As part of the NIH-funded expansion of the Science Adventure Lab program, two new curriculum modules have been developed and both are receiving high praise from students and teachers. The new modules are called Vital Signs! Monitoring our Body’s Systems and Sense, Think, Move: Exploring Brain Functions.
In Vital Signs students learn about heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate and temperature and use authentic medical equipment to take measurements of these key indicators of health. These activities are intended to be a fun demonstration of what healthcare professionals do and the tools they use, but also help to demystify what goes on when they visit their own physician. Students use a wrist blood pressure cuff for measuring heart rate and blood pressure, a spirometer attached to a touch screen computer for measuring respiratory rate, and a temporal scanning thermometer to measure their temperature.
Sense, Think, Move is a neuroscience-based module that demonstrates the key role of the brain as the control center in the human body. Students explore the three key functions of the brain – sensing, thinking or problem solving and controlling movement. After learning about the five senses, students investigate the power of their sense of smell. In Sniff-O-Rama, students try to identify five unknown odors. Some odors draw praise and some lead to groans and wrinkled faces, which is an important demonstration of the important information gained through smell.
Next, students learn about the ability of the brain to process the information we receive from our senses in order to think and make decisions. In Name the Brain, students visually examine five brain specimens embedded in plastic blocks and using clues, use their own brain power to try to solve the puzzle of which animal each brain came from. Students next learn about how the brain controls movement by sending signals to our muscles and how scientists can record the electrical activity of muscles using a device called an electromyograph. After sticking electrode pads on their forearms and attaching the leads, students are excited to use the electromyograph to see the electricity produced by their muscles when they squeeze their fist or move their wrist. Students come away with an appreciation of just how powerful and complex the human brain is.
The new modules are aligned with state and national academic standards, and like all of our curricula are designed to empower students with the confidence that they can be successful in science, and to encourage them to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, math and healthcare.
More information about the modules is available at www.seattlechildrens.org/adventurelab under the curriculum tab.
In order to further enhance science education for students, we have also held informal Family Science Nights (FSN) at a small number of elementary and middle schools throughout the state. FSNs provide an opportunity to increase science knowledge among family members so they are better able to foster their child’s interest in science. Feedback from participating teachers and families has been uniformly positive and each event was well attended by families, often exceeding our expectations.
Dr. Becky Howsmon, Senior Scientist joined the Science Adventure Lab team in 2012 and has quickly become an invaluable instructor. Becky received her Bachelor’s Degree in biology from Seattle Central Community College and the University of Washington, and then spent two years working at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center before moving to Berkeley, California for graduate school. She received her Ph.D. in Infectious Diseases and Immunity from the University of California at Berkeley, before returning to Seattle to continue her research at our very own Seattle Children’s Research Institute.
John M. Daniel, Mobile Lab Scientist joined the team in September, 2012. He attended the University of Washington where he worked as a Laboratory Assistant and received his Bachelors of Science degree in Cellular, Molecular and Developmental Biology. Since graduation, John has worked for several years assisting children and adults in physical therapy clinics. John’s job experience also includes working at Cedar Heights Middle School in Kent, where he worked with children with disabilities and developed a passion for education.
David Moise, Mobile Lab Scientist/Driver also joined the team in September. His primary job is to maintain the Science Adventure Lab and to drive the lab to the schools we visit all around Washington state. He also assists students with their experiments while onboard the Science Adventure Lab.
