Sponsored by: What is blood? Why is the knowledge of blood important to society? Engineering and Blood. Recreate the Plasma Play Pit at home!

Transcription

1 What is blood? Blood is the red liquid that circulates in the arteries and veins of humans and other vertebrate animals. Blood carries oxygen to the ssues of the body and carbon dioxide away from ssues of the body. Without blood, we would not be alive. Why is the knowledge of blood important to society? Many people do not know what blood is made of and why it is so important. Within your blood there is water, red blood cells (which help to transport oxygen to your ssues and carbon dioxide away from your ssues), white blood cells (which help to protect the body from infec ous diseases and foreign invaders), and platelets (which help to prevent bleeding by clo ng your blood at wound sites). Engineering and Blood The more scien sts and engineers know about blood, the more they can use blood (and its proper es) to develop new techniques for solving health problems. Examples include: Blood Typing & Transfusions Blood comes in different types, including A posi ve and nega ve, B posi ve and nega ve, AB posi ve and nega ve, and O posi ve and nega ve. Knowing a person s blood type is important. For instance, any blood type can accept O nega ve blood, but AB posi ve blood can only be donated to AB posi ve pa ents. Engineers developed a way to transfuse blood from one pa ent to another to save approximately 4.5 million lives per year. Today, 32,000 pints of blood are used every day in the United States. Bone Regenera on Platelets from blood are used to accelerate the healing process in bones. Recreate the Plasma Play Pit at home! Supplies: a large bucket plas c bin, some cut up red cra foam, red water beads (aka vase filler gel beads), a handful of ping pong balls, and water.

2 What are prosthe cs? Prosthe c Party A prosthe c is an ar ficial body part. Engineers design prostheses for maximum strength, durability, longevity, and lifelikeness so that amputees can live full and normal lives. Prosthe cs are typically made for the leg or the arm. Some mes the en re leg is a prosthe c, some mes just below the knee, and some mes it is just the foot. Prostheses can be made for a specific individual to accommodate their height, weight, and what ac vi es they want to perform. If you watch the Special Olympics, you will frequently see athletes who have prostheses that are tailor made for maximum athle c movements (such as running or swimming). Why do we need prosthe cs? Prosthe cs can help people who have lost their limbs live normal lives. Maybe someone got in an accident and lost a limb, maybe someone came back from war wounded, or maybe they developed a disease that required a limb to be amputated. There are many reasons why someone may have lost a limb, but the loss of a limb can make life incredibly challenging. Imagine trying to walk with only one leg. Imagine trying to make a sandwich with only one arm. As technology becomes more and more advanced, prosthe cs con nue to get be er. They are becoming more life-like, stronger, comfortable, and presently scien sts and engineers are working on ge ng a prosthe c to move and respond to what the brain tells it to do. Want to try the Prosthe c Party at home? Gather up any supplies you have laying around at home and try to design the strongest, most comfortable, and longest las ng prosthe c leg. Try using wrapping paper roles, s cks, pipes, or maybe try something else. Use your imagina on and see what happens when you build a prosthe c at home.

3 Link Between Chemistry, Biology, and Engineering Biomedical engineers serve as the link between many scientific fields, and are essential in creating medicines that use multiple forms of technology and new combinations of materials. Types of Pill Designs Bringing the Laboratory Home > Retry the "Protect that Pill" Activity at home with the instructions at: > Continue exploring materials by making "Oobleck," a mixture that acts as both a liquid and solid! Watch it dance along to music. Check out instructions at: Oobleck! Solid or Liquid?

4 What is a cell? Cells are the building blocks of life. The average size of a cell is 30 micrometers. Every cell contains a membrane, nucleus, ribosomes, mitochondria, and Golgi apparatus. Despite every cell s make up being startlingly similar, some kind of cells look nothing like the other. For example, the nerve cells, muscle cells, and liver cells look nothing alike. Why are cells important? Trillions of cells are contained in the human body alone. Cells are constantly at work to keep the body healthy. Nerve cells in the body are what allows a person to know whether something they touch is hot or cold. An electrical impulse will go through the nerve cell which will result in the neuron releasing a message to the neighboring nerve cell. This con nues un l the message reaches the desired des na on, usually the brain or muscle. Cells and Engineering: Tissues are a structure made up of similar cells. Tissues are important because biomedical engineers can work in ssue engineering. Tissue engineering is the ability to create ssues through cell culture, materials development, and gene c engineering. Tissue engineering has the possibility to posi vely change the treatment of both injuries and disorders. The core knowledge when developing said ssues is understanding and predic ng cell behavior and cell growth. Want to do the Candy Cell Crea on at home? All you need to recreate this ac vity at home is a picture of the structure of the cell that is being modeled and an assortment of candy to use as the parts of the cell.

5 The Science behind the Movies If you ve seen CSI, you may have seen how crimes are often solved by evidence processed in their team s high-tech lab. Yet, where does all of the fancy lab equipment come from? Biomedical Engineers combine knowledge of biology and mechanical systems to create machines like hematology instruments that analyze blood. Forensic Engineers Forensic engineers are the people who get called in to investigate the cause of structural or component failure in everything ranging from bridges to implants. When medical machines fail, biomedical engineers are often called in to consult and solve the mystery of what happened. Structural Analysis Microanalysis Activities to Try at Home Paper Towel Chromatography Forensics, how does it matter? Measure the Splatter!