Students at Washington State University created a life-size Operation game.
That's exactly what students in Washington State University’s chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) spent the past two years designing and producing—a life-size Operation game that's not only fun to play, but can help kids learn about the human body.
Students took on the project after Pullman Regional Hospital’s Center for Learning and Innovation approached WSU engineering professor Roland Chen about the idea. Chen took the concept to his senior-level design class and they created an initial plan, which was then passed on to the engineering club.
3D cut outs of bones
Courtesy of Washington State University
WSU senior Joel Villanueva, who served as a team leader on the project, tells Upworthy that approximately 15 students were involved in the game's creation over the two years it took to complete it. The project was quite complex as it involved translating the computer-aided design to a real table, creating multiple prototypes, figuring out the right level of challenge and making sure it was safe for kids to use.
In terms of gameplay, Villanueva says it's very similar to the original board game, but obviously much larger and with a few key differences. "We have tongs that aren't connected to wires, which was a safety concern, so we found a way to increase that safety factor," he says. "And it also has sound. So when it's triggered, a red light is emitted and an error sound is also emitted."
The life-size version of Operation uses tongs instead of tweezers.
Courtesy of Washington State University
Villanueva says they didn't want the fail signal to be too alarming, which makes sense since the game was made for kids at the local science center. So instead of the buzzing of the original game, touching the sides of the organ or bone opening results in a sad trombone sound—womp womp womp wommmp.
The game is officially referred to as the Surgery Skill Lab and is now a part of the EveryBODY exhibit at the Palouse Discovery Science Center (PDSC) in Pullman, Washington. It's ultimately a learning tool, and Villanueva says they put the bones and organs in their appropriate locations in the body to help kids learn about human anatomy.
"We worked with the BMES [Biomedical Engineering Society] student section who created some fact sheets about the project," adds Villanueva. "For example, 'The heart pumps this much blood at a given time'—small fun facts like that."
The bones were 3D printed, then coated with silicone (so the tongs can grip them), and the soft organs were molded out of silicone using 3D-printed molds.
The game was unveiled at a Family Night event at the PDSC on January 19, so Villanueva and his team got to see how it was received.
"It was an eye-catcher," says Villanueva. "There were many kids playing with it and it seemed like they were having lots of fun with it."
Jess Jones, who is part of the education team at PDSC, tells Upworthy that there was also a real doctor at the exhibit during the opening to talk with kids about medicine. She says the game has been a hit with kids so far.
"They're loving it," she says. "The organs are 3D printed so they feel kind of realistic. The kids are loving the texture."
The life-size 3D-printed brain kids can remove in the Surgery Skill Lab.
Courtesy of Washington State University
The project is a win-win for both the university students and the local community. The students got to put their engineering skills into practice using various software and technologies and also gained valuable life skills such as time management, documentation, leadership and more. And the community gained a fun and educational exhibit both kids and nostalgic adults can enjoy.
Three cheers for innovation and collaboration that helps us all learn. (And good riddance, stress-inducing buzzer.)
Photo from Pixabay
Teachers earn their own A's through this act of encouragement.
McSparin recognized the students at her school go through tough times on occasion, and she wanted to do something to show them how important they are to their teachers.
So she gathered several other teachers at Oak Park together and asked them to pick one student and share why that student inspires them to come to work every day. On camera.
The teachers were a little apprehensive about doing it at first, but that was before they got these incredible reactions:
Some times it's surprising how much a little positive reinforcement takes someone.
Photo via Tyler McSparin/YouTube.
McSparin asked each teacher to record the experience. In order to catch the students off guard, the teachers looked up their schedules and momentarily pulled each student out of class.
"EVERY student we pulled from class thought they were in trouble," wrote McSparin in an email. Of course that's the natural reaction when a teacher takes you out of class, but once they realized what was going on, they were overcome with gratitude.
And the teachers didn't just choose overachievers. The students picked fell on a wide academic spectrum to show their abilities don't dictate their significance.
The initial goal of the "Oak Park Positivity Project" was to remind the teachers how much of an impact they have on their students, but it's obviously worked to bolster students' confidence as well.
It's not rocket science that encouraging the future has value.
Photo via Tyler McSparin/YouTube.
Since the video launched, McSparin has received inspiring messages from educators across the country who are eager to bring the project into their schools.
And McSparin plans to keep the positivity going all year long. "Several students have approached me about things THEY want to do to keep it going," she said.
Everyone can have a tough day now and again, but movements like this prove there's always someone in your corner to gladly remind you how much you matter.
Check out the video project here: