Generating Ideas & Questions: What Is Going on with Grandma?
Grandma's fractured hipCopyright Wikimedia Commons http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/11/Cdm_hip_fracture_343.jpg
Students are introduced to the concepts of the challenge question. First independently, and then in small groups, they generate ideas for solving the grand challenge introduced in the associated lesson: Your grandmother has a fractured hip and a BMD of -3.3. What medical diagnosis explains her condition? What are some possible causes? What are preventative measures for other family members? Students complete a worksheet that contains the pertinent questions, as well as develop additional questions of their own, all with the focus on determining what additional background knowledge they need to research. Finally, as a class, students compile their ideas, resulting in a visual as a learning supplement.
Some biomedical engineers focus on improving the current methods used to detect medical disorders. They continually seek less invasive methods that are more cost efficient and have better diagnostic results. Other engineers focus on improving the methods used to detect osteoporosis via nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), which produces images that can be directly correlated to bone strength.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Apply background knowledge about osteoporosis and biomedical engineering to begin solving the challenge.
- Identify gaps in student knowledge needed to solve the challenge.