By Nina Moore
In the last 100 years, some would argue that America has earned the term “progressive,” constantly innovating itself. After the 1950’s, namely after Russia’s invention of Sputnik, an emphasis on science sparked many institutions to include a STEM curriculum in their teaching framework.
Fast forward to today. STEM programs are all over the U.S. in colleges, and also in high schools. Proudly, Lusher is one of those schools. Lusher offers two specific STEM programs: PLTW (Project Lead the Way) Engineering and PLTW Biomedical Science. Today specifically, we are going to take a look into the PLTW Biomedical Program. So what is this program?
According to the PLTW website, this program focuses on empowering students “to explore and find solutions to some of today’s most pressing medical challenges.” This four-course program helps students get in touch with their scientific side through learning about different topics: “human medicine, physiology, genetics, microbiology, and public health.” There are solo assignments, as well as collaborative projects.
Beginning as a freshman, or whenever you decide to take this course, you will start with the first level: Principles of Biomedical Science. This course is where you learn the basics. This experience includes analyzing a “real” crime scene, learning about the heart, diabetes, and hereditary diseases, and learning about CPR. Arguably, this class is the best of both worlds. This class, and level 3, is taught by Ms. Corb.
“In Principles of Biomedical Science, the students must investigate a fictional crime scene involving the death of “Anna Garcia,” Corb explains. “Students have to understand how the body would normally function, if they are to solve how the body didn’t function when it came to Anna’s passing. Therefore, they learn about anatomy and physiology, with a large emphasis on the cardiovascular system, in order to discover what caused her untimely death.
If you’re interested in not only the how’s but why’s, this class will be perfect for you. From personal experiences, the quizzes and tests can be challenging, but that’s what makes this class stand out. It gets you to think analytically so that you can give well-thought-out answers. However, don’t let the challenge of the quizzes and tests deter you. In fact, if you plan to do anything in the medical field, you will need the analytical skills this class gives you in all future medical classes.
Now, to the second level: Human Body Systems. Think of this class as a high school-level Anatomy and Physiology class. This level takes the student’s body by body system to understand what and how parts of the body play an important role in our health. As you discover each body system, you are able to build it on a Manikin skeleton. This course, and level 4, is led by Ms. Cluen-Brown.
“We learn about each of the body systems that keep us alive (for instance, the respiratory system or the digestive system), and complete a number of labs and dissections to help us learn about them,” explains Cluen-Brown. She adds, “This program gives students a hands-on experiential introduction to the realm of biomedical science. This includes medicine, but also biotechnology, anatomy and physiology, public health, and other similar fields.”
These labs include feeling actual human lungs, dissecting a sheep heart, and dissecting a cow eyeball. These labs may seem gross, but I promise they help you to understand so much about the body part you would be discussing. As mentioned above, this class will help those prospective medical/nursing students when they have to take Anatomy and Physiology. The experience and the knowledge gained from this class is top-tier.
Now, we bring it back to Ms. Corb, as you enter the third level: Medical Innovations. In this course you will follow the life of a fictitious family as you learn about bacteria, viruses, outbreaks, cancer, and the ears.
“In level 3, Medical Interventions, students learn how to prevent, diagnose, and treat certain diseases. The students begin by learning of an infectious disease outbreak occurring on a fictitious college campus and then begin the steps towards preventing the spread and medically intervening for those who became ill,” explains Corb.
As in the title of the course, this level is all about intervening. Students take on many professional roles, including that of oncologist, immunologist, bacteriologist, and microbiologist. This third level helps students see what medical professionals do to ensure that patients remain healthy. One important fact that is pushed in this course is the importance of educating the public. There are many class discussions that lead to the ultimate solution of educating the public on diseases, how to use antibiotics, and, even now, how educating the public helps others to see the importance of social distancing and wearing masks.
At last, you have reached the last and final course, Biomedical Innovation. This class is also led by Ms. Cluen-Brown. In this final course, students have the chance to take all their knowledge from the prior three levels and put it toward a final, independent project.
Cluen-Brown adds, “The fourth level is Biomedical Innovations. This is the senior class, and students work to solve real-world ‘problems’ that have been posed by PLTW, such as designing a more efficient emergency room or solving an epidemiological outbreak. It is very independent and self-paced, and students have to use what they’ve learned in the three prior years of their biomedical science courses.”
Elaborating more on the self project, Cluen-Brown explains, “The final exam in BI is that students choose their own research topic or experiment to tackle and complete. They will then take their findings and organize them into a scientific poster, which is the way that scientists communicate their findings to others at conferences. Think like a science fair, but more professional. Students have completed projects on air quality in Audubon Park, maternal mortality in Black women, aquaponic growth systems, visual processing of optical illusions, and many projects on the various variables that can affect bacterial growth.”
This four-part program is ideal for all those seeking a career in the sciences. If you want to become a doctor, nurse, or microbiologist, it is highly recommended that you take these courses. This course may be challenging, but it is rewarding as well. I encourage all who are interested to consider this PLTW track.
