Teaching Assistant Professor University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Champaign, Illinois, United States
Introduction: : The Mobile Bioengineering Lab was designed to provide hands-on learning experiences in life sciences and bioengineering to underserved students within the community. We aimed to introduce accessible and exciting aspects of bioengineering to students who have had limited exposure to engineering, intending to develop long-term interests in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and promote diversity in these fields. This outreach initiative was conducted as a collaboration between a middle school biology classroom at a bilingual school and a bioengineering-related club at a large public university during the 2024-2025 academic year. The 7 lab-based workshops engaged students in tangential real-world applications of bioengineering, ranging from DNA extraction and planaria regeneration to an Arduino representation of gene circuitry, while helping students develop confidence in communicating research and scientific findings.
To evaluate the educational impact of these workshops, we solicited feedback through surveys that assessed changes in students’ knowledge, engagement, and interest in bioengineering and STEM. The results of these assessments will be used to refine future labs and made freely available online for replication. By engaging with students from marginalized backgrounds, we intend to empower the next generation of scientists and engineers and encourage a more inclusive STEM environment. We describe the progression of the workshop series, including volunteer engagement and workshop deliverables, survey design, and the results of the outreach initiative on the students. In providing these deliverables and results, we aim to make the introduction of bioengineering principles digestible to K-12 students and broaden the impact of this initiative.
Materials and
Methods: : To recruit undergraduate student volunteers for this outreach initiative, the Biomedical Engineering Journal Club, a university club, advertised within their group and across campus using flyers linked to a sign-up form. Only University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign undergraduates were eligible to volunteer. Over 20 students from various STEM majors contributed by developing materials and/or presenting at workshops. Volunteers indicated preferred workshops via the form and underwent school-required background checks before participation. Around five student volunteers visited the school per session, with about three per 45-minute class period to support a ~1:4 instructor-to-student ratio.
Workshops were co-developed with the classroom teacher during the preceding summer and scheduled biweekly in the fall and once in the spring. Volunteers conducted preparatory demonstrations and created slide decks (English) and protocols (English/Spanish) in advance. At each workshop, they presented background content (~10 min), explained any pre-prepared reagents, and then led students through the activity. Supplies were sourced from approved vendors like Carolina Biological and Amazon.
To assess program impact, a post-program survey collected demographics, Likert-scale responses, and open-ended feedback. The survey consisted of 22 questions offered in English and Spanish. Surveys captured interest in STEM, workshop engagement, and volunteer impact. Example questions included scaled ratings of presenter qualities and qualitative prompts for feedback. Student participation in the study required both student assent and parental consent, though all students could attend workshops regardless of study involvement. Surveys were IRB-approved (IRB24-2077), de-identified by the PI, and analyzed in Excel with plots generated in GraphPad Prism.
Results, Conclusions, and Discussions:: Of the 47 participants in the Mobile Bioengineering Lab, 10 students provided post-program survey responses with assent and consent. Students self-reported their demographic information, with most identifying as Hispanic.
Given middle school-friendly descriptors, the students expressed highly positive perceptions of the undergraduate volunteers. Characteristics like “friendly,” “helpful,” “fun,” and “interactive” received average scores above 4 on a 5-point scale, while “confusing” received a lower score of 2.7. Students reported that the workshops were approachable, and they were willing to participate (Fig. 1A). Confidence was highest in “participating in labs” and “completing a scientific experiment.” Confidence was slightly lower for “understanding the concepts and techniques in the lab” and “pursuing a career as a scientist or engineer.” Students expressed similar interest levels in STEM and bioengineering, and a desire to learn more about both (Fig. 1B). However, fewer students expressed interest in pursuing a career in these fields at this point.
Students reported similar levels of comprehension in both STEM and bioengineering content provided (Fig. 1C). The most popular workshop was Strawberry DNA Extraction, followed by Gene Circuits, with others like Gel Electrophoresis and Planarians also rated highly (Fig. 2). The least favored workshop was Presenting Research. Qualitative feedback was largely positive, with students recommending the continuation of the program.
Some workshops, such as the Edible DNA Model and Gene Circuits, were more challenging. Confusion stemmed from interpreting DNA sequences or understanding electrical components, respectively. Students responded well to visual aids, bilingual worksheets, and were strongly motivated to complete the interactive protocols as a supplement to their grade in the class.
The total workshop cost was approximately $500, or $10 per student. Observations and notes for potential substitutions using household or classroom materials are also provided on our website (https://mobile-bioe-lab.super.site/) for greater accessibility of the experiments. In this study, we have presented the development, implementation, and reflection of the Mobile Bioengineering Lab in an 8th-grade science classroom. Future directions include expanding bilingual materials and the program locally, improving surveys, and developing additional workshops on topics like biomechanics and biosignals.
Acknowledgements and/or References (Optional):: This project was funded by the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The authors would like to thank the volunteers associated with the Biomedical Engineering Journal Club as well as Hannah McClellan and Julia Pollock at the Institute for Genomic Biology for assisting in purchasing materials and providing guidance. The authors would also like to thank the International Prep Academy, including the classroom instructor, the volunteer coordinator Michelle Takehara, and the school’s secretaries’ translational services, for providing the opportunity to work with these students and assistance in the IRB-approval of this study.
