Makers’ Club encourages youths to solve problems

Infusing diverse thinking into problem solving is one of the best ways to achieve scientific advancements — and often some of the best ideas come from young students who approach problems from a different perspective. Yet getting students to realize the value of their ideas and how they can be applied successfully can be challenging.

Two graduate students from UNMC are working to overcome this challenge. Will Payne, doctoral student in pharmaceutical sciences, and AJ Crawford, doctoral student in cancer research, lead the Makers Club, an organization where K-12 students participate in 3-D printing challenges and programs with the intent of encouraging a diverse set of young minds to pursue careers in science.

Drawing upon their own experiences of designing space-compatible chambers for NASA’s use and engineering glass imaging windows that allow researchers to watch cancer development, Payne and Crawford help young students realize they can apply their engineering ingenuity to real-life scientific problems.

One way the duo has achieved this is through their “Inventathon,” an event where area high school students compete to design functional 3-D devices to solve medical problems. For example, last year’s competition involved creating a pediatric prosthetic limb.

“The students benefit from many perspectives. They get technical exposure to programs and equipment, receive critical evaluation of their projects, and, most importantly, interface with actual scientists and researchers,” Crawford said.

Payne and Crawford also encourage students to take their 3-D printed projects back to their schools to teach others, while continuing to further develop their prototypes.

“Our goal is to promote a diverse future of critical thinkers to pursue the world’s biggest challenges,” Payne said. “By allowing students to conquer problems they once assumed were too complex, we boost their passion for invention and STEM education.”