Press Release

CONTACT:

Ilse Ortabasi, Kinder Magic Software, 760 632 6693

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ENCINITAS, CA--May 1, 2007--Kinder Magic Software announced today that it has been awarded Phase I funding under the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program.

Objectives of the SBIR program include stimulating technological innovation in the private sector, strengthening the role of small business in meeting Federal research and development needs, increasing the commercial application of the NIH supported research results, and improving the return on investment from Federally funded research for economic and social benefits to the nation.

The project proposal was submitted in response to a solicitation from the National Center for Research Resources. The objective of the proposed project, titled Urban Habitats - Inquiry-based life science explorations for K-5 students, is to design, develop and evaluate unique, engaging multimedia educational software. With this Web-based interactive software, students in grades K-5 will learn about environmental and life sciences through exploration and discovery of urban habitats. The goal is to develop content units that delve into the characteristics of vertebrates commonly encountered in various urban habitats, to study their natural histories, their environments, and ecosystems they are part of. Interaction with the Urban Habitats will reflect how science is done, emphasizing inquiry and discovery as a way of achieving knowledge and understanding. Knowledge of basic scientific ideas and processes consistent with the National Science Education Standards and the mission of the NIH will be addressed within this framework.

The mission of the NIH is to be a steward of science in pursuit of fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of this knowledge to protect public health. It follows that members of the general population should have a solid grounding in basic scientific principles so that they may apply this knowledge to promote and maintain a healthy life and reduce the burdens of illness and disability on themselves and the society at large.

According to Dr. Linda Bussell, Principal Investigator on the project, science software is the fastest growing category of children's software titles. Currently, science software offerings for children numbers over 500 titles, representing 15% of children's software titles in the United States. In Phase I, the goal will be to show the feasibility of Urban Habitats to significantly improve science literacy in K-5 students. The Phase I module will be tested with approximately 100 students. The aim of the research will be to investigate whether student outcomes include enhanced science processing skills, increased life science content knowledge, and a deeper understanding of the nature of science.

The goal of the project’s second phase will be to develop and test a fully functional prototype. The potential commercial applications of this software will support a wide distribution in public, private, and home schools. The module developed during the first phase of the project will serve as a template for the further development of the full software product in Phase II. The potential commercial applications of this software will support a wide distribution in public, private, and home schools. The audience for the proposed software includes the approximately 20,000,000 US school children enrolled in elementary schools. The software will be marketed as a consumer application as well.

Kinder Magic Software was founded in 1990 and is engaged in designing interactive software titles that enrich and instruct children and adults through engaging multimedia simulations and creativity/productivity tools. Previous products designed and developed, include:

On the Job -Office Work Environment Simulation to Assist Youth in Making the Transition from School to Work , Backyard Bugs - Discovery-based Science Explorations , Science Snoops - The Monarch Case, Science Snoops - The Space Case, and Mosaic Magic.

Contact Information
Phone: 760 632 6693