One of the age-old questions students ask their teachers is, “When am I going to use this in the real world?”
At Bryant High School, students in the engineering classes don’t have to ask that question. They already see the fruits of their labor and know how they could apply to a future career.
One such student is junior Gracie Kimbrell. Gracie has conducted several projects through the engineering program at Bryant High School, the latest being a prosthetic hand she designed and printed on a 3-D printer for Springhill Elementary School kindergartner Emma Kincaid.
“Emma does have a palm, but it is not fully developed. And she has nubs [in place of fingers] that are about half a centimeter in depth,” Gracie said. “Our prosthetic [hand] gives her a full-sized palm, and it gives her all five fingers that function and are the same size fingers that are on her other hand.”
Gracie’s engineering teacher, John Williams, said one of his goals is to connect students with projects that will interest them.
“A big push for me is to find students who want to get involved and do things,” he said. “We’re widely STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) oriented. I like to give students opportunities.”
Williams said he knew Gracie was interested in prosthetics, so when he found out about Emma and started looking into how the engineering students could help her, he knew which student would be a good match. With her passion for prosthetics, guidance from Williams and connections through online communities of like-minded individuals, Gracie has designed and refined Emma’s prosthetic hand.
“I want to do this with my life,” Gracie said. “I want to be a biomedical engineer. There are a few online communities of people who aspire to do the same things, and there are forums, and people put their designs out there. That helps a lot. No two people are alike, so each hand you make is different.”
Williams and Gracie said they used the website enabling thefuture.org to find the basic design, gather ideas and solve problems while constructing Emma’s prosthesis.
Aside from having a unique learning experience, Gracie said, she is excited that she was able to help Emma in a practical way.
“I have the utmost respect for prosthetics companies, but the materials and the intricacies with prosthetics make them really expensive,” she said. “With our 3-D printers and the way we do it, it’s much more cost effective. In material, this costs us less than $10. To buy the pins and padding and Velcro costs us $30 to $35. That’s pretty cheap compared to what they’d spend with another company.
“As a high school student, it’s helped me learn not just about my career choice but about how to help others,” she said. “My teacher is invested in his students and their interests.”
Williams also noted that the expense of prostheses can add up quickly when working with a growing child like Emma, but the Bryant High School engineering department should be able to adjust and print new prostheses as she grows.
Although Gracie is just a junior this year, she has already taken steps toward her career with projects like Emma’s prosthesis. Williams said he wants to push his students so they are not afraid to try new things. That way, when they get to college, they will, hopefully, not have to deal with insecurity and won’t doubt their abilities to experiment.
“If I can get kids over that first hurdle, that will encourage them to jump in and figure things out,” he said.
For Gracie, this is one project she will likely remember as she continues in her education and career.
“It’s been a really interesting experience, to say the least,” she said. “I get to help [Emma] out and give her a better quality of life.”
To see this and more projects being conducted by the Bryant High School engineering students, visit engineering.bryantschools.org.