Bioengineering Educational Outreach Forum

American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering

Saturday, February 22, 2003

Focus: Providing a workforce of a sufficient size, and educating the public about the role of engineering in society’s health and welfare requires the engagement of engineers in educational processes beyond their traditional university roles. This forum will demonstrate some of the models for outreach that are proving to be successful, and discuss some of the goals.

Moderator/Overview:

Fanaye Turner turner@uweb.engr.washington.edu

Director of Education Outreach, University of Washington Engineered Biomaterials ERC

· UWEB outreach programs to K-12 include:Laboratory Experience for High School Students (LEHSS), Summer Program for Middle School Teachers (MSSTI), Science for Success (SFS), Guy Simplant games about design of prostheses.

http://www.uweb.engr.washington.edu/education/index.html

http://depts.washington.edu/simplant

Speakers/Panelists

Stacy Klein, PhD sklein@usn.org

Teacher, University School of Nashville and Adjunct Asst. Professor, Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University

· Challenge-based bioengineering curriculum to motivate students and enhance learning in high school physics and biology, including modules on the electrocardiogram, medical imaging, biomechanics of the iron cross, biomechanics of balance, swimming (energy systems of the body) and LASIK surgery and optics. Students learn the science that they would learn in other classes, but in a context in which it relates to them and teaches them what biomedical engineering is. These modules use a legacy-cycle approach that engages the students in activities simulating research. They are taught in collaboration with the VaNTH (Vanderbilt-Northwestern-Texas-Harvard/MIT) Engineering Research Center in Bioengineering Educational Technologies. These had their first tests in the University School of Nashville, but are being tested in public magnet and comprehensive schools in Nashville, and will soon be tested in Boston as well. Dr. Klein has also participated in a Research Experience for Teachers program at Vanderbilt.

http://www.vanth.org, http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2002/nsf02090/nsf02090.html

Leigh Abts, PhD leighabts@aol.com

Associate Director for Education and Outreach Programs

Engineering Research Center for Computer-Integrated Surgical Systems and Technology (CISST)

The Johns Hopkins University

· CISST is active in curricular outreach in contexts from K-12 education, through community college, undergraduate studies, graduate studies and continuing education. The effort involves developing structured research experiences that are appropriate for students at all levels. Curricular materials are developed with the goals of linking engineering research centers to diverse populations, developing building blocks that can be used in the different educational contexts, and minimizing the impact on university faculty. Partners include schools in the Baltimore area, Pittsburgh, Cambridge MA, and Washington DC. In addition, CISST has sponsored a Surgical LEGO™ Robot Competition. Students are challenged to solve a realistic engineering problem: to build a robot that can manipulate a needle to target and hit a simulated tumor.

http://cisstweb.cs.jhu.edu/

David Kanter, PhD dkanter@northwestern.edu

Research Assistant Professor, School of Education and Social Policy and

Research Associate, Biomedical Engineering Department, Northwestern University.

(Presentation given by Robert Linsenmeier)

· Project based high school biology curriculum, lasting nearly a semester, using cardiovascular disease as a unifying theme for teaching required standards-based content in biology. The challenge is to use data from a group of patients to discover a common disease process and then to recommend treatments. Materials used in the staged discovery process include simulations, hands-on experiments, case histories, and clinical images and video from patients. These develop thinking, experimental design, data analysis, communication and teamwork skills used by engineers, and expose students to modern diagnostic tools used by and created by bioengineers. The project also includes a professional development "research experience for teachers" component, many of whom have not had any research experience. This is funded by an NIH Science and Engineering Partnership (SEPA) grant to the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry and Northwestern. Dr. Kanter has also developed a middle school curriculum on energy metabolism in collaboration with the VaNTH ERC. These benefit from teacher interactions developed in the LeTUS (Learning and Teaching in Urban Schools) program of Northwestern and the University of Michigan.

http://www.letus.org, http://www.letus.org/sepa, www.ncrr.nih.gov/clinical/cr_sepa.asp, http://www.vanth.org/

Hyman Field, PhD Hyman.Field@nsf.gov

Program Director, Informal Science Education

Deputy Division Director, Division of Elementary, Secondary, & Informal Education,

National Science Foundation

(Dr. Field did not give the presentation that was scheduled)

·. NSF has many programs for outreach, including one intended to enhance public understanding of science, called Informal Science Education. In addition to his position as Deputy Division Director, Dr. Field is the senior adviser for public understanding of research in the Directorate for Education and Human Resources. He focuses on projects designed to inform the general public (outside of formal education) about current, on-going research.  Most of the projects he works with involve television, radio, and film. 

http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/1999/nsf9992/informal.htm, http://www.nsf.gov/search97cgi/vtopic

Additional information about a few outreach activities.

· List of outreach activities compiled by the Georgia Tech/Emory Center for the Engineering of Living Tissues. http://www.gtec.gatech.edu/education/k12outreach.html

· Macrogalleria – an outreach project from the University of Southern Mississippi on polymers. Designed to teach all levels from K-12 to adult.

http://www.psrc.usm.edu/macrog/index.htm

· NAHSEP (Nat’l Assoc of Health Science Education Partnerships) or a partner organization. Funding from states and from HHMI http://128.2.42.173/

· Adventure Engineering. Not bioengineering, but interesting: http://www.coecs.ou.edu/aewb

Notes compiled by R. Linsenmeier, Chair, Academic Council, 2002

(r-linsenmeier@northwestern.edu)