Demonstrating the use of optical fibres in biomedical sensing : A collaborative approach for engagement and education

Ehrlich, Katjana and Parker, Helen E. and McNicholl, Duncan K. and Reid, Peter and Reynolds, Mark and Bussiere, Vincent and Crawford, Graham and Deighan, Angela and Garrett, Alice and Kufcsák, András and Norberg, Dominic R. and Spennati, Giulia and Steele, Gregor and Szoor-Mcelhinney, Helen and Jimenez, Melanie (2020) Demonstrating the use of optical fibres in biomedical sensing : A collaborative approach for engagement and education. Sensors (Switzerland), 20 (2). 402. ISSN 1424-8220 (https://doi.org/10.3390/s20020402)

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Abstract

This paper demonstrates how research at the intersection of physics, engineering, biology and medicine can be presented in an interactive and educational way to a non-scientific audience. Interdisciplinary research with a focus on prevalent diseases provides a relatable context that can be used to engage with the public. Respiratory diseases are significant contributors to avoidable morbidity and mortality and have a growing social and economic impact. With the aim of improving lung disease understanding, new techniques in fibre-based optical endomicroscopy have been recently developed. Here, we present a novel engagement activity that resembles a bench-to-bedside pathway. The activity comprises an inexpensive educational tool (<$70) adapted from a clinical optical endomicroscopy system and tutorials that cover state-of-the-art research. The activity was co-created by high school science teachers and researchers in a collaborative way that can be implemented into any engagement development process.

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