The Project Lead the Way (PLTW) Biomedical Science Program was introduced in 2017 because more than 50 percent of Lourdes students pursue medical-related degrees and careers following graduation. Now, the project received a $25,000 Neighbor of Choice grant from the Merck Foundation to implement a computer science program in the middle/junior high school within the Biomedical Science Ecosystem.
“This program was initially funded with a Merck grant and has become very successful,” said Amy Feese, director of the Biomedical Science Program.
“We had more than 50 students in the program, we graduated the first class this year and it’s become part of the culture at Lourdes. It has been very valuable for the students.”
The grant will pay for certificate training for teachers as well as 40 computers, 20 tablets, equipment and supplies for hands-on experiences. Three modules, or classes, will be implemented before the end of the school year: App Creators; Computer Science for Innovators and Makers; and Medical Detectives.
App Creators will expose students to computer science by analyzing and developing solutions to authentic problems through mobile app development.
It will also convey the positive impact of the application of computer science to other disciplines and to society. Students will customize their experience by choosing a problem that interests them from the areas of health, environment, emergency preparedness, education, community service and school culture.
Because problems in the real world involve more than one discipline, the unit will introduce students to biomedical science concepts as they work on solutions for the specific problems they choose to tackle.
Computer Science for Innovators and Makers will allow students to discover computer science concepts and skills by creating relevant, tangible and shareable projects.
Throughout the unit, students will learn about programming for the physical world by blending hardware design and software development. They will design and develop a physical computing device, interactive art installation, or wearable, and plan and develop code for microcontrollers that bring their physical designs to life.
Physical computing projects will promote student awareness of interactive systems, including Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and broaden their understanding of abstract computer science concepts through meaningful and authentic applications.
Medical Detectives will allow students to play the role of real-life medical detectives as they collect and analyze medical data to diagnose disease. They solve medical mysteries through hands-on projects and labs, measure and interpret vital signs, examine nervous system structure and function and investigate disease outbreaks.
Junior Maxwell Reiprish, 16, said he has been involved in the biomedical program since he was a freshman.
“I love it,” he said. “It challenges me. It’s great. I picked it up right away.”
Compared to other courses, Reiprish said he finds this is more hands-on and challenging. It has connected him with a professional mathematician from Penn State University and data analyst from Geisinger.
“It’s helping me prepare for college classes,” he said.
He said his younger sister will have the opportunity now to start earlier than he did. That’s something he said he wished he was able to do as well.
Lourdes is the only school in a 75-mile radius to offer the biomedical program and computer science, Feese said.
The courses for biomedical are Principles of Biomedical Science, Human Body Systems, Medical Interventions and Biomedical Innovation. The new grant will pay for the three new courses.
Lourdes is one of more than 8,000 schools across the nation offering various PLTW programs to students. PLTW is a nonprofit organization that “provides a transformative learning experience for teachers and students in kindergarten through 12th grade.”
The program introduces students to medicine and human body systems and prepares them for careers in medical and health-related fields.
Students will work with the same tools used by professionals in hospitals and labs and will step into the roles of medical investigators, surgeons, microbiologists, geneticists and biomedical engineers.
The focus is not lectures, but engagement.
The Merck Neighbor of Choice Grant has provided the foundation for Lourdes Regional to plan for the growth of the Computer Science Program to include the high school, which will also include a cybersecurity capstone in coming years, said Feese.
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