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An Inquiry-Based Learning STEM Outreach Module to Teach Principles of Bioadhesives and Tissue Repair

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Conference

2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Baltimore , Maryland

Publication Date

June 25, 2023

Start Date

June 25, 2023

End Date

June 28, 2023

Conference Session

Chemical Engineering Division (ChED) Technical Session 8: Lab Module Development

Tagged Division

Chemical Engineering Division (ChED)

Tagged Topic

Diversity

Page Count

15

DOI

10.18260/1-2--42628

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/42628

Download Count

222

Paper Authors

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Christopher James Panebianco Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0001-8683-5743

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Christopher J. Panebianco, B.Eng., is a Ph.D. Candidate at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS). He earned his B.Eng. in Chemical Engineering from The Cooper Union in 2016. His research focuses on developing novel biomaterials for repairing injured intervertebral discs. He has been a Teaching Assistant at ISMMS and The Cooper Union for 3 years, and has a strong interest in teaching and research in his future career.

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Neharika Bhadouria

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Olivia Saebyul Kim

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Jillian R. Frost The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art

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Bachelor's Degree in Chemical Engineering

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Angela Huang

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Poorna Dutta

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Andrea Vernengo

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Jennifer Weiser The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art

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Dr. Jennifer Weiser is an Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering. She received her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (2006). She received her M.S. (2010) and Ph.D. (2012) in Biomedical Engineering from Cornell University

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Abstract

Bioadhesives are an important class of biomaterials for tissue repair. Clinically, bioadhesives are used to heal surgical wounds, stop internal fluid leaks, and seal soft tissue defects. In order to meet the increasing demands of bioadhesives for tissue repair, there is a need to educate diverse students about them. However, there are no published modules to teach trainees about bioadhesives. This lack of published educational modules limits early exposure to the field of bioadhesives for tissue repair and ultimately may limit advances in this field. To address this limitation of bioadhesives education, we designed, implemented and evaluated an inquiry-based learning (IBL) module to teach middle school students from underserved communities about bioadhesives. Specifically, this hands-on module taught students how bioadhesives are used for tissue repair, how to engineer bioadhesives for different biomedical applications, and how to assess the efficacy of bioadhesives. We anticipate that exposing students to engineering bioadhesives at the K-12 level will make them excited about engineering and galvanize them to pursue careers in STEM.

Instructors deployed this hands-on IBL bioadhesives module on middle school students from [OUTREACH ORGANIZATION], an organization that empowers students from underserved communities. All students received the following safe materials: chamois leather strips, plastic safety ties, 5% (w/v) gelatin, cyanoacrylate, gloves, and goggles. Additionally, students had access to the following equipment: a hairdryer, a ring stand, and a digital luggage scale. The module was designed with an IBL approach; whereby, students worked in small teams to explore how different variables (e.g., drying time) impact bioadhesive strength. Students were instructed to apply bioadhesives (i.e., gelatin and cyanoacrylate) to adhere two chamois strips together, then quantitatively test their adhesion strength using a simplified lap-shear configuration (ASTM 2255-05). American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards were emphasized in this module to teach students about internationally-recognized methods of testing materials in engineering. For our simplified testing apparatus, students placed the digital luggage scale on top of the ring stand, then looped the top chamois around the bottom hook of the luggage scale using safety ties. Next, one student pulled the bottom chamois in a slow, steady, vertical motion until failure, while a teammate recorded the force reading from the scale. After collecting their data, teams worked with instructors to analyze their data in Excel using basic descriptive statistics and discussed how their results could be used for clinical applications of bioadhesives.

To assess the activity, students were given pre/post-tests and pre/post-surveys to evaluate their learning gains and changes in attitudes towards science, respectively. We hypothesize that completing this hands-on IBL module will result in positive learning outcomes and enhance student perception of STEM. In doing so, this module would be a useful tool to teach diverse students about bioadhesives, or this module could more broadly serve as a template to develop engaging hands-on activities for K-12 students who are traditionally underrepresented in STEM.

Panebianco, C. J., & Bhadouria, N., & Kim, O. S., & Frost, J. R., & Huang, A., & Dutta, P., & Vernengo, A., & Weiser, J. (2023, June), An Inquiry-Based Learning STEM Outreach Module to Teach Principles of Bioadhesives and Tissue Repair Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--42628

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