Tell Me Doc—Will I Get Cancer?
How can we improve cancer prediction?Copyright National Cancer Institute, National Human Genome Research Institute, U.S. National Institutes of Health http://cancergenome.nih.gov/newsevents/newsannouncements/breastserovca
Students are introduced to the unit challenge—discovering a new way to assess a person's risk of breast cancer. Solving this challenge requires knowledge of refraction and the properties of light. After being introduced to the challenge question, students generate ideas related to solving the challenge, and then read a short online article on optical biosensors that guides their research towards solving the problem.
Engineers are driven to create new methods and devices that improve existing designs and procedures. Some engineers focus specifically on procedures and devices related to identifying and treating medical conditions and diseases such as cancer. In this lesson, students are asked to think like engineers to conceptualize a method by which cancer risk analysis could be more complete and accurate. More specifically, students are challenged to act as materials science engineers, and consider the properties of a certain material, and its potential uses in the medical field.
After this lesson, students should be able to:
- Explain the challenge question.
- List one limitation of cancer risk analysis.
- Describe one possible way cancer risk analysis could be improved.