Hoover High Students Present Biomedical Science Projects to Advisory Panel

Editor's note: The following information was provided by Ben Janchar, co-department chair of biology and biomedical sciences at Hoover High School.

On March 13, seniors in the Biomedical Sciences program displayed and presented inquiry-based projects to Hoover High School’s Advisory Panel. The panel consists of teachers, guidance counselors, medical professionals and collegiate faculty. The advisory panel is represented by , Aultman Hospital, Mercy Medical Hospital and Hoover High School.
 
Students worked independently or in small groups to determine an area of interest in the biomedical sciences and outlined milestones in a long-term open-ended problem. Students used skills learned in the previous courses as well as the previous class to Biomedical Innovations to help them complete their projects. Student work included completing a literature review, writing and carrying out the methodology, analyzing the results, making adjustments as needed, and finally presenting the results of their work to a team of professionals. Students chose job-shadowing, local and global heath projects and worked with community members and professionals in the medical field as they completed their work. Examples ranged from shadowing biomedical engineers, observing a nursing shift on Aultman’s Labor and Delivery floor, and participating in head to toe exam training.

Hoover High School took on the Biomedical Sciences program in 2008. Instructors were required to attend a two-week training in order to be certified in teaching specific classes for Project Lead the Way. Project Lead the Way is a non-profit agency that promotes STEM (Science Technology Engineering & Math) education through engaging, hands-on applications in middle schools and high schools across the United States. The Project Lead the Way curriculum is rooted in teaching critical thinking skills through inquiry and hands-on investigations.

Hoover High School offers four biomedical classes starting in the tenth grade. The classes are Principles of Biomedical Sciences, Human Body Systems, Medical Interventions and Biomedical Innovations.  

The Hoover High School Biomedical Science Advisory Panel consists of:

• Dr. Tom Watson - Omni Orthopedics
• Dr. Darlene Walro - Walsh University
• Dr. Ann Caplea - Walsh University
• Kathleen Schaper - Nurse Anesthetist
• Amy Bontrager - Graduate of HHS Biomedical Sciences Program
• Ben Janchar - HHS Biomedical Instructor
• Sarah Covington - HHS Biomedical Instructor
• Nick Plazak - HHS Biomedical Instructor
• Ann Sowd - HHS Biomedical Instructor