Today the students learned about hydrogels and their importance as an emerging therapeutic option for tissue repair and drug delivery. They made their own version of a type of hydrogel called alginate beads, and experimented to see what techniques changed things like shape, fragility, and ‘squishiness’. As many of the students noticed, alginate beads are made very much like boba, that you see in boba tea and other treats, so they got a chance to try some tropical flavored boba as well! After their snack, they got to work on researching a specific bioengineering technique of their choosing, to create a poster that they will showcase and present to their peers (and parents) later!
In addition snacking on boba, students also learned about the importance of maintaining a healthy microbiome for their digestive systems so as to have maximal gut health and happiness. After learning about some of the strategies for how to ensure the growth of good gut bacteria, students were treated to some prebiotic sodas to help put that advice into action!
