Saturday, October 22, 2011
10:00am-1:00pm

**REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED**

Read about Buzz on Biotechnology 2010

One program that has grown into one of IBB's largest outreach events is the Buzz on Biotechnology High School Open House.  A science fair open house held each fall on a Saturday, it is organized entirely by graduate students from Bioengineering and Bioscience Unified Graduate Students (BBUGS) education and outreach committees to encourage high school students to indulge in their scientific curiosity. 

Buzz on Biotechnology allows:

• Students, teachers, parents, siblings, to see innovative research at Georgia Tech
• Explore Tech's campus & the state-of-the-art Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience
• Engage in hands-on science and engineering concepts
• View sample demonstrations
• Tour research laboratories
• Meet Georgia Tech admissions representatives

Fun Demonstrations from Last Open House

Motor Illusions

Want to know what it feels like to have your hand go into your face? Come find out and learn more about proprioception... what is it, and can you really trust what your body's telling you?

The Edible Cell

The cell is a fascinating piece of machinery that in and of itself has the capability to sustain life. Come and check out this demo to learn about the eukaryotic cell! We'll create our own cell out of candy, represent the major parts with different candies, and we will discuss these different parts just so briefly! Whether you have had biology in high school or plan to take endless courses in biology to become a doctor, this demo is a fun way to learn about cellular basics while getting something sweet in return!

Electromyography Recordings of Muscles

Electromyographs (EMG) are recordings of the electrical activity associated with the contraction of muscles. Placing electrodes on the skin over your muscles allows you to observe this signal and determine which muscles are used and estimate the strength of these contractions. By placing electrodes on your biceps and triceps, you might be about to signal a radio control car!

Polymers and Viscoelasticity

Silly Putty is fun to play with, but how do you make such a strange substance? Polymers are the answer! Visit the Polymers table to make Silly Putty that you can take home with you and learn how useful polymers can be! Also, learn what “viscoelasticity” actually means (and why it is an important material property) through a hands-on demonstration.

Prosthetic Pete

From hip implants to heart valves, Prosthetic Pete loves to talk about anything biomedical! Prosthetic Pete will teach the students about biocompatible materials and the myriad of biomedical devices developed from those materials. He lets the students guess where specific are implants in the body, and even lets them touch and feel real medical devices, such as pacemakers and shoulder replacements. Come talk with Pete and see how engineers make your health better!

Cardiovascular System

This demonstration will introduce you to the basics of the anatomy and physiology of the cardiovascular system. Come to see and touch (with gloves!) a porcine (pig) heart and learn the function of the various structures in pumping blood. We will also have a variety of blood vessels and examples of tissue-engineered blood vessels developed here in IBB.

Quiz Show

Step right up and test your knowledge of biomedical science and technology trivia. Teams of 3-4 will compete for fabulous prizes.

Stem Cells

Stem cells are capable of becoming different cell types in the body. This process of specification is called differentiation. Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are pluripotent, meaning that they have the potential to become any of the cells in the body. These cells are derived from the inner mass of a blastocyst, which is developed from a zygote, and as these cells differentiate and proliferate, they form the specialized organs and tissues of the body. For this reason, researchers are extremely interested in examining ways to use this cell source for clinical therapies. We will discuss these various aspects of embryonic stem cells, as well as outline the differences between embryonic and adult stem cells. We will show you how ESCs are typically induced to differentiate in culture and will have a short video clip demonstrating the cells differentiating into muscle tissue.

Traumatic Brain Injury/Egg Drop contest

In 2003, approximately 285,600 kids under the age of 14 were treated for bicycle related injuries. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) accounted for nearly half of those injured. Prevention of a TBI is possible by wearing a properly fitted helmet. Learn about the important designs of a helmet and then use this knowledge to design a "helmet" to save an egg dropped from a table. The contest will be held at 11:30 a.m., and a prize goes to the best design.

Virtual Stomach Surgery

The virtual stomach was constructed by processing images from the Visible Human Project. It will be used to test new techniques proposed by our collaborator at Emory Children's Hospital to treat gastro-intestinal reflux in infants. The haptic device is produced by Sensable Technologies.

Acids and Bases in the Real World

Acids and bases play an important role in how your body functions. Different pH levels allow cells to degrade attacking bacteria, help digest food, and even decide what proteins to make. This hands-on demonstration will focus on acid/base concepts, and how those apply to everyday life and body function.

Fun with Liquid Nitrogen

This demonstration of gas expansion will demonstrate Newton’s third law of motion. Be amazed at spinning and airborne ping pong balls! 

Atrium Cell

Ever look at a cell under a microscope and see how small they are? Ever wonder how small the rest of the cell components are in comparison? Stop by and find out. We're scaling up the cell to the size of the atrium to see how some of the major components measure up! 

Genes by All Means

DNA extracted from peas right before your eyes! It doesn't get more exciting than this.

Globular Protein Folding Tutorial

Proteins are everywhere! The goal of this tutorial is to help students understand how proteins go from a spaghetti-like structure after synthesis to folded active protein. This demonstration illustrates the key interactions associated with folding including hydrophobic, hydrophilic, ionic, cysteine-cysteine interactions. In this demonstration, students will randomly place tacks representing amino acids on a toobar, which is a bendable foam tube. The students will then try to fold the toober so that the interactions are maintained, such as positive charge and negative charge interactions and hydrophobic residues on the interior of the protein.

For event inquiries, please contact Colly Mitchell