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K-12 Middle School


Find out all about the "If a Starfish Can Grow a New Arm, Why Can't I?" partnership project...

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Go to Learn more about "10 Creatures That Conveniently Grow Back Body Parts" from treehugger.com


The PTEI 2013 Middle School Summer Camp will be run by the University of Pittsburgh's Department of Bioengineering from July 15 to July 19, 2013. More information can be obtained at the Department of Bioengineering's website or by contacting Alicia Welsh, Program Manager at 412-624-7279 or akw20@pitt.edu.

A starfish can grow a new arm, but a human can’t. At least not yet. But scientists are studying the regenerative properties of human tissues in order to develop replacement tissues for those that no longer function properly. 

PTEI Summer Camp

A Starfish Can Grow a New Arm, Why Can't I?

Summer Camp Information

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Tissue Engineering
Camp-on-CD

The instructional materials and activities of the Tissue Engineering Summer Camp are now available to educators and middle school students on a CD.

Hands-on, inquiry-based activities are included as well as instructions for incorporating camp activities in the classroom. Field trips and live presentations may also be arranged.

Order your copy of the Tissue Engineering Summer Camp for only $8.00.

PDF Download Order Form
Go to Learn more about Summer Camp activities and access Camp-on-CD
Many of us have asked the same questions for a long time, but now cutting-edge biomedical researchers are beginning to find the answers. Tissue Engineering (TE)/Regenerative Medicine are revolutionary technologies that offer incredible hope to people with compromised tissue function. The challenge is to help humans tap into their innate ability to regenerate damaged, diseased or compromised body parts -- Much like the Starfish! This requires a team approach and the coordinated efforts of biologists, chemists, physicists, engineers, computer specialists and physicians.

During this camp you will become part of a medical team dedicated to a difficult task and wonderful new challenge. LeBron James, athlete, has a damaged joint and traditional attempts at repair have been unable to restore him to peak performance. Your team will boldly go where no surgeon has gone before! Your goal is to fabricate NEW tissue to replace LeBron's damaged joint.

What technologies might you use? What experimental strategies can you imagine? What are the ethical considerations raised by this scientific breakthrough?

The Summer Camp

This 5-day, hands-on camp for students in grades 6, 7 and 8 involves classroom activities and experiments to help them learn about the field of tissue engineering and its remarkable promise for treating disease and injury. 

Additionally, the Tissue Engineering Summer Camp affords junior and senior high schools students (age 16 and older) a unique opportunity to work as camp counselors, assisting the younger students with their activities.

Goals of the Middle School Summer Camp are to:
  1. Increase students’ process skills across disciplines
  2. Enhance students’ appreciation of science and technology
  3. Increase students’ awareness of educational and career opportunities
  4. Increase students’ awareness of Southwestern Pennsylvania's role in cutting-edge biomedical science

SEPA

The project described is partially funded by a Science Education Partnership Award from the National Center for Research Resources, a component of the National Institutes of Health (Grant Number 1 R25 RR023286), and its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of NCRR or NIH.