Mindfulness training helps kids sleep better, Stanford Medicine study finds

Good News Notes: “At-risk children gained more than an hour of sleep per night after participating in a mindfulness curriculum at their elementary schools, a study from the Stanford University School of Medicine found. The research was published online July 6 in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. The study is the first to use polysomnography techniques, which…

Getting sober: The benefits of meditation through Dry July

Good News Notes: “Meditation is a good bridge between partying and sobriety because it takes you out of your mind and your thoughts into a place of peace,” Sydney-based Kinsella says. “It brings you to a state of balance, which means that compulsive behaviours will likely naturally start falling away.” He says Dry July, where people take…

PowerZ raises $8.3 million for its video game focused on education

Good News Notes: “French startup PowerZ has raised another $8.3 million (€7 million at today’s exchange rate) including $1.2 million (€1 million) in debt — the rest is a traditional equity round. The company is both an edtech startup and a video game studio with an ambitious goal — it wants to build a game that is…

A Never-Before-Seen Type of Signal Has Been Detected in The Human Brain

Good News Notes: “Scientists have discovered a unique form of cell messaging occurring in the human brain that’s not been seen before. Excitingly, the discovery hints that our brains might be even more powerful units of computation than we realized. Early last year, researchers from institutes in Germany and Greece reported a mechanism in the brain’s…

Hydroponic garden at high school grows lettuce for Food Pantry

Good News Notes: “When it was learned that a $5,000 hydroponic garden (growing plants without soil) could be installed free of charge last February, the Barron Area School Board approved, and a new asset was added to the high school agricultural science classroom. Just four months later, the garden has already produced two lush crops…

Yale drama school to stop charging tuition after receiving $150 million donation

Good News Notes:  “Yale University’s drama school will stop charging tuition for its students starting in August after receiving a $150 million donation. The donation came from philanthropist David Geffen, the drama school said in a statement. It’s the largest donation on record in the history of American theater. The donation also makes the school the…

Med students rescue passenger mid-flight during medical emergency

Good News Notes: “Some heroes need a plane to fly. Two med students jumped into action when a fellow passenger had a medical emergency midair on a flight to Greece. Thankfully, the young women were able to use their skills to get the situation under control. The LSU Health Sciences Center recognized Heather Duplessis and Lauren Bagneris…

Hattiesburg company gives away free rugs to teachers for classrooms

Good News Notes: “Early Friday morning, teachers from across the Pine Belt lined up outside of Anderson Design Center in Hattiesburg as the company held it’s annual rug giveaway. The event allows teachers to pick out a rug for their classroom free of charge. Rachel Williams, Mary Miller and Sue Ellen Lutsch are teachers at…

Tackling air pollution with autonomous drones

Good News Notes:  “Hovering 100 meters above a densely populated urban residential area, the drone takes a quiet breath. Its goal is singular: to systematically measure air quality across the metropolitan landscape, providing regular updates to a central communication module where it docks after its patrol, awaiting a new set of instructions. The central module…

Hayden Hamilton, Paralyzed During Football Game, Walks at Graduation

Good News Notes: “A Pittsburgh high schooler who was paralyzed three years ago during a football game received a standing ovation at his high school graduation as he rose from his wheelchair and walked 10 yards to receive his diploma – much to the shock of his friends and classmates. “That felt better than any…