At USC, we have the opportunity to engage in hands-on experiences in the classroom and through student organizations. Each spring semester, the Associated Students of Biomedical Engineering hosts a Make-a-Thon, which is similar to a hackathon, where participants have a weekend to design a product given a specific medical challenge.
When I competed, the challenge was to address the issue of falls in geriatric patients. After hearing from and speaking with medical professionals, my team learned that stairs pose one of the greatest risks for falls in elderly patients. This insight shaped the focus of our project.
Over the course of a weekend, I worked closely with my team in the biomedical engineering lab to design and prototype our proposed solution. We built and deconstructed store-bought walkers to understand their design and mechanisms, prototyped functional designs using cardboard, and ultimately developed a collapsible walker that could transform into a cane. With the dual functionality, those requiring the use of a walker would be able to have more stability when traveling with their walker up and down stairs. We used power tools, created CAD designs, and applied what we learned in lectures and labs, in addition to learning new skills under the time pressure of the event. It was an incredible experience to collaborate with a diverse group of engineers and gain practical skills.
Through student organizations, there are numerous opportunities to gain hands-on experience inside and outside the classroom.
