR; McKinley Belcher III, Gary Cole, Hannah James andJosh Radnor for MERCY STREET Season 2; Tom Sturridge,Sophie Okonedo and award-winning director Dominic Cooke forGREAT PERFORMANCES “The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses”; and Henry Louis Gates, Jr. for BLACK AMERICA SINCE MLK: AND STILL I RISE. A panel introducing THE CONTENDERS – 16 FOR ’16 will feature series producer Carlos Watson (host of the weekly PBS talk show POINT TAKEN) and several of the politicians who appear in the series, which showcases the memorable presidential and vice presidential campaigns of Howard Dean, Michael Dukakis, Ralph Nader and John McCain, among others. PBS will also welcome Kenya Barris, creator and executive producer of black-ish, and Oscar-nominated filmmaker John Singleton on a panel for THE TALK.  PBS is delighted to feature a special performance by celebrated soprano and music ambassador Renée Fleming. The star of many PBS productions, Ms. Fleming most recently was featured in PBS’ National Memorial Day Concert in Washington, DC. Her next project, which she curated, will be the broadcast of Lyric Opera of Chicago’s “Bel Canto” on GREAT PERFORMANCES (airdate TBA).  Other talent and performers will be announced later.  

A chronological listing of Fall 2016 PBS programs follows, grouped by month and premiere date:

SEPTEMBER ON PBS:

POV “The Birth of Saké” – Go behind the scenes at Japan’s Yoshida Brewery, where a brotherhood of artisans, ranging from 20 to 70, spend six months in nearly monastic isolation as they follow an age-old process to create saké, the nation’s revered rice wine.Monday, September 5, 10-11 p.m. ET

9/11 INSIDE THE PENTAGON – On September 11, 2001 at 9:37 a.m. American Flight 77 slammed into the Pentagon killing 184 people. What happened behind the walls of the Pentagon is a largely untold chapter in history. Fifteen years later, survivors and first responders shed light on that tragic day. Tuesday, September 6, 8-9 p.m. ET

AMERICA BY THE NUMBERS: THE NEW DECIDERS– Learn how Asian-American, black millennial, Arab-American, and Latino evangelical voters are exerting their growing strength and influence in this 2016 election special about power and politics, demographics and democracy.  Tuesday, September 6, 10-11 p.m. ET

CHURCHILL’S SECRET ON MASTERPIECE – Michael Gambon (The Singing Detective, Harry Potter) stars as Winston Churchill in this dramatization of Churchill’s life-threatening stroke in the summer of 1953, when he was prime minister for the second time.  His illness and battle to recover were kept secret from the world. Lindsay Duncan (Birdman) plays Churchill’s wife Clementine, and Romola Garai (The Hour) is the remarkable young nurse who cared for him. Sunday, September 11, 8-10 pm ET

INDIAN SUMMERS ON MASTERPIECE  – It’s 1935 in Simla—an Indian retreat for British colonials set in the Himalayas. An assassination attempt on the Viceroy Lord Willingdon (Patrick Malahide), and the surprise arrival of Lord Hawthorne (James Fleet, Outlander), puts Ralph’s (Henry Lloyd-Hughes) future in the balance. Meanwhile, Cynthia’s (Julie Walters) Royal Simla Club plays host to an important royal guest, the Maharaja Maritpur (Art Malik, Upstairs Downstairs) and his elegant and mysterious mistress Sirene (Rachel Griffiths, Brothers & Sisters). Sundays, September 11-November 20, 10-11 p.m. ET

National Geographic Magazine’s April 2016 Issue Features 10 Different Covers for the First Time in Publication’s History

Documenting the World’s Animals, One Picture at a Time.

Multiple Covers Celebrate Photographer Joel Sartore’s “Photo Ark” Project

In a publishing first for National Geographic magazine, the April 2016 issue has 10 different covers featuring the work of well-known National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore. U.S. subscribers will receive one of the covers at random in their homes, and print newsstands similarly will offer a selection of the covers.

©National Geographic Top row, from left: waxy monkey tree frog, hippopotamus, Reimann’s snake-necked turtle, snowy owl, Malayan tiger. Bottom row, from left: Brazilian porcupine, southern three-banded armadillo, Indian peafowl, mother and baby koalas, Coquerel’s sifaka.

The April covers highlight the National Geographic Photo Ark project, a multiyear effort with Sartore to photograph all captive species and inspire people to save these animals before they disappear. For many of Earth’s creatures, time is running out. Species are disappearing at an alarming rate. To motivate people to care and help stop the crisis, Sartore is creating intimate portraits of an estimated 12,000 species of birds, fish, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates. To date, he has photographed nearly 6,000 animals. Once completed, Photo Ark will serve as an important record of each animal’s existence and a powerful testament to the importance of saving them. 

(National Geographic magazine’s “Every Last One” feature (April 2016 cover story):http://on.natgeo.com/1WkPr6h)

Greenbottle blue tarantula, Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens, Lincoln Children’s Zoo, Nebraska

The 10 published covers feature portraits of the following animals: waxy monkey tree frog, hippopotamus, Reimann’s snake-necked turtle, snowy owl, Malayan tiger, Brazilian porcupine, southern three-banded armadillo, Indian peafowl, mother and baby koalas, and Coquerel’s sifaka. Sartore shot the cover images at a number of locations, including Rolling Hills Zoo, the San Antonio Zoo, Zoo Atlanta, Raptor Recovery Nebraska, Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo, the Saint Louis Zoo, Lincoln Children’s Zoo, the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital and the Houston Zoo.

Bat star, Patiria miniata, Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium

Blue-spotted emperor butterfly, Charaxes cithaeron, Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium

Chinese Flying Frog,mRhacophorus dennysi, Phoenix Zoo

Chinstrap penguin, Pygoscelis antarctica, Newport Aquarium, Kentucky

Pink-sided tree frog, Agalychnis litodryas, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador

Roanoke logperch, Percina rex, Conservation Fisheries, Inc., Tennessee

Sand cat, Felis margarita, Chattanooga Zoo

Eastern subterranean termite, Reticulitermes flavipes, Dallas Zoo

With so many animals to choose from, the magazine staff had a difficult time selecting the 10 to use on the covers.

Fennec Fox The smallest foxes in the world have enormous ears to cool them down as they traverse sand dunes in the Sahara, where they are common. Their cuteness makes them attractive to the wild-pet trade.

“We wanted species diversity, from the charismatic and cute to the often overlooked. A mix of engaging characters that started to hint at the scale of Joel’s project was key,” says Susan Goldberg, National Geographic Partners editorial director and National Geographic magazine editor in chief.

CDC: Highlights from The 2016 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections

The annual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016) took place in Boston, Massachusetts earlier this week at the Hynes Convention Center. CROI is the premier international venue for bridging basic and clinical investigation to clinical practice in the field of HIV and related viruses. Top scientists, clinicians, and policy makers from around the world had the opportunity to share with each other the latest studies, important developments, and best research methods in the ongoing battle against HIV and AIDS and related infectious diseases.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention scientists presented more than 40 abstracts that highlighted new HIV research findings and its implications for HIV prevention efforts across the nation. Symposium and plenary lectures, workshops, themed discussions, and oral presentations are available online as webcasts. (You can also follow CDC highlights from CROI on Twitter @CDC_HIVAIDS or #CROI2016 to see conversations from this year’s conference.)

Studies that may be of particular interest to readers are briefly summarized below.

Estimating the Lifetime Risk of a Diagnosis of HIV Infection in the United States. Study authored by Kristen Hess, Xiaohong Hu, Amy Lansky, Jonathan Mermin, and H. Irene Hall

This study presents the first-ever comprehensive national estimates of lifetime risk of an HIV diagnosis by race/ethnicity, geographic area, and risk group for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Using mortality, census, and HIV surveillance data from 2009-2013, the authors estimate 1 in 99 people will receive a diagnosis of HIV infection during their lifetime, a decrease of 22% from a previous study that analyzed data from 2004-2005. Despite overall progress, this study reveals vast disparities among race/ethnicity, sexual risk, age, and geographic location:

• By risk group, men who have sex with men (MSM) continue to face the greatest burden of HIV.

  • At current rates, an estimated 1 in 6 MSM will be diagnosed with HIV in their lifetime, nearly 80 times more likely than for heterosexual men.

  • The risk also varies considerably by race and ethnicity—1 in 2 black MSM, and 1 in 4 Latino MSM will be diagnosed with HIV in their lifetime, compared to 1 in 11 white MSM.

• African Americans remain the most affected racial or ethnic group, with 1 in 20 men, and 1 in 48 women at risk for HIV in their lifetime.

• People who inject drugs are at much higher risk than the general population, with 1 in 23 for women, and 1 in 36 for men.

• By region, people living in the Southern U.S. face the highest risks for HIV, including Washington, D.C. (1 in 13) and the states of Maryland (1 in 49), Georgia (1 in 51), Florida (1 in 54), and Louisiana (1 in 56).

While lifetime risk has decreased compared to previous estimates, continued improvements in HIV prevention and treatment are needed. The data on lifetime risk may help to communicate the risk of HIV infection to affected communities and increase public awareness of HIV.  

Impact of Improving HIV Care and Treatment and Initiating PrEP in the U.S., 2015-2020. Study authored by Emine Yaylali, Paul G. Farnham, Evin Jacobson, Stephanie L. Sansom, et al.

The authors developed a dynamic model of HIV transmission that shows dramatic reductions in new HIV infections are possible by 2020, if the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS) goals of increasing diagnosis, care, and treatment for people living with HIV, and scaling up the use of PrEP* are met. The results show thousands of new HIV infections can be averted in different scenarios:

• As many as 185,000 infections can be prevented if we reach national targets for HIV testing, and treatment, while scaling up PrEP:

  • Meeting the NHAS 2020 target of increasing the percentage of people living with HIV who are diagnosed to 90% and the percentage of persons with an HIV diagnosis who are virally suppressed to 80%, could prevent 168,000 new HIV infections.

  • Rapid uptake of PrEP can help prevent another 17,000 new HIV infections by 2020, if 40% of high-risk MSM, 10% of injection drug users, and 10% of high-risk heterosexuals used PrEP.

• If current rates of diagnosis, care, and treatment are maintained from 2015 – 2020:

  • More than 265,000 new infections could occur over that period without PrEP.

  • The addition of PrEP would help prevent more than 40,000 cases by 2020.

Findings from this study highlight the promising outcomes of expanding testing, treatment, and PrEP and reaching the NHAS goals. While the model offers an encouraging glimpse into the future, more work remains to accelerate access to testing, treatment, and PrEP uptake over the next five years.

CDC Reports: 1 In 3 Adults Don’t Get Enough Sleep

Everyone knows that a good night’s sleep is critical for good health. But that doesn’t mean that most of us are getting the required eight hours a sleep each night. More than a third of American adults are not getting enough sleep on a regular basis, according to a new study in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention‘s (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. This is the first study to document estimates of self-reported healthy sleep duration (7 or more hours per day) for all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society recommend that adults aged 18–60 years sleep at least 7 hours each night to promote optimal health and well-being. Sleeping less than seven hours per day is associated with an increased risk of developing chronic conditions such as obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and frequent mental distress.

“As a nation we are not getting enough sleep,” said Wayne Giles, M.D., director of CDC’s Division of Population Health. “Lifestyle changes such as going to bed at the same time each night; rising at the same time each morning; and turning off or removing televisions, computers, mobile devices from the bedroom, can help people get the healthy sleep they need.”

Prevalence Of Healthy Sleep Duration Varies By Geography, Race/Ethnicity, Employment, Marital Status

CDC researchers reviewed data from the 2014 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), a state-based, random-digit–dialed telephone survey conducted collaboratively by state health departments and CDC.

Key Findings includes:

• Healthy sleep duration was lower among Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders (54 percent), non-Hispanic blacks (54 percent), multiracial non-Hispanics (54 percent) and American Indians/Alaska Natives (60 percent) compared with non-Hispanic whites (67 percent), Hispanics (66 percent), and Asians (63 percent).

• The prevalence of healthy sleep duration varied among states and ranged from 56 percent in Hawaii to 72 percent in South Dakota.

• A lower proportion of adults reported getting at least seven hours of sleep per day in states clustered in the southeastern region of the United States and the Appalachian Mountains. Previous studies have shown that these regions also have the highest prevalence of obesity and other chronic conditions.

• People who reported they were unable to work or were unemployed had lower healthy sleep duration (51 percent and 60 percent, respectively) than did employed respondents (65 percent). The prevalence of healthy sleep duration was highest among people with a college degree or higher (72 percent).

• The percentage reporting a healthy sleep duration was higher among people who were married (67 percent) compared with those who were never married (62 percent) or divorced, widowed, or separated (56 percent).

The CDC Recommends The Following Healthy Sleep Tips:

• Healthcare providers should routinely assess patients’ sleep patterns and discuss sleep-related problems such as snoring and excessive daytime sleepiness.

• Healthcare providers should also educate patients about the importance of sleep to their health.

• Individuals should make getting enough sleep a priority and practice good sleep habits.

• Employers can consider adjusting work schedules to allow their workers time to get enough sleep.

• Employers can also educate their shift workers about how to improve their sleep.

For more information on CDC’s Sleep and Sleep Disorders Program, please visit www.cdc.gov/sleep.

HIV and AIDS in The United States: Numbers Rising for Young Men, Ages 13-24

HIV-Related Risk Behaviors Among Male High School Students Who Had Sexual Contact with Males — 17 Large Urban School Districts, United States, 2009–2013

Laura Kann, PhD1; Emily O’Malley Olsen, MSPH1; Steve Kinchen1; Elana Morris, MPH2; Richard J. Wolitski, PhD3 (Corresponding author: Laura Kann, lkk1@cdc.gov, 404-718-8132.)

In the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention‘s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) dated February 19th, it was reported that young persons aged 13–24 years accounted for an estimated 22% of all new diagnoses of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in the United States in 2014. Most new HIV diagnoses among youths occur among males who have sex with males (MSM). Among all MSM, young black MSM accounted for the largest number of new HIV diagnoses in 2014 (1).

To determine whether the prevalence of HIV-related risk behaviors among black male high school students who had sexual contact with males differed from the prevalence among white and Hispanic male students who had sexual contact with males, potentially contributing to the racial/ethnic disparities in new HIV diagnoses, CDC analyzed data from Youth Risk Behavior Surveys conducted by 17 large urban school districts during 2009–2013. Although other studies have examined HIV-related risk behaviors among MSM (2,3), less is known about MSM aged <18 years. Black male students who had sexual contact with males had a lower or similar prevalence of most HIV-related risk behaviors than did white and Hispanic male students who had sexual contact with males. These findings highlight the need to increase access to effective HIV prevention strategies for all young MSM.

Data from 32 Youth Risk Behavior Surveys conducted by 17 large urban school districts* during 2009–2013 were combined. In each survey in each district, a two-stage cluster sample design was used to produce representative samples of public school† students in grades 9–12. In the first sampling stage, in four of the districts, schools with any of grades 9–12 were sampled with the probability of selection proportional to school enrollment size; in the remaining 13 districts, all schools with any of grades 9–12 were sampled.

In the second sampling stage, in 16 districts, classes from either a required subject (e.g., English or social studies) or a required period (e.g., homeroom or second period) were sampled randomly and all students in the sampled classes were eligible to participate. In one district all students were eligible to participate. School response rates ranged from 84% to 100%, student response rates ranged from 66% to 90%, overall response rates§ ranged from 66% to 90%, and total sample sizes ranged from 1,013 to 11,887. Data from each survey were weighted to provide large urban school district–level estimates, and statistical software was used to account for the complex sample designs during analysis. Data are presented for non-Hispanic black (black), non-Hispanic white (white), and Hispanic male students only. Pairwise t-tests were used to determine statistically significant (p<0.05) differences among subgroups.

Survey procedures were designed to protect students’ privacy by allowing anonymous and voluntary participation. Local parental permission procedures were followed before survey administration. Students completed the self-administered questionnaire during one class period and recorded their responses directly on a computer-scannable booklet or answer sheet. Each district’s questionnaire included the following question to ascertain the sex of the respondent’s sexual contacts: “During your life, with whom have you had sexual contact?” No definition was provided for sexual contact. The four possible response options were, “I have never had sexual contact”; “females”; “males”; and “females and males.” This report describes 17 risk behaviors related directly or indirectly to HIV transmission among male students in grades 9–12 who indicated they had sexual contact with only males or with both males and females (i.e., male students who had sexual contact with males). Specifically, two questions measuring alcohol use, 10 questions measuring other drug use, and five questions measuring sexual behaviors related to HIV infection were used in the analysis.¶ The final combined data set contained 1,681 records from male students who had sexual contact with males. Reflecting the urbanicity of the sample, 13.6% of the male students who had sexual contact with males were white, 40.6% were black, and 45.8% were Hispanic.

Among male students who had sexual contact with males, black students had a significantly lower prevalence than white students of drinking five or more drinks of alcohol in a row (22.9% versus 38.0%); and ever using inhalants (21.5% versus 35.0%), heroin (16.5% versus 29.1%), ecstasy (19.6% versus 40.0%), or prescription drugs without a doctor’s prescription (31.4% versus 47.8%); and drinking alcohol or using drugs before last sexual intercourse (32.6% versus 72.6%) (Table). Black students also had a significantly lower prevalence than Hispanic students of drinking five or more drinks of alcohol in a row (22.9% versus 34.5%) and ever using cocaine (17.9% versus 29.3%), inhalants (21.5% versus 32.9%), methamphetamines (18.1% versus 28.7%), ecstasy (19.6% versus 32.1%), or steroids without a doctor’s prescription (14.9% versus 25.6%).

However, among male students who had sexual contact with males, black students had a significantly higher prevalence than white students of ever having had sexual intercourse (89.1% versus 67.4%) and using a condom during last sexual intercourse (among sexually active students) (47.4% versus 25.2%); black students also had a higher prevalence than Hispanic students of ever having sexual intercourse (89.1% versus 79.2%). No other statistically significant differences in risk behaviors were identified between black male students who had sexual contact with males and white and Hispanic male students who had sexual contact with males.

Discussion

Black MSM are disproportionally affected by HIV infection. In 2014, the estimated number of new HIV diagnoses among MSM aged 13–24 years was 4,398 among blacks, 1,834 among Hispanics, and 1,366 among whites (1). Although risk behaviors are necessary for HIV transmission, the findings in this report do not provide evidence that differences in HIV-related risk behaviors alone are driving the higher numbers of HIV diagnoses among young black MSM compared with young Hispanic and white MSM. Indeed, black male students who had sexual contact with males in this report often had a lower prevalence of HIV-related risk behaviors.

Other explanations besides differences in HIV-related risk behaviors might help explain differences in HIV diagnoses by race/ethnicity among MSM (2–4). Key among these are higher prevalence of HIV, undiagnosed HIV infection, and other sexually transmitted infections among black MSM compared with MSM of other races/ethnicities. Because black MSM are more likely to have sex partners of the same race, black MSM are at greater risk for HIV infection within their sexual networks. In addition, black MSM who are infected with HIV are less likely to have health insurance, adhere to antiretroviral treatment, and have suppressed HIV viral load. These risks are compounded by social determinants of health associated with increased risk and poorer health outcomes that include higher rates of unemployment and incarceration and lower incomes and educational attainment.

TOYS“R”US® And Save The Children Launch Fundraising Campaign To Help Kids In Need #PLAYWITHPURPOSE

• 15.5 Million U.S. Children Live in Poverty; Many Lack Playtime in Their Daily Lives

• 10 Minutes of Play Improves Children’s Performance

• Play Enhances the Progress of Early Development by 34%

Toys“R”Us® has announced the launch of its brand-new ‘Play With Purpose’ fundraising and awareness campaign in partnership with Save the Children – the leading nonprofit working to ensure every U.S. child is healthy, safe and learning. Save the Children invests in childhood – every day, in times of crisis and for our collective future. In the United States and around the world, their work give children a healthy start, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. By transforming children’s lives now, the organization change the course of their future and ours.

Early Steps to School Success Program Taholah School District: Early Steps to School Success Program Taholah School District: 18 month-old son Rodney plays with a puzzle. He was attending a ESSS program session with program coordinator, Alyssa Johnston and his mother 21-year-old Tonya.

Together, Toys“R”Us and Save the Children are embarking on a mission to provide some of the 15.5 million youth living in impoverished regions of the United States with opportunities and resources to integrate purposeful play into their everyday lives; a factor proven critical in children’s emotional, physical and cognitive development and future growth.

Now through April 17, customers can make cash donations at any Toys“R”Us or Babies“R”Us® store, or online at Toysrus.com/PlayWithPurpose to help bring learning through play to kids in need.

For more than a decade Toys“R”Us and Save the Children have partnered to bring awareness and much-needed funding to children in need in the U.S. and around the world. Financial support totaling more than $7.6 million – including donations from customers, Toys“R”Us and the Toys“R”Us Children’s Fund – has helped the organization provide thousands of blankets to babies in impoverished regions in the U.S., benefited Save the Children’s early childhood development programs and offered critical assistance during times of crises.

Wednesday October 15th, 2015, West Virginia: Two-year-old Pauline practices her motor skills with Tonya Bonecutter, Save the Children Early Steps for School Success Coordinator during an at home session. Family Featured in “A Path Appears”

Monday October 20th, 2014 Barnwell, South Carolina: Pre-school students at the Aiken/ Barnwell Regional Head Start program are supported by Save the Children through it’s Early Steps for School Success program (ESSS). Barnwell Primary Early Childhood Coordinator Dorthy Dukes reads with 4-year-olds (L-R) Taraji Mack, Sanora Brown and Tynsley Moore.

The company’s Play With Purpose campaign is designed to support Save the Children’s early childhood development programs – Early Steps to School Success, Literacy/Healthy Choices and the SummerBoost Initiative – which help children in some of America’s most underprivileged areas thrive. To further assist families involved in the Early Steps program, a targeted approach to enhancing school readiness for children ages 0-5, Toys“R”Us will provide Save the Children with “play packs” filled with toys that build key skills and encourage socialization, along with informational materials to educate parents on the benefits of engaging with children during play.

Tuesday September 16th, 2014, Kentucky: Elliot, age 2 is enrolled in Save the Children’s . Early Steps to School Success program in Kentucky. Elliot likes to play with magnetic letters. So Mom made this entire activity on the wall in kitchen – letters and pictures. Elliott matches the letter he’s holding to the one on wall. His mom, Emily says the letter and Elliott repeats. Loves it! Emily has learned lots of ways to encourage Elliott’s early learning, including reading books, counting, stacking, playing with letters, pointing to pictures, communicating with him all the time, etc. She loves Save the Children’s program, especially the books.

“Witnessing a child’s face light up during playtime is a truly awesome moment. What’s more, play can help children unlock developmental skills, instill confidence and enhance imagination – the building blocks to success,” said Dave Brandon, Chairman and CEO, Toys“R”Us, Inc. “To know that millions of children living in poverty do not have access to play – whether due to limited family resources or knowledge about the importance of play – is heartbreaking. Together with Save the Children, and with the support of our team members and customers nationwide, we will strive to ensure all kids are provided opportunities to play with purpose.”

Families Face the Facts, Embrace Play and See Results 
Through the good work of Save the Children’s early childhood development programs and field representatives, underprivileged families from Washington to South Carolina are able to reap the benefits of hands-on involvement, as they embrace unstructured playtime in their homes. Statistics serving as the foundation of this campaign include:

LifeStyles® Condoms Undergoes Major Rebrand and Unveils New Products

Rebrand Includes Packaging Updates and Website Re-Design for LifeStyles and SKYN® Condoms

Ansell, a global leader in protection solutions and the makers of LifeStyles® and SKYN® Condoms (“SKYN”), announced today a major design overhaul, including packaging updates and website redesign for both brands.

LifeStyles(R) Condoms Unveils New Products and Packaging (PRNewsFoto/LifeStyles Condoms)

The iconic LifeStyles brand condoms have been updated with vibrant designs and colors reflective of the product attributes within. Each new box displays unique graphics with product details overlaid to outline the specific benefits of each variety in an easy-to-read format. This redesign was initiated to build excitement surrounding safe sex, highlight pleasure enhancing product attributes, and appeal to the brand’s key millennial demographic with a bold new look.

In addition to the core LifeStyles-brand products, the first-ever polyisoprene, non-latex SKYN brand of condoms by LifeStyles will also debut an updated design for its product range. Widely known as “the closest thing to wearing nothing,” SKYN packaging has been re-invigorated to further showcase the key attributes and new messaging for SKYN, enabling users to “Feel Everything(TM).” The SKYN logo has been updated with a circular design reminiscent of the look of an unfurled condom. This design, which is color coded for each SKYN variety, will help facilitate instant identification of the brand, both in communication materials and on store shelves, helping users easily identify varieties in the SKYN range, ultimately making the selection of the most suitable product for each consumer quicker and easier.

In conjunction with the overall rebrand, LifeStyles has also completed an update to their current online presence with a brand new website hosted at www.LifeStyles.com. To complement the new packaging design, the website reflects a sleek and modern look. It has been reinvigorated with a strong focus on custom content including infographics, videos, articles, sex tips, tricks, and more. In addition to a fresh visual appeal, the new website delivers on a core consumer need by providing relevant, useful, down-to-earth content about sex and relationships that they are seeking.

As part of this redesign, LifeStyles is also introducing seven products to the core LifeStyles latex condom collection. These introductions include updated designs and re-brands for Ultra THYN(TM), KYNG(TM), Everlast Intense and Turbo, with brand new products including BareBack(TM), Ultra Studded, Ultra Ribbed and the Ultra Trial Pack, which comes in three sizes.

Health Watch: New Lyme Disease-causing Bacteria Species Discovered: Borrelia Mayonii Closely Related to B. Burgdorferi

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in collaboration with Mayo Clinic and health officials from Minnesota, Wisconsin, and North Dakota, report the discovery of a new species of bacteria (Borrelia mayonii) that causes Lyme disease in people. Until now, Borrelia burgdorferi was the only species believed to cause Lyme disease in North America.

Scientists at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, first suspected the possibility of new bacteria after lab tests from six people with suspected Lyme disease produced unusual results, according to the findings published today in Lancet Infectious Diseases. Additional genetic testing at the Mayo Clinic and CDC found that the bacteria, provisionally named Borrelia mayonii, is closely related to B. burgdorferi. (To view the article online: http://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(15)00483-1/fulltext)

“This discovery adds another important piece of information to the complex picture of tickborne diseases in the United States,” said Dr. Jeannine Petersen, microbiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Researchers believe that, like B. burgdorferi, B. mayonii is transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected blacklegged (or “deer”) tick. Photo Credit: CDC

So Far, New Lyme Species Found Only In Upper Midwest

Limited information from the first six patients suggests that illness caused by B. mayonii is similar to that caused by B. burgdorferi, but with a few possible differences. Like B. burgdorferi, B. mayonii causes fever, headache, rash, and neck pain in the early stages of infection (days after exposure) and arthritis in later stages of infection (weeks after exposure). Unlike B. burgdorferi, however, B. mayonii is associated with nausea and vomiting, diffuse rashes (rather than a single so-called “bull’s-eye” rash), and a higher concentration of bacteria in the blood.

The researchers believe that, like B. burgdorferi, B. mayonii is transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected blacklegged (or “deer”) tick. B. mayonii has been identified in blacklegged ticks collected in at least two counties in northwestern Wisconsin. The likely exposure sites for the patients described in Lancet Infectious Diseases are in north central Minnesota and western Wisconsin. It is highly likely, however, that infected ticks are found throughout both states.

The newly recognized species was discovered when six of approximately 9,000 samples drawn from residents of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and North Dakota with suspected Lyme disease between 2012 and 2014 were found to contain bacteria that were genetically distinct from B. burgdorferi. Scientists analyzed the DNA sequences of these bacteria and found that they belonged to a previously unrecognized Borrelia species. Blood from two of the patients was also tested by culture at CDC, whereby the organism is grown in the laboratory.

To date, the evidence suggests that the distribution of B. mayonii is limited to the upper midwestern United States. The new species was not identified in any of the approximately 25,000 blood samples from residents of 43 other states with suspected tickborne disease taken during the same period, including states in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region where Lyme disease is common.

This digitally-colorized scanning electron micrograph depicts a grouping of numerous Gram-negative, anaerobic, Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria, which had been derived from a pure culture. This pathogenic organism is responsible for causing the illness, Lyme disease, a zoonotic, vector-borne, ailment, transmitted to humans by way of a tick bite.B. burgdorferi belongs to a group of bacteria, called spirochetes, whose appearance resembles a coiled spring. If left untreated, infection can spread to joints, the heart, and the nervous system. Lyme disease is diagnosed based on symptoms, physical findings (e.g., rash), and the possibility of exposure to infected ticks; laboratory testing is helpful when used appropriately. Most cases of Lyme disease can be treated successfully with a few weeks of antibiotics. Steps to prevent Lyme disease include using insect repellent, removing ticks promptly, landscaping, and integrated pest management. The ticks that transmit Lyme disease can occasionally transmit other tick-borne diseases as well. Photo Credit: Janice Haney Carr

Elton John AIDS Foundation Presents Its 24th Annual Academy Awards Viewing Party “Wonderful Crazy Night”

Event Sponsored By BVLGARI, MAC Cosmetics, And Neuro Drinks And Diana Jenkins

The Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) will present its 24th annual Academy Awards Viewing Party: “Wonderful Crazy Night” on Sunday, February 28, 2016, at West Hollywood Park in Los Angeles. Sir  Elton John and David Furnish will host the gala event. For a fourth consecutive year, award-winning Chef Gordon Ramsay will prepare the sumptuous dinner for party guests to enjoy while watching a live telecast of the 88th Academy Awards. DJ Johnny Dynell also returns to spin tunes for guests to dance the night away.

Following dinner and an exciting live auction, Elton and his band will perform various selections, including songs from Elton’s new album Wonderful Crazy Night, co-produced by Elton and T-Bone Burnett with lyrics by Bernie Taupin.

Elton John AIDS Foundation logo (PRNewsFoto/Elton John AIDS Foundation)

Sir Elton John created EJAF over twenty years ago, first in the United States in 1992 and then in the United Kingdom in 1993. Through hard work and with the help of a wide network of kind and generous friends and supporters, the two foundations together have raised more than $349 million over the past two decades to combat stigma, prevent infections, provide treatment and services, and motivate governments to end AIDS. The U.S. foundation focuses its efforts on programs in the United States, the Americas, and the Caribbean, while the U.K. foundation funds HIV-related work in Europe, Asia, and Africa.

The Foundation’s Academy Awards Viewing Party is the most highly visible and successful fundraising event in Hollywood on Oscar night. Over the past 23 years, this annual event has raised more than $50 million, thanks to the generosity of EJAF’s supporters. These funds help the Foundation to make a real difference in the lives of people at risk for or living with HIV/AIDS, including urgently needed medical care in the Caribbean, innovative treatment and prevention programs in the Southern United States, and national initiatives addressing the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the United States and Canada.

This year’s event co-chairs are Tim and Jane Allen, Beck, Boy George, Naomi Campbell, Jim Carrey, Ciara, Chris Colfer, Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi, John Demsey, Zooey Deschanel, Jennifer Kelly Dominiquini, Roland Emmerich, Stephane Gerschel, Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka, Debbie Harry, Stephanie Horbaczewski, Samuel L. Jackson, Diana Jenkins, Caitlyn Jenner, Quincy Jones, Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban, Billie Jean King and Ilana Kloss, Heidi Klum, Ryan Kwanten, Fred Latsko, Shelley Lazar, Sandra Lee, Rob and Sheryl Lowe, Eric and Janet McCormack, Joe McMillan, Lea Michele, Matthew Morrison, Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, Katy Perry, Tyler Perry, Adam Press, Andrew Rannells, Smokey and Frances Robinson, Zoe Saldana, Steve Sims, Britney Spears, Sharon Stone, Jeffrey Tambor, Steven Tyler, Denzel and Pauletta Washington, and Allison Williams.

Presenting Sponsors are BVLGARI, MAC Cosmetics, Neuro Drinks and Diana Jenkins. Audi, BBVA Compass, TheBLUEFISH, and StyleHaul have partnered with EJAF as the evening’s generous Co-Sponsors, and Fin Gray and Michael Melnick are Associate Sponsors. The Foundation is especially grateful to the City of West Hollywood for continued collaboration with EJAF on shared goals. American Airlines is EJAF’s official airline.

‘Squishy’ Robot Fingers Aid Deep-Sea Exploration

Researchers Successfully Demonstrate Soft Robotic Grippers Able to Collect Underwater Specimens

During a 2014 talk on his exploration of deep-sea coral reefs, Baruch College marine biologist David Gruber showed a video of clunky robotic hands collecting fragile specimens of coral and sponges from the ocean floor. Harvard engineer and roboticist Robert J. Wood was in the audience — the two scientists were being recognized as Emerging Explorers by the National Geographic Society — and a lightbulb went off.

“They were using rigid Jaws of Life-type grippers designed for the oil and gas industry that were totally overpowered and were destroying things,” Wood recalls. “It immediately clicked that there was a soft robotics solution that may be viable.”

In the months that followed, the pair collaborated to design, fabricate and test soft robotic grippers for deep-sea collection of fragile biological specimens. Their recent expedition to Israel’s Gulf of Eilat in the northern Red Sea — a unique marine ecosystem that houses one of the world’s largest and most diverse coral reefs — marked the first use of soft robotics for the non-destructive sampling of fauna from the ocean floor.

The new technology could enhance researchers’ ability to collect samples from largely unexplored habitats thousands of feet beneath the ocean surface, areas that scientists believe are biodiversity hotspots teeming with unknown life. The soft grippers also could be useful in underwater archeology.

As described in a paper published in the journal Soft Robotics, the team successfully developed two types of grippers and, in the process, demonstrated a new fabrication technique that allows for the rapid creation of soft actuators. Gruber and Wood funded their research with a 2015 National Geographic Innovation Challenge Grant, grants designed to foster collaboration between two or more National Geographic Society Explorers . 

Gruber, associate professor of biology and environmental science at Baruch College of the City University of New York and research associate with the American Museum of Natural History, explores deep-ocean ecosystems with a particular focus on organisms that display bioluminescent and biofluorescent traits. (Bioluminescent animals produce their own light; biofluorescent animals absorb light and re-emit it as a different color.)

When he wants to visit a coral reef below the maximum depth that human divers can tolerate, Gruber must rely on a remotely operated vehicle (ROV). But there’s a problem: The standard-issue robotic “hands” of underwater ROVs are ill-suited to collecting delicate coral, sponge and other samples. That’s because the equipment was designed for undersea construction and to install and repair submerged pipelines.

Manipulating and grasping fragile organisms from the sea floor requires something that can mimic the dexterity and soft touch of a human diver’s hand. Wood, Charles River Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and founding core faculty member of the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, recognized that soft robotics is tailor-made for the task.

Wood and Wyss Institute mechanical engineer Kevin Galloway set about designing two types of hands to replace the ROV’s factory-furnished metal gripper, each capable of gently recovering objects of different sizes and shapes. One, inspired by the coiling action of a boa constrictor, can access tight spaces and clutch small and irregular-shaped objects. The other, a bellows-style model, features opposing pairs of bending actuators.

To facilitate rapid in-field modification and repair, the team emphasized simple construction, inexpensive materials and a modular design. This meant they could try multiple configurations and make them in quantity. Harvard’s Office of Technology Development has filed a patent application on the team’s method for the manufacture of bellows-type soft actuators. The method is scalable, opening up a wide range of commercial, biomedical and industrial applications for this type of actuator.