Earlier this semester, Upper School students literally had their hands full building prosthetics. Eleventh graders in Dr. Christine Pickett’s Problem Solving in Biology class were tasked with making prosthetic hands designed for clients. Students learned about the risks and treatment options associated with some cancer diagnoses, which can include the amputation of a limb in some cases. MICDS worked with the organization Enabling the Future to make temporary prosthetic hands for individuals who have undergone that procedure.
“Students were given a case number of a client who is the actual recipient for the prosthetic hand,” says Dr. Pickett. “We received pictures and measurements from the client to ensure we scaled the hands properly.”
While MICDS students were using their education to improve the future for real-world children, they were simultaneously underpinning their own futures in fields such as biomedical, physical therapy, and industrial design. Students utilized CAD software like Blender, Tinkercad, and ideaMaker to render and make 3D prints while practicing the iterative design process that had them prototyping, testing, and refinement their designs.
In all, MICDS students made a total of 15 hands for four different clients.
High five, Rams!
