It all started in 2013, when Shea Stollenwerk, then eight years old, asked for a new hand for Christmas. Shea was born with a partial right hand, which restricts her ability to do things that other kids take for granted.

    “My mom went online”, says Shea, who lives in Muknowango, Wisconsin. Shea's mother, Ranee, soon learned about a community of artists, designers, and scientists who are making big breakthrough with artificial hands.

    Frankie Flood, a professor at the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, was among the designers who saw Ranee's online request. Flood obtained help from fellow professor Adeam Blair and their students, who were learning how to make designs using a 3-D printer. “We made a mold(模子) of Shea's hand out of plaster(石膏), and then we 3-D scanned her hand,” Flood says.

    While being fitted in Flood's laboratory, Shea got to choose the color of her new hand. She went with bright pink. She now has a pink hand, a purple hand, and a purple and pink one, and can do things that she couldn't do before, like peeling potatoes, picking up objects, and catching a ball.

    Flood and his team have since built hands for six other local children. Indirectly, they have helped dozens more by posting their designs online so that people around the world can print them out. Flood is also working on artificial legs for military soldiers who were injured on the battlefield. “Without a covering, the artificial leg is kind of ugly and plain,” Flood says. “Soldiers want something that will restore the shape of their legs and make them look cooler when they're playing sports.”

    As for Shea, the aspiring musician can now play her violin with the help from an adaptive device that Flood's team created. “Nothing is ever going to hold her back,” Shea's father, Steve, told a local reporter.

    At the age of seven, while his friends were spending their allowances on candy and toys, Jose Adolfo Quisocola, from Peru, came up with the creative idea of an eco-bank, which allows kids of all ages to become economically independent and financially wise while also helping the environment.

    Established in 2012, The Bartselana Student Bank is the world's first cooperative bank for kids. Whoever wants to join has to bring in at least 5 kilograms(11 pounds)of solid waste(paper or plastic)and establish a savings goal. Once accepted, all bank "partners" are required to deposit at least one additional kilogram(2.2 pounds)of recyclables on a monthly basis and obey other requirements, such as attending financial education and environmental management workshops. The waste accumulated is sold to local recycling companies, who, thanks to some clever negotiation by Jose, pay a higher-than-market rate for everything brought in by Bartselana Student Bank members. The funds received are placed in the individual's account where they collect until his／her savings goal is reached. The account holder can then withdraw his／her money, or choose to leave it and continue to grow for a bigger target.

    "At the beginning, my teachers thought I was crazy or that a child could not undertake this type of project," Jose recalls." They did not understand that we are not the future of the country but its present. Luckily, I had the support of the school principal and an assistant in my classroom."

    The youngster's persistence paid off. Today, the eco-bank, which now has the support of several local institutions, has ten educational centers and begins accepting applications from kids all across Peru. On November 20, 2018, the young boy was awarded the famous Children's Climate Prize (CCP)."Jose's eco-bank is a brilliant way of linking economy and climate impact, both in thought and practice. The potential impact is amazing," a judge said.

    Hopefully, Jose's success will inspire more kids and adults to come up with new ideas that create value while helping the environment. As the boy says," Together we can change the world…we just need an opportune it."

    Galaxy saw a man and a woman who communicated with the sign language at the train station when she was on the way home one evening. She noticed that the woman asked the man for the direction. He told her that he did not know. Galaxy decided to help them. She had learned the sign language when she served as a volunteer in the deaf and mute (聋哑) school. Then she showed the woman the direction and left her email address to them in case they needed her help later.

    She received an email from that man the next day. Kazrim was his name. Galaxy replied to his mail sincerely. They both started chatting online soon after and began seeing each other. Although they only communicated with the sign language, it never bothered her.

    Galaxy was fond of him gradually. Obviously, Kazrim was the same too. He presented Galaxy with a bunch of sunflowers and asked her sincerely, "Are you willing to be my girlfriend?" Galaxy was pleasantly surprised. She requested him to give her some time to persuade her parents.

    As she had expected, her parents were very angry after they had learned of their love story. Galaxy explained, "Kazrim is an excellent and a very optimistic person. He has a very positive attitude towards life and work. He cares for others always. He is 100% better than the normal. Moreover, the mute is still a human. He should have a perfect and wonderful love."

    Her parents asked to see him, then. The very worried Galaxy took Kazrim home a few days later. When they were on the train, Kazrim told her, "I'm going to tell your parents I'll be looking after you well with all my life!" Galaxy was deeply moved.

As soon as they had entered the house, Galaxy introduced him to her parents. She said, "This is Kazrim." Just right after her speech, an unbelievable thing happened. Kazrim threw the gift away and held her in his arms tightly.

    He said, "YOU CAN TALK?" It was the same question that Galaxy wanted to ask, too.

    The four people were shocked all of a sudden. As a matter of fact, Kazrim always believed that Galaxy was a mute and he still fell in love with her deeply.

Learn to cure cancer

    A vaccine for cancer is in the works.

    Lauren Landry and Chloe Tomblin are the scientists. They look in freezers(冰柜) for bacteria to use in the research. This research has its limitations—mostly because their lab is in a high school.

    But Lauren, 16, and Chloe,17 both students are Western Reserve Academy in the US, aren't put off by the difficulties they face in their cancer immunology(免疫学) class.

    “I hope we get to the point where we can get to a vaccine and write a paper,” Lauren said.

    Both conduct research into how to engage the immune system in stopping cancer from forming.

    Though the lab is in a high school, they don't use textbooks. The aim is to conduct real cancer research, either by testing the effects of substances on cancer cells or developing vaccines to target the growth of those harmful cells.

    The idea for the class came from Robert Aguilar, who has taught at the private school for many years. Students spend the first year learning research techniques. In the second year, students swap(调换) their blue lab coats for white ones. By this stage they are well into their research projects.

    “If first-years need any help, they can feel free to ask second-year students,” Aguilar said.

    Students form groups to conduct their research. One pair of students has researched the effect of capsaicin(辣椒素) on killing cancer cells. Another has tested the effect of caffeine(咖啡因) on the growth rate of breast cancer(乳腺癌) cells.

But few students get to the point in their research of experimentation with mice, Aguilar said. Lauren and Chloe hope that they can make decent progress in their work.

    “We know they're going to be used for good,” Lauren said. “If it does or doesn't work, it still has a huge impact.”

    Aguilar teaches the students that even research that doesn't work still contributes to science in some way. He tells students that “the best part of research is failing a lot”.

    I was disheartened recently when I turned on the news to hear a story about a family who is petitioning (请愿) the Hampton School Board to receive out-of-district compensation to place their daughter in an out-of-district school due to racial bullying. I was disheartened because I know that even if this family wins their petition, the root of the problem will still continue.

    While there are many contributing factors to the rapid increase of the bullying, I believe that the root of this problem lies within the restrictions of schools, or rather the teachers and administrators who allow bullying to happen while feeding the line "We have a no-tolerance policy" to students and parents.

    This family can move their daughter to a new school where she will feel safe to learn and grow, but they will leave behind the problem of the educators at this school who let the racial bullying happen.

    My son went to a private school in Concord. He was bullied on the play yard. The administration gave us the "No tolerance" line, but did nothing to stop the bullying or change the climate of the school.

    We pulled our son out of this school and placed him in another school. This school truly understands how to guide students' acceptance of differences and embrace teachable moments so that bullying is a non-issue.

    I truly hope that this family gets the out-of-district placement for their daughter. However, I am doubtful that the school district will address the root of the problem.

    Listed here are four of the thousands of impressive museums around the world.

    The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Bilbao, Spain

    Built in 1997, the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao is one of the newest in the world. It has transformed the industrial city of Bilbao into a travelers' desired destination. The beautiful architecture of the museum has provided a dramatic background for movies and commercials.

    The Louvre in Paris, France

    Probably the most famous Louvre also holds the most famous painting in the world, the "Mona Lisa" by Leonardo da Vinci. Crowds can be found any day surrounding the small, but mysterious painting of the smiling woman. But, the Louvre is much more than a home to the "Mona Lisa". The Louvre is visited by more people each year than any other museum in the world.

    The Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia, America

    Just opened in its new downtown location in 2012, the Barnes Foundation is "unique" in that it is a completely reproduced display from one man's private collection. Dr. Albert C. Barnes started collecting art in the early 20th century and collected, among others, the largest number of original Renoir paintings in the world.

    The Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy

    Walking on the marbled floors feels like stepping back in time. The building itself is a beautiful palace—like structure with frescoes(湿壁画) decorating the ceilings and walls. Viewers are bowled over(印象深刻) by the works by Botticelli, such as "The Birth of Venus". Classic artworks from nearly 1, 000 years ago describe religious events of the time.