Operation Balboa
Contact: Melanie Das melanie[dot]das[at]gmail[dot]com
We are pleased to announce the launch of Operation Balboa, an exciting new science project in partnership with the High Tech High and the UCSD Biomedical Engineering Society, generously funded by the Oceans and Beyond Education Foundation (Kimmich Family), and a part of the 2009 San Diego Science Festival. All middle and high school science teachers and their classes are invited to participate in this fun, easy to implement, hands-on learning experience! Check us out on the San Diego Festival 2009 website!
Click to visit the San Diego Science Festival website
What is Operation Balboa?
Operation Balboa will engage the Greater San Diego High Schools to create the world’s largest version of the classic board game OPERATION. The human body will be divided into 200 pizza box sized sections and each participating high school will create a highly detailed OPERATION style game of that section of the body either at the anatomical or cellular level. In addition to the surgical removal of specific body parts, the students will be encouraged to dream about potential new implantable “bionic” parts to incorporate. On April 4th, 2009, we will put all 200 pieces together at the San Diego Science Festival Expo Weekend in Balboa Park where it will be on display for 15,000 viewers including over 200 leading science organizations in San Diego. This could be the largest Operation game in history and may even end up on the Guinness Book of World Records! Moreover, after the science festival these projects will be displayed at the Natural History Museum in Balboa Park, so you can check them out even if you are unable to participate in this once-in-a-lifetime event!
What I will be doing as a BMES volunteer?
BMES volunteers will be assigned to one middle or high school classroom in greater San Diego where they will act as a mentor to the students. They will be available through e-mail to answer any questions and will also attend 3 hours of classroom building sessions at the site of their assigned school. Volunteers will be assisting with brainstorming and designing the bionic body parts for the game board. No previous experience is necessary.
Upcoming activity
WE NEED VOLUNTEERS!
**We need volunteers to mentor middle and high school students during three upcoming school visits!!!**
We are currently in the process of visiting local schools to help students create their projects and talking to them about bioengineering. Please e-mail Melanie at mdas[at]ucsd[dot]edu if you’re interested in helping out!
