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Our chapter introduced biomedical engineering to 7th grade students through an entertaining roadshow, presenting medical tools and engineering concepts. The program has reached over 400 middle-school students in Southern California. Student presenters from Cal Lutheran University provided engaging demonstrations using an ECG kit. The initiative was funded by the IEEE Foundation Grant #2006-007 and received positive feedback from school district officials, leading to an invitation for future engagements. Detailed lesson plans and presentation materials are available online for educators to access.
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Middle School Outreach Steve Johnson Buenaventura Chapter, IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society August, 2007
Chapter Officers Pat Jacobs Brian Rasnow Mike Shaw David Steinmeier IEEE Foundation Grant #2006-007 Cal Lutheran University Students Joshua Lee * Thomas Estus * Gregory Johnson * Stephen Roberts * Corey Russo * Abigail Corrin * Presenters Acknowledgements
Summary • Our chapter introduced biomedicalengineering to 7th grade students throughan entertaining road show. • We present familiar medical tools, explain how engineers help people by designing them. • We have presented the program to over 400 middle-school students in southern California. • The presenters are students from the Cal Lutheran University (CLU) student chapter of IEEE-EMBS. • The initiative was funded by IEEE Foundation Grant #2006-007.
Funding • The initiative was conceived, and grant proposal written to the IEEE Foundation in 2005. • The IEEE Foundation fundedthe grant in early 2006. • Details of the implementationof the program changed dur-ing development; we kept theIEEE Foundation updated through quarterly progress reports. • We received permission to extend expenditures into 2007. • We filed a Project Completion Report in 2007, which was accepted at the Foundation’s June meeting.
Why Middle School Students? • Middle School students are intellectually curious, energetic, and fun. We hoped to harness that sense of enthusiasm through our roadshow. • Middle School students are advanced enough to understand basic engineeringand scientific principles. • After Middle School, kids steer away from engineering, math, and the sciences. We hoped to intervene. • In the United States, the 7th grade curriculum is particularly appropriate, as it focuses on physiology, anatomy, and the scientific method.
Course Materials • Chapter officers prepared the lesson plan using the California standard format. • Students at California Lutheran University's Bioengineering Program developed the presentation materials and script, assigned roles, and conducted rehearsals prior to the presentations. • The presentation is about 45 minutes long, combining didactic, interactive, and hands-on elements. • Lesson Plan and Presentation are available at www.bv-embs-chapter.com
ECG Demonstration • To make the lesson more tangible, we purchased a BioPac Science Lab kit to display the students' own ECG signals. • We had many volunteers during our presentations. • The student presenters enjoyed practicing with the ECG.
Results • School District officials have been enthusiastic! • They've been impressed with: • preparation of the lesson plan and presentation materials • alignment with the 7th grade curriculum • use of didactic, interactive, and hands-on learning modes • involvement and leadership of CLU bioengineering students • the fact that we had anticipated their needs in designing this to fit within a 45-minute class period • little advance prep required from the teachers • We’ve been invited back for the 2007-2008 school year!