Science Rendezvous 2012

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Science Rendezvous 2012

Image of Albert Lam Demonstrating Heartbeat

Liz Baciu making slime Albert Lam demonstrates heartbeats

IBBME attractions highlight its four research themes through slime, playing doctor, colouring and computer games

16 May, 2012

"How To Make Slime!" read the sign directly over the Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Enginerering booth at the annual Science Rendezvous fair on May 12th. The sign listed the few ingredients to be mixed "in a slime bowl ." Directly below, on the first of IBBME's tables at the Bahen Centre for Information Technology, was a large plastic bowl filled with purple gooey slime—which also liberally coated the delicate hands of an eight-year old girl.

It was an auspicious start to the days' events for science enthusiasts of all ages.

An event originating at U of T, Science Rendezvous opened the streets and buildings on each of its three campuses to host one of the largest free, family-oriented science exhibits in North America. Popular attractions at the St. George campus included the Human Gyroscope, milky pits of liquid that kids and parents loved to get their hands and feet into, an exhibit of a solar powered car, and robot cars that the kids were able to operate with a joystick.

For IBBME's student volunteers, the exhibition was an opportunity to explain the often murky aspects of the four research themes conducted at the Institute. Albert Lam, lead volunteer for IBBME, pointed out a video that concurrently ran information on each of IBBME's four research themes before explaining the different attractions.

In the world of science, "slime" might be used as a biomaterial for producing medical devices, Lam explained of the Biomaterials, Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine stream, especially devices for the human body such as prosthetic legs, or even pacemakers, while Lia Baciu helped visitors engineer coloured slime.

For the Nanotechnology, Molecular Imaging and Systems Biology research theme Liz Csaszar, a PhD student from Peter Zandstra's stem cell lab, taught students how to make microfluidic devices by creating and testing "channels" with food colouring on crayon drawings which had been heated up on hot plates. Microfluidics, the study and manipulation of miniscule amounts of liquid, are involved in the performance of research and samples testing.

Image of Duncan Sterling taking in microfluidics
2 year-old Duncan Sterling takes
in Microfluidics

In a third exhibit, children were able to play with doctor's equipment, "something they never get to do," remarked Lam. The blood pressure cuffs and stethoscope that the kids enjoyed also uniquely depicted IBBME's real-world ties to its many partner institutions—hospitals—where a large number of IBBME's faculty and students perform their research.

But it was the X-Box Connect, illustrating the ways that the Engineering in a Clinical Setting researchers may help disabled children and adults participate more fully with the world, that had the majority of visitors to the IBBME attractions hopping. At this exhibit, a camera translated movements into two-dimensional images dancing on a computer screen, showing the ways in which rehabilitation exercises can be made enjoyable, if not downright fun.

"It's therapeutic," Lam said with a smile as a father and son team danced up a storm.

image of Father and Son Rehab Dance

All images courtesy E. Vollick

Read more about IBBME's four research themes .

University of Toronto Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering

Science Rendezvous 2012

IBBME attractions highlight its four research themes through slime, playing doctor, colouring and computer games