Purdue biomedical engineering research showcased for community

Faculty and graduate students from Purdue's Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering and the College of Veterinary Medicine will be at the West Lafayette Farmer's Market this summer to showcase how science and engineering are used by scientists, engineers, and clinicians at Purdue to advance science and medicine for human and animal health.

The “Bioscience and Engineering at the Market” outreach program takes advantage of the relaxed, family-friendly atmosphere of the Farmer's Market to present some of the cutting-edge research done at Purdue to the general public and to boost interest among children in STEM fields.

Through a series of appearances at the Market, there will be hands-on demonstrations of a broad range of topics and the basic science behind them including biomedical devices, diagnostic tools, comparative anatomy and physiology, and microanatomy of plants. There will be a different focus each week (more dates will be added as the summer progresses):

May 24: Design and function of polymer beads in food science, biomedical, and environmental applications
June 14: Comparative anatomy and function in the vertebrate skeleton
June 28: Fluid dynamics and simple microfluidic devices
July 12: Microscopes and microanatomy in plant and animal tissues
July 26: Biomechanical lever systems: models and the real world

The activities and content presented will appeal to grade-school and middle-school age children interested science, but will also resonate with older children and adults in how the basic concepts may be applied to real world health problems. Additionally, the program will demonstrate the connection between engineering and the health sciences at Purdue, which is particularly well illustrated by the collaborative history between researchers and clinicians in the Purdue Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering and College of Veterinary Medicine.

The units will be set up for the public from 3:30 p.m. to about 7 p.m.

This research is funded in part by the National Science Foundation, award number: CMMI 1463523.

Contact:

Russell Main
Assistant Professor, Basic Medical Sciences                           
College of Veterinary Medicine & Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University
phone: 765.494.0898
email: rmain@purdue.edu

Photo: Participants enjoy the Bioscience and Engineering at the Market booth at the West Lafayette Farmer's Market.