Outreach Activity Overview
The Hudalla lab participates in multiple outreach activities to help spread the seed of science in our community. Dr. Hudalla and his team of graduate and undergraduate students develop science modules to teach basic biomedical engineering concepts to middle and high school students/teachers. In these modules, we introduce concepts such as diffusion, blood flow, and drug delivery, and present challenges associated with human health. The Hudalla lab is also part of the Student Science Training Program where we support a rising high school senior conduct independent research.
Bench-to-Bedside
This past summer (2016), Hudalla lab met with a group of middle and high school teachers to discuss most effective ways to teach engineering concepts to young students with the ultimate goal of encouraging them to pursue careers in STEM-associated disciplines. Teachers were grouped into teams and went through modules in which they are informed of a problem in the biomedical health space and then tasked with creating a solution to this problem from a box of random household materials. After completion, teams demonstrate their solution and are scored on their designs based on specific criteria and are shown an example of a “gold” standard in the field and why it is considered the “gold” standard. From this module, teachers and students gain an appreciation for health issues that engineers and physicians face, experience in critical thinking to develop creative solutions, and hands-on experience creating real 3D prototypes.
Biomaterials Education Challenge
As part of Society for Biomaterial (SFB), graduate students implemented a science module that focuses on building tools to remove plaque from clogged arteries in a local middle school in Gainesville, FL. They shared their module and findings at the Biomaterials Education Challenge in SFB national meeting in Charlotte (April 2015).
To learn more about the SFB Biomaterials Education Challenge click here.
Student Science Training Program (SSTP)
Every summer, a high school senior participating in the University of Florida SSTP research program visits the Hudalla lab. For seven weeks, a graduate student provides support and guidance to a high school student as he/she experiences independent research for the first time. By working together, high school students learn how to properly conduct experiments, formulate hypothesis, analyze results, and present their findings.
To learn more about SSTP click here.
Science Quest
The Science Quest summer program immerses high school students in various science disciplines to stimulate their interest and appreciation for the range of college and career opportunities available in science. Last summer, the Hudalla lab shared the basics of engineering design and guided students through a design activity.
To learn more about Science Quest click here