The Institute for Computational Medicine, Department of Biomedical Engineering, and Department of Mechanical Engineering welcomed 23 seventh graders from the Baltimore Collegiate School for Boys for a day of STEM-related activities on June 5, 2017. The event, spearheaded by Baltimore Collegiate School for Boys teacher, Grace Park, and BME Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering, and ICM core faculty member, Rachel Karchin, provided access to ideas on engineering and social innovation as well as an opportunity for middle school students to participate in interactive projects that encourage experimentation and innovation to solve real-world problems.

After a campus tour, the middle school students visited the BME Design Studio to participate in a zipline design challenge created by Elizabeth Logsdon, BME Design Studio Director and Lecturer of Biomedical Engineering, and Soraya Bailey, Lecturer in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. In the activity, students played the role of emergency responders faced with the challenge of designing a zipline to deliver food supplies over a chasm without damaging them. The design challenge was followed by an interactive presentation by ICM Core Faculty member and Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Sridevi Sarma, who conveyed the complex topic of neuroengineering into something approachable and understandable to the students. According to their teacher, Grace Parks, the entire experience inspired and ignited wonder in her students.