Thank you so much to everyone who contributed their time and effort this weekend!

If anyone would still like to donate between now and April 13th, we'd appreciate it, but know that all donor rewards except the raidcraft faction invitation and the Minecone Mousepad were only available during the marathon weekend.

With regards to rewards from donors this weekend, we'll be shipping the Team Snow Day humor sampler rewards this week!

We'll be posting more reflections once we've had the chance to rest, but thanks again to everyone who watched or participated!

Watch the stream live from 5pm on the 24th to 5pm on the 26th at http://twitch.tv/researchathon

Donor rewards!

In order to recieve donor rewards, you must enter your in-game name and other pertinent info during the donation process.

$10 minimum donation Raidcraft World 2 Faction invitation

This is only on the brand new World 2 Raidcraft.net server, we have no world1 faction.

You must already have connected to w2.raidcraft.net and read the rules in their spawn area before we can invite you. Make sure you included you in-game-name in your donation message.

Once you've recieved your invitation, type, "/f join Research" and "/f home" to warp to our base, which we'll be building an awesome sculpture garden in and shoring up against attack!

(Too late--marathon weekend only!) $20 minimum donation Pitfalls and Penguins Nightmare fragment suggestion + Raidcraft World 2 Faction invitation

Wote has a special game of Pitfalls and Penguins planned for midnight on Saturday, as the forces of darkness surounding a stolen artifact impregnate the minds of the players with insane visions. Donate before the game ends and have your vision mess with our hilarious the band of advnturers!

If you also want a raidcraft invite, you must already have connected to w2.raidcraft.net and read the rules in their spawn area before we can invite you. Make sure you included you in-game-name in your donation message.

(Too late--marathon weekend only!) $35 minimum donation Signed Team Snow Day humor Sampler + Raidcraft invite

Make sure your mailing address info is accurate for this one!

If you also want a raidcraft invite, you must already have connected to w2.raidcraft.net and read the rules in their spawn area before we can invite you. Make sure you included you in-game-name in your donation message.

(Too late--marathon weekend only!) $75 minimum donation Pie in the face on stream + raidcraft invite

Specify the recipient. Since folks will be in and out during the marathon, If they're not on camera, it may be a while. You don't always have to pick Joe Hills, but it's funny.

(Too late--marathon weekend only!) $125 minimum donation Dual pies in the face on stream

Specify the duo. Since folks will be in and out during the marathon, If they're not on camera, it may be a while. You don't always have to pick Joe Hills and Wote, but they care most about their hair.

If you also want a raidcraft invite, you must already have connected to w2.raidcraft.net and read the rules in their spawn area before we can invite you. Make sure you included you in-game-name in your donation message.

(Too late--marathon weekend only!) $300 minimum donation Joe Hills writes and reads a poem on the subject of your choice (15/15 remaining) + raidcraft invite

The poem will be compsed in the week after researchathon and posted publicly to youtube. Make sure you suggest a topic that is not vulgar, or Mr. Hills will write a poem about something else for you. You've been warned.

If you also want a raidcraft invite, you must already have connected to w2.raidcraft.net and read the rules in their spawn area before we can invite you. Make sure you included you in-game-name in your donation message.

$2500 Joe Hills will sign his Minecon Mousepad and mail it to you (1/1 remaining) + raidcraft invite

Joe Hills really loves his Razer mousepad he got at Minecon. In fact, he uses it during the recording of almost every video he makes. If you want to own a peice of pop culture history, along with a certificate of authenticity, this is the way to go.

Joe will also post a Youtube video of himself tearing up as he signs and boxes the mousepad about how selfish you are that your love for saving the lives of children with blood cancer has cost him one of his favorite objects ever.

There is only one of these in the world, and when it's gone, it's gone.

If you also want a raidcraft invite, you must already have connected to w2.raidcraft.net and read the rules in their spawn area before we can invite you. Make sure you included you in-game-name in your donation message.

We'll be announcing more sponsors and guests in the upcoming weeks, stay tuned!

You can follow us on Twitter @researchathon

In-studio guests:

Art Frederick

Joe Hills

Guests via Skype:

Pauseunpause

Spencer Williams

Zisteau

ZombieCleo

Sponsors:

Drivel with Spencer

Raidcraft.net

Team Snow Day

Vechs

Welcome all types of gamers!

This past December I decided train for the Music City half marathon with Team in Training. TNT is the charity for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, which funds research grants and other finanial aid to help researchers and patients fight blood cancers. By joining TNT, I am committing to not only training for the half marathon, but also raising money and awareness for fighting blood cancers.

So why did I choose TNT? My day job is doing research on acute myeloid leukemia, mixed-lineage leukemia, and Hodgkin's Lymphoma. I love my job because the project I have been working on has come really close to elucidating the root mechanism for how several types of blood proliferation (a.k.a. hematopoiesis) abnormalities arise. It's really exciting, but unfortunately, funding limits the rate of our progress.

On a more personal note, two people I know are currently fighting cancer. Seeing how hard it is to diagnosed with an impending death sentence is scary (!), and going through chemotherapy can be just as hard, if not harder, than having to deal with cancer's symptoms. Leukemia and lymphoma are particularly brutal since they affect the entire body, and general chemo or heavy metal drugs are the only current treatments that have any effect. (And even then, they only give patients a 75% - 80% chance of remission, which isn't good.) Targeted gene therapies are one of the best ways to improve remission rates, and that requires doing more research.

So join me and several special guests on February 24-26 (Friday 5 p.m. through Sunday 5 p.m.) to have a jolly good time while also helping speed along the research opportunities that will help save (and improve) lives!

Game on!

Marion