James Portnow, Seattle-based game designer and co-creator of Extra Credits, a web series on pro-social game design.
Raised over $125,000 from over 4,000 people.
James and Extra Credits were featured at SXSW, Gamasutra, and the homepage of Reddit.
Meghan Sebold, Brooklyn-based social entrepreneur and designer.
Raised $5,000 for a sustainable clothing line that uses the textiles and talent of Ghana, West Africa.
Her fashion line, AFIA was featured in EcoSalon, TreeHugger, Refinery29, and is now available in boutiques across NYC.
Aram Bajakian, NYC-based avant-garde guitar player.
Raised $4,000 from fans and strangers to fund his album.
Lou Reed heard Aram and chose him as his new guitarist while Aram's album is now released by John Zorn's Tzadik record label.
Darko Lungulov, Serbia-based award winning international filmmaker.
Raised $9,000 from movie buffs for feature film project Here and There.
Film won "Best New York Narrative" at Tribeca Film Festival, featured in Variety, L.A. Times, New York Times, and was a top-10 indie box office theatrical release.
When Last We Flew, NYC-based Off-Broadway theatrical production team.
Raised $7,000 from theatre fans for the premiere Off-Broadway run.
Show sold-out at NYC Fringe Festival, won a GLAAD Media Award, and was featured in New York Times, Bloomberg, and American Theatre Magazine.
Regan Wann, Kentucky-based small business owner.
Raised $5,000 to expand her tea shop business.
RocketHub campaign featured in the Wall Street Journal exposing her business to millions.
Laura Boyd, NYC-based portrait and landscape photographer.
Raised $6,000 architectural photography project on location in Paris.
Photos featured in Artsicle Photography Show in the heart of Chelsea, NYC via LaunchPad.
Joshua Reuben Lewis, NYC-based singer-songwriter.
Raised $7,500 to record his first album.
Showcased at The Gibson Showroom and made A&R connections at Sony, Warner Music Group, and EMI via LaunchPad.
Paul Davis, Berlin-based fashion designer.
Raised $8,000 from fans and strangers for a new fashion line.
Clothing line featured at Berlin Fashion Week.
Caira Conner, Tennessee based NYU Master of Science.
Raised $2,000 to study Brazilian land and infrastructure development.
Featured in Americas Quarterly, completed innovative research, and submitted successful academic thesis.
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Any contribution of $1 receives: Many thanks and karma points 2 Fuelers!
Any contribution of $10 receives: Thanks, karma points and a venomous snake photo mailed to you 5 Fuelers!
Any contribution of $25 receives: All of the above and access to "members only" blog posts 5 Fuelers!
Any contribution of $50 receives: All of the above and a shed skin from a snake.
Any contribution of $75 receives: All of the above and I'll email you a video of a venom extraction.
Any contribution of $100 receives: All of the above and a personal tour of our reptile collection and a venomous themed t-shirt (must provide own transportation to Loma Linda, CA) 4 Fuelers!
Any contribution of $250 receives: All of the above, and name one of the animals in our reptile collection (must provide own transportation to Loma Linda, CA) 1 Fueler!
Any contribution of $500 receives: All of the above, dinner and a bottle of my homemade peri peri sauce (must provide own transportation to Loma Linda, CA) 2 Fuelers!
Any contribution of $1,000 receives: All of the above and I take you out to find rattlesnakes in the wild (must provide own transportation to Loma Linda, CA or be willing to accompany me to one of my collection sites in either CA,AZ,NV or UT) 1 Fueler!
Any contribution of $5,000 receives: All of the above and I will fly and provide a presentation about my research at your home, kids school, or really wherever you want. (Must be in USA)
Started by Chip Cochran October 31st, 2011
Background and goals of my research project.
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Support research that can contribute to the production of more effective antivenoms as well as provide cures for currently untreatable diseases!
Accompany me on my quest to unlock the mysteries that have been stored inside the head of one of the world’s most enigmatic creatures; the rattlesnake. Your support will allow you to join me on my adventures through both my photographic and video blog posts as I travel around the desert southwest collecting venom samples from the southwestern speckled rattlesnake. By contributing to this project you are supporting basic research which provides the foundation necessary to unlock its therapeutic powers.
The planets biodiversity has provided cures for many illnesses that affect mankind. Countless other cures are still waiting to be discovered! The dilemma is that a cure may only exist in a single population that may be restricted to a single mountain range or even canyon. As urban sprawl encroaches on more and more habitat we are losing local populations of flora and fauna at an alarming rate. Former Director-General of the World Health Oranization and former Prime Minister of Norway Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland summarized it best “The library of life is burning and we do not even know the titles of the books.” Simply put, we are losing our resources before we even know they exist! Currently venom has provided mankind with drugs that treat everything from heart attacks, strokes and sickle cell anemia, to high blood pressure, diabetes, and chronic pain.
So why venom variation in the southwestern speckled rattlesnake?????
A better understanding of venom variation has economic as well as public health ramifications. Our continued urban sprawl pushes human activity farther into habitat that was previously almost unoccupied putting man directly in contact with the venomous denizens of the desert foothills. This presents a problem as antivenom may not effectively neutralize envenomations across the entire range of species.
The aim of this project is to investigate intraspecific venom variation in the speckled rattlesnake. A montane island species of the desert southwest that possesses venom that presents different clinical effects in bite victims from across its range that are likely associated with differences in the species proteome (10 dollar science word meaning the entire set of expressed proteins).
So how the heck am I going to accomplish this?
If funded, I will be able to purchase the equipment, such as a dryshipper, necessary to conduct this research as well as afford travel from northern Baja California northeast through Sonora, California, Arizona, and Nevada until I reach extreme southwestern Utah. In each of these areas I will be stopping in various mountain ranges where I will capture southwestern speckled rattlesnakes and collect venom and blood samples from them. These samples kept frozen in the dry shipper, which uses liquid nitrogen, to avoid being destroyed by the intense heat of many of my collection areas. Upon return to my university I will use lots of very expensive equipment such as high pressure liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry machines to analyze my samples.
What will my work produce?
This project will result in papers published in scientific journals, as well as talks and posters presented at international and regional scientific conferences. I will also document my journey around the desert southwest on my blog, keeping my supporters informed of my progress with the aid of video and photographic media. By financially supporting my research you are directly supporting the scientific community which has faced major cuts in funding through traditional sources lately. My initial work funded by YOUR contribution is the crucial first step in obtaining leads for proteins that have the potential to provide significant medicinal benefits.
What will I be using the funds for?
Funds will be used to pay for equipment (like a dry shipper), lab work (it costs a lot to use some machines) and travel to various mountain ranges throughout the desert southwest.
Check out my blog:http://travels4toxins.wordpress.com/