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Activity (Hands-On)Grades 9 - 12

Exploring Bone Mineral Density, X-Rays and Biomedical Imaging

Two black and white x-ray images. A dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) assessment of bone mineral density of the femoral neck (A) and the lumbar spine (B): T scores of - 4.2 and - 4.3 were found at the hip (A) and lumbar spine (B), respectively in a 53 year-old male patient affected with Fabry disease.A dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) assessing bone mineral density.

Student teams explore two websites to gather information on bone mineral density and how it is measured. They also learn about x-rays in general, how they work and their different uses, along with other imaging modalities. They answer guiding questions as they explore the websites and take a short quiz afterwards to test the knowledge they gained while reading the articles.

The topics of bone mineral density and x-rays are both important to biomedical engineers and are at the forefront of many areas of current research. In this initial gathering of information stage, students begin to build their knowledge base in order to come closer to answering the unit challenge question. Having a good background on how a system works is necessary to make critical decisions on its products, which in this case is an x-ray image.

After this activity, students should be able to:

  • Explain bone mineral density, its uses and tests.
  • Explain how an x-ray works.

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