Heartwheels! STEM Mobile Outreach, founded by University of Louisville faculty members Dr. Gretel Monreal and Dr. Steven C. Koenig, aims to inspire young minds and families to explore the field of cardiovascular sciences and ignite their interest in STEM careers. This initiative offers a hands-on approach through interactive activities such as heart dissection, mock flow loops, medical devices demonstrations, instrumentation and sensors exploration, and calibration and validation methods, covering a wide range of scientific, technological, engineering, and mathematical concepts.
Recently awarded a KY NSF EPSCoR EOC grant in February 2023, Heartwheels! put the funding to good use by acquiring a small centrifugal pump. This pump has been integrated into their mobile and compact sensor- and instrumentation-based mock flow loop, serving as an educational platform to educate students about sensors, calibration techniques, instrumentation methods, and real-time data acquisition and interpretation. Through this innovative setup, students engage in hands-on learning experiences, gaining practical skills in instrumenting systems with sensors, conducting sensor calibrations, manipulating experimental conditions, and analyzing resulting data changes, thereby fostering a deeper understanding of scientific principles and methodologies.
Heartwheels! has been featured on WDRB in Louisville, partnering with the Kentucky Science Center on Engineering Day: https://www.wdrb.com/news/wdrb-video/kentucky-science-center-event-exposes-students-to-engineering-concepts/video_e36e2436-9755-505f-9b7d-4407058b2106.html
You can read more about the Heartwheels! program here: https://blog.transonic.com/cardiothoracic-surgery/the-heart-of-youth
