OUTREACH Inspiring the Next Generation “Building confidence in design thinking starts when students are young,” notes Dr. Anne-Marie Job, one of the professors running a biomedical themed workshop for the biannual Girls in Stem at Tulane (GIST) program this spring. “They can understand how to prototype and try out an idea. If we can inspire them to think this way early on, we can have a long-lasting impact on their education.” Throughout the New Orleans community, Tulane biomedical engineering faculty and students share their expertise to inspire the next generation of engineers. This work is part of a dedication to service and the community, a key component of the BME department mission and vision. It also reflects the university’s value on public service and New Orleans community engagement, frequently lauded as a distinction setting Tulane apart for incoming students and their families. The outreach efforts of the BME department are hard to quantify, as professors constantly integrate service into their design courses and research activities. All undergraduate BME students participate in research and complete several design-centered courses, through which they partner directly with members of the local healthcare community. Developing empathy is a critical first step that often drives the iterative design process, enabling students to more effectively understand and address needs and make a greater impact. Outside of the classroom, BME faculty lead by example, placing value on inspiring students to reach their potential. They serve on local school boards, such as the New Orleans Charter Science and Mathematics School, and open their labs to visiting community students. Undergraduates, in turn, find time to give back despite their equally busy schedules.
A GIST participant shows off the model hand she made.
7 TULANE BME NEWSLETTER
BME junior Nathan Nguyen runs an activity he created for GIST and Boys at Tulane in STEM (BATS) that allows students to understand the design and functionality of a motion detector. Explaining his
Two FIRST Alumni, Afsheen Sajjadi, a BME Sophomore, and Kate Elfer, a BME Graduate Student, volunteer at FIRST Bayou Regional Robotics Competition in March, 2017.
energy for making time for this, he notes how excited the students are to participate: “The kids were the ones who drove me to do it again.” Similarly, BME junior Afsheen Sajjadi regularly volunteers with the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC), which he participated in as an elementary student. “FIRST encouraged my passion for engineering, inspiring me to tackle problems no matter how challenging,” explains Afsheen of his commitment. This year his role expanded to that of speaker, introducing the competition just after the mayor and before a state senator. He told the students how the skills and teamwork he learned through the FRC when he was their age inspired him to join an interdisciplinary team at Tulane that entered and won this year’s NASA Big Idea Challenge. As for the students attending these events, the benefits extend beyond exposure to new science themes. “I didn’t expect it to be so fun!” laughs Maddie Morrison, a seventh grader attending the GIST workshop led by Drs. Job and Raymond, as she proudly displays her prototype hand. Studies indicate that many students don’t consider a career in engineering unless they know someone in the field. This can be a significant barrier for females and minorities, two groups that are historically underrepresented in STEM. In addition to the science students learn when exposed to these events, they also take away their experiences with the people they meet and a newfound confidence for their own capabilities. Indeed, the influence of dedicated Tulane faculty and students, with a passion for what they do and a genuine interest in sharing it, is hard to measure. Reflecting on her commitment to outreach programs, frequent volunteer and accomplished graduate student Kate Elfer cites her desire to pass on her own experience. “Programs like FIRST exposed me to design, fabrication, programming, and electrical wiring from age eleven through my high school career,” explains Kate. “I felt equally capable in my first engineering classes knowing that I had the skills to think and work like an engineer.”