written by Jenny Marsh (Neuroscience Ph.D. student at The Bentil Group)
STEM InCYte Summer Day Camp, directed by Dr. Christa Jackson, is designed to help children explore and integrate STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) through hands-on projects and real-world applications. At the camp, children have the opportunity to explore different areas of STEM by participating in activities with various Iowa State University faculty and their students.
Jenny Marsh and Ling Zhang, Ph.D. students from The Bentil Group, exposed the children to a variety of biomedical engineering and neuroscience activities.
Jenny Marsh (right) and Ling Zhang (left) awaiting the children’s arrival at the STEM InCYte Summer Day Camp.
To explore biomedical engineering, the children created blocked “arteries” using plastic tubing and play dough. Then, the children had to fabricate a prototype device to clear the blockages. The children worked in groups and participated in discussions involving problems that they may encounter if removing blockages from human arteries. There was also a discussion on the importance of keeping our arteries clean.
Jenny Marsh providing instructions to the students, during the blocked artery activity.
The neuroscience activities involved the children learning about the brain’s anatomy, by creating neurons from pipe cleaners. There was also a discussion on how brain cells send signals.
A student proudly showcases his completed neuron.
Finally, all children were able to test their brains’ reaction time with a classic Stroop Task.
Students participating in the Stroop Task.
Try the Stroop Task!
Say the COLOR of each word in each column out loud, and as fast as you can.
Learn more about the Stroop Effect and what your results mean by visiting the following link: http://www.whatispsychology.biz/about-stroop-effect-definition.
Visit the following link to learn more about STEM InCYte camp: https://sites.google.com/view/stemincyte/home.