STEM project at Davis By JENNIFER NOBLIT Wednesday May 14, 2014 10:47 AM

Before the school year ends, Davis Middle School eighth-graders must come up with a new way to use biometrics at the school.

The new project led by teachers Eileen Shaughnessy and Sarah Redick will have students solving real-world problems and the top projects will move on to a competition for bragging rights.

The project is part of the district's effort to combine real-world science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, problems into classrooms.

"We wanted to do something STEM-related with the life science unit," Shaughnessy said of the project.

To prepare, students have read articles about biometrics and last week got a visit from Mark Ruegsegger, professor of biomedical engineering at Ohio State University.

The Dublin resident has worked at OSU for 12 years and has students create inventions that solve medical problems each year.

"The big thing is to look for the idea," he told students.

After telling them about the different areas of biomedical engineering, such as bio-imaging, tissue engineering, micro and nano technology, biomechanics and biotransport, Ruegsegger discussed the education students would need for the field.

He also covered current biometrics used including fingerprints, eyes, footprints, genetic codes and blood.

Read more here:

Using biometrics: 'Look for the idea,' students told