On Thursday, May 26^th at Bel Air High School, the Biomedical Science Class of 2016 presented their final medical innovation projects to the public in the year-end walkthrough.

This final capstone poster project is a culmination of every skill the biomed students have learned over their four years. After applying in the spring of their 8^th grade year, these students work for hundreds of hours through a different elective course of study each year. Their senior year, to fulfill the graduation requirements for the Biomed program, the students also must shadow a medical professional for 60+ hours.

The innovation poster project can vary in many ways, and is worked on during most of the year. Students are required to create their own Biomedical Innovations that are not already used in the medical field, which is a tall task. Many of these students discover their innovations which on the job shadowing a professional. Devin Hott, who shadowed cancer genetic counselor Dr. Nisha Isaac, discovered that many patients that are referred to genetic counseling don’t know exactly what they are doing. Devin created a website using the popular wix.com platform to inform patients of the benefits of genetic counseling and also being prepared for a session.

“It’s important for patients to know what to expect when walking into a genetic counseling appointment because there is a lot of information presented  in a very short amount of time,” stated Hott. “In 45 minutes, a genetic counselor will discuss family history, genetic testing, the biology of genetic mutations, genetic discrimination, and what the results mean. If a patient goes into an appointment with no preparation, a patient may not absorb all of the information.”

While some students choose to create a specific tool like a website for use by doctors and patients, students like Jana Sierocinski chose to create a public awareness campaign to educate youth. Jana’s project focused on research surrounding the general lack of sleep for teens, leading up to the presentation of her findings at the Bel Air Boys and Girls Club. Teenage education was a clear priority in her shadowing experience, which led her to choose this particular project.

“It was amazing when I got their attention and we started discussing. They are an awesome group of kids. Talking with them really finalized my ideas for my career,” said Sierocinski, after presenting her project to a student after-school program at the Boys and Girls club.

The Class of 2017 will begin their innovation research early next fall, but it will surely be a daunting task to follow up this year’s graduating class. Congratulations to Sammy Bowen, who won the Biomedical Sciences Student of the Year award, and Anna Wehland, who won an award for the top poster project.