Student‑Led Outreach Brings Biomechanics Education to Local Schools
- Student-led University of Utah’s American Society of Biomechanics Student ASB Student Chapter delivers monthly biomechanics lessons to fourth-grade classrooms and hosts National Biomechanics Day events
- Outreach highlights STEM applications to health, including sports science, rehabilitation, orthopedics, balance, and human performance
- Chapter represents students from multiple areas, including health and kinesiology and engineering, spanning at least 10 research labs and five or more departments
Water bottles. Straws. Red food coloring. A group of fourth grade students are making heart-pumping models with water bottles, straws, water and red food coloring. The purpose? To learn hands-on how the circulatory system works. Nearly every student's face lights up when they can pump the "blood" into another chamber (water bottle) of the heart.
“The hands-on model allowed them to grasp the concept, and they were so excited when they realized that they understood what the model was doing,” explains Emma Caringella, a master’s student in the Department of Health and Kinesiology who leads this outreach. "These 'aha' moments are my absolute favorite, because it means our activities are both engaging and educational for these students!"
Experiences like these are not unique to students like Caringella who bring biomechanics into local classrooms as part of the University of Utah’s American Society of Biomechanics (ASB). Through monthly school visits and campus events, Caringella and her peers bring biomechanics to Utah youth and help chapter members grow as educators and leaders.
“The students that we get to work with are so bright. It is my favorite thing to watch as they have those lightbulb moments of understanding,” says Caringella, outreach chair for the local ASB chapter. “At the end of each visit, students talk about what they learned and what they want to learn next— things like robotics, prosthetics, and balance. Their curiosity is contagious, and I always leave energized.”
A cornerstone of the chapter’s outreach is a fourth-grade mentoring program. ASB students visit classrooms to highlight how science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) apply to health and human movement through biomechanics. The sessions introduce kids to sports science, rehabilitation, orthopedics, balance, and injury prevention. They help students connect STEM concepts with real-world health challenges. Lessons are designed and taught by university students, so elementary learners have direct exposure to role models who study how the human body moves, adapts, and performs.
In addition to monthly mentoring, the chapter hosts an annual National Biomechanics Day event. Local students experience biomechanics through interactive demonstrations led by research labs. This offers students a chance to explore research labs and learn about academic pathways in STEM.
This year, the chapter partnered with Backman Elementary School to host an afternoon of hands-on activities for students and their families. It attracted more than 300 participants. Demonstrations included building 3D puzzles of the human foot, walking on balance beams to explore stability and attention, wearing dinosaur-inspired tails to understand how moment of inertia affects movement, testing smart construction helmets, visualizing skeletal motion, and controlling robotic limbs with electrical signals from muscles.
A defining strength of the ASB chapter is its cross-campus composition. Although founded within the College of Health, the chapter blends students from various departments and colleges. Members come from health and kinesiology, engineering, and related disciplines. This structure reflects the interdisciplinary nature of biomechanics and enriches both outreach and student training.
“Our students are developing as scientists, educators, and leaders while inspiring the next generation.”
“Being part of the ASB has shown me the impact that passionate students can have in supporting both scientific rigor and creativity,” says Paula Kramer, a doctoral student in health and kinesiology. “By connecting with other biomechanists, I’ve learned how staying engaged as a community allows us to learn from one another and amplify the broader impact of biomechanics.”
The ASB chapter is led by a team of grad students whose research spans several labs and disciplines:
- Brooklyn Vargas, a biomedical engineering doctoral student in the Orthopedic Research Lab, is president of the ASB Student Chapter.
- Bergen Braun, also a biomedical engineering doctoral student in the Orthopedic Research Lab, is vice president.
- Emma Caringella, a doctoral student from the Sayu Lab for Biomechanics and Locomotion, is outreach chair and coordinates classroom visits.
- Ruba Alraqibah, a mechanical engineering doctoral student in the Neuroergonomics Lab, serves as secretary, supporting chapter operations and communication.
- Paula Kramer represents the U nationally as the ASB student representative and serves on the ASB executive board. She works with student chapters across the US and internationally.
For many students, outreach has become a defining part of their graduate experience.
“It’s incredibly fulfilling to be that connection between our research and the real world,” Alraqibah says. “Being able to share what I love about biomechanics and show young students that they, too, can be part of finding solutions that improve people’s lives is one of the most meaningful parts of my time here.”
The chapter is advised by Peter Fino, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Health & Kinesiology. “This program highlights what makes biomechanics at the University of Utah so special,” Fino says. “Our students are not only conducting high-level, interdisciplinary research, but they are also committed to sharing that knowledge with the community. Through outreach, they are developing as scientists, educators, and leaders while inspiring the next generation to see how STEM can improve health and human movement.”
