Science Education-Fundraising Project

Scot Osterweil · Alex Chisholm

Wed., June 10, 3:30–4:30, Old Madison (3rd floor, East/Southeast)

Caduceus, a learning game designed to help Children’s Hospital Boston educate kids about medical research and engage families in fundraising for pediatric medical research, transports players to a virtual world where they assume the role of young healers working to discover the source of a devastating plague. Kids solve scientific puzzles and experience the same challenges that real doctors and scientists face in their work. They are challenged to track down the source of a disease, isolate its causes, and mix and match ingredients to find a cure. If they complete all five game levels, they cure the virtual plague, earn the title “Master Healer” and unlock sponsor gifts to advance real-world cures for kids. In the process, they learn about the power of giving and the science of medicine.

The Hospital’s “Game for Good/Make it Better” (G4GMIB) challenge is the nation’s first online game-a-thon for tweens. G4GMIB lets kids use their gaming powers for good to raise money to fuel the discovery of cures and treatments for serious childhood diseases. The game play takes place on the award-winning Children’s Hospital Boston tween website called Generation Cures. Kids enter the game-a-thon by registering for free at kids.generationcures.org. Once registered, kids can reach out to parents, relatives, and family friends, asking them to sponsor their game play by making a Game for Good pledge for any dollar amount. In doing so, tweens can make a difference in the lives of sick children throughout the world.