What does the Ecosystem look like?The Ecosystem has dozens of dedicated volunteers working to educate and inspire kids. Thousands of children across the country lack access to engaging and enriching STEM educational programs due to illness. Illness can be incredibly mentally taxing for adults and children, and it is absolutely imperative that children have access to fun programs that deviate their minds from illness while also ensuring the prevention of educational deficits.
Currently, we are working closely with Children's Hospital in Aurora, as well teams of engineers at CU Boulder and across the Front Range to make this dream come true. Our first project incorporates a custom-built cart highlighting laminar flow in sand, and is accompanied by a curriculum designed by the Engineers in Medicine (EnM) team at CU Boulder. Our first high school chapter, at Fairview High School, allows high school students to explore a uniquely interdisciplinary field and have a positive impact on pediatric healthcare. As we grow our team, we plan to incorporate cart ideas from patients and expand our cart-building process to more hospitals in the Denver-area. |
What are people saying?
"As one of the Inpatient School Specialists (teacher) here at Children’s Hospital, I am very excited about the possibilities to expand our program, help inspire creativity in our patients, bring smiles to those that have been impacted by long inpatients stays, and explore the world of technology and STEM (art too!) in a hospital setting. I am eager to work with you to create a program here for our patients and families. I appreciate you taking some of your time to see and learn about our program that we are so very proud of. Thank you and I look forward to continued hard work together in care of patients and families."
Jen Hillard, M.A. ECSE | Learning and Impatient School Specialist | Children's Hospital, Colorado |
"Working with the CU team was a great opportunity to help new engineers learn how to take their current skills along with new ones and make a tangible impact in the world. It was very gratifying to provide advice and teach the students how to improve their ideas and bring them into a refined physical product. To be able to do this while making a product that provides joy and education to the most deserving kids is among the most rewarding projects I have been able to work on as a design engineer."
Daniel Moody, Engineer at Kodo Kids |
" It was amazing to see how engaged the preschool students were with the college students. They loved showing off what they enjoy doing and giving the college students ideas to incorporate into the toy they were creating. When they got to see their ideas come to fruition they were so proud and loved getting to be hands on with something they helped design. Their ability to brainstorm then give input, through discussion, into what they would add or how they would improve the toy empowered them to create their own design plans for the toy. The higher level thinking process and that the college students engaged in with the preschoolers was well thought out, exciting and a diverse learning opportunity for both sets of students. We appreciate and LOVED the process and the outcome."
Cara Hockaday, Educator at BalSwan.org |
An intersection of engineering, education, and healthcare |
STEM EducationWe bring engaging and meaningful STEM education to local hospitals, working with local nonprofits, educators, and students.
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LOCAL opportunitiesWe provide opportunities to high school and college students to help create our next projects. Our first high school chapter - at Fairview High School in Boulder, CO - exposes high school students to the intersection between engineering , education, and healthcare.
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