Happy Birthday Luana Matos São Paulo, BrazilDr. Ronald G. Shapiro, PresenterHitesh Patel, PhotographerA Special Birthday Surprise

Presentation by:Dr. Ronald G.

ShapiroLead

Photographer:Hitesh Patel

In February 2006 our colleague and friend, Luana Matos from São Paulo, Brazil spent much of her birthday week with us in the USA.

We coordinated three surprise events to honor Luana:

Event # 1: An exercise in how people interpret information (extracted from the Games To Explain Human Factors: Come, Participate, Learn & Have Fun!!! program). Event # 1 provided an opportunity to take a photograph of Luana blindfolded with a Happy Birthday Bandana for use at Event # 3.

Event # 2: A nice dinner at a Brazilian restaurant. We ordered a slice of Birthday Cake for Luana and sang Happy Birthday, partially as a decoy so her special cake would come as a surprise.

Event # 3: The next day we held a surprise event to present Luana with her special Happy Birthday Cake featuring the Brazilian Flag.

Luana was first blindfolded and told that she would need to find an object hidden in the room worth more than a dollar.

The audience would help her find the object by answering Yes / No questions for her.

Her first task was to hold up a sign showing everyone what she was looking for and where it was hidden.

To make the task more challenging and fun, Luana

started with disorienting spins.Luana searched here, there and almost everywhere!!!!

Luana asked good questions and received hints (left photo) Ultimately, she found her prize (top photo) The left photo was featured at Event # 3.

Our team enjoyed a nice Brazilian Buffet

Notice the Brazilian Soda

Covering Luana’s eyes as cake is presented.

Luana was blindfolded for the next team activity. She had no clue that the activity was honoring her birthday with a ribbon, sign and special cake.

Luana posing in front of a wall size projection of her Happy Birthday Poster!!!

Notice the photo from Event 1 of

Luana blindfolded

with her Happy

Birthday bandana

This photo was taken immediately after Luana’s blindfold was removed as she realized that we were honoring her birthday.

Luana gets to read her ribbon

Luana getsto see

her sign

Luana enjoyed telling her colleagues and friends in Brazil how much fun she had celebrating her birthday with us in the USA.

School groups, families, and corporate event planners may wish to adopt some or all of the components of Luana’s Birthday Celebration to honor their family member, friend, or colleague.

Luana and I would especially recommend that families hosting an international student during their birthday (or their half birthday) consider having a similar celebration (including a Birthday cake with the guest’s country featured on the cake).

Dr. Ronald G. Shapiro January 2010