I recently wrote, narrated, and produced this video for LateNiteLabs.com.

I tend to get passionate about any project I work on… but this one was special.

I used to work at a science museum doing live demonstrations: making kids’ hair stand on end with static electricity, blowing things up with liquid nitrogen.  I’ve seen first-hand just how powerful the experience of hands-on science can be for kids.  It opens their eyes, helps them understand concepts in a brand-new way, and it really does help them to discover a genuine love of science.

Unfortunately, in high school and college science departments, hands-on labs are becoming less and less common.  The equipment is expensive and fragile.  And in today’s economy, when some schools can barely afford textbooks, buying enough supplies for a whole class to try even one experiment, much less a whole series, just doesn’t happen.

Late Nite Labs provides an alternative: virtual labs.  Students try classic chemistry and biology experiments, going through the same steps they’d use in a real lab, but in a Flash-based web app, instead.  That means they can take their time, they can make mistakes, they can go back and try again, they can even try experiments they’d never have a chance to attempt in real life.  To me, that sounds like a fantastic opportunity.

It took a few rounds of revisions to get the video just right, but I’m pretty happy with the way it turned out–and I’m THRILLED to have had a chance to help promote Late Nite Labs.