Your body has many different parts which do different things. From your stretchy skin to your strong bones, your body is made of many different materials with specific material properties to match that parts function. Your bones are stiff so you can stand and apply force to them, while your lips are not as stiff so you can stretch them to eat! One part of your body that has a very interesting set of material properties is the spine. The spine is made up of two key parts, the bony vertebrae, which give structure to the spine and protect your spinal cord, and your spinal discs which allow your spine to bend. These discs are made of cartilage, a soft tissue which is the same as what your ears are made of. When your spinal discs get damaged, it can cause serious pain and issues walking around. This is why it is important to understand a discs material properties, so that way biomedical engineers can find ways to cure this disease. Today you will be biomedical engineers making models of the spinal disc in order to understand its material properties.
The student handout will be given to all students working on the design challenge. It gives a brief recap of the story, it helps the students identify what they are attempting to achieve, and it recaps the design process.
This Facilitator Guide provides the instructor additional information on how to run the design challenge with alternatives for materials and test setups as well as information to help make the design challenge a good educational experience.
The Telling the Story Video conveys the societal impact of the student’s research that is the basis for the design challenge and will set the problem-solving context for students.
The Design Challenge Video leads students through the design process. It indicates materials available, states what the criteria are for success and any constraints. It also gives a second ‘level’ of the design challenge that allows ‘early completers’ to move on to a slightly more difficult challenge.