On Monday, May 13, 2013, Sayfe Kiaei, professor in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering and director of Connection One I/UCRC, hosted 20 international middle-school students—Broadcom MASTERS International delegates—for a day of engineering experiences, lab tours and hands-on projects.
Jennifer Blain Christen, assistant professor in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, introduced the students to bioelectricity, letting them experiment with electrical signals sent through a cockroach leg to see the movements generated by the signal. Blain Christen explained how this research can be useful in making more life-like prosthetic limbs.
The group also had the opportunity to see labs and equipment used by ASU researchers, including the anechoic chamber where they learned about research on remote sensing devices that can monitor vital signs—an innovation that could help find victims during disaster recovery or eliminate more invasive devices in the operating room.
Broadcom MASTERS International delegates come from countries where Broadcom has a presence and awards middle school students competing in SSP-affiliated fairs with the opportunity to represent his or her country as a Broadcom MASTERS delegate. In 2013, delegates were chosen from Australia, Canada, China, India, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Broadcom MASTERS International delegates receive an all expenses paid trip to the United States where they are official observers at the Intel International Science & Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF) in which thousands of high school students compete each year. They gain invaluable experience and insight on how to use their STEM abilities to become innovators and leaders in their chosen fields. They return home inspired to continue studying math and science into high school in order to pursue STEM careers as scientists, engineers and innovators.
For more information, visit www.societyforscience.org/MASTERS
