5 years ago, a few graduate students began collecting discarded equipment from our university to send to scientists working in developing countries. We had all worked in labs abroad – from El Salvador to the Ivory Coast to China, and we knew that talented researchers were working in these places despite incredible obstacles – and that the surplus resources in our university were exactly what they lacked to pursue their research.

Now, five years later we have grown into a full-fledged nonprofit called Seeding Labs. Ultimately, the goal of Seeding Labs is to transform the global map of scientific innovation hubs. We began this project in Boston, where a few great universities have given rise to a strong and diverse scientific community. We believe that by supporting scientists at academic institutions in developing countries we can help seed similar scientific communities that foster first-class education, research and even private sector R&D. By the end of this month we will have helped 17 labs and clinics in 12 countries in Latin America and Africa: including a medical school in the Congo, tuberculosis and dengue fever research labs in Argentina and Paraguay, and a primary care clinic in Madagascar. We are now building the support to grow our operations in Boston, and helping groups of students in New York, Houston and Berkeley replicate our efforts. By equipping labs we are also building connections between scientists across international borders – a community that keeps in touch despite the distances.

So it seems very fitting that the internet is giving us a great opportunity in our expansion. We are in the running for a $10,000 prize at www.ideablob.com. And I thought perhaps you could help me get the word out about Seeding Labs and let people know about the easiest $10,000 donation they could ever hope to make. All it takes is going to the Ideablob website and voting for Seeding Labs. Signing up to vote doesn’t sign you up to receive spam. And everyone’s support would help us make an enormous impact on the lives of scientists around the world – and on the lives of everyone in the communities in which they work. Thank you so much.