ERIC Number: EJ1463698
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025
Pages: 8
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1043-4046
EISSN: EISSN-1522-1229
Available Date: 0000-00-00
Heartwheels! STEM Mobile Outreach Program
Gretel Monreal; Steven C. Koenig
Advances in Physiology Education, v49 n1 p128-135 2025
Heartwheels! STEM Mobile Outreach is a scientist-led collaborative, innovative, and reproducible experiential educational program and mobile lab developed to engage people young and old in the cardiovascular sciences, improve health literacy and awareness of heart-healthy living, and spark curiosity in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Applied hands-on interactive activities at Heartwheels! events include heart dissection, cardiovascular physiology, and mock flow loops (science); medical devices (technology); instrumentation and sensors (engineering); and calibration and validation methods and models (math). These modules are complementary to school activities and are particularly successful from an educational standpoint because they are fun, interactive, engaging, voluntary, open-ended, and not graded or assessed and can lead participants and their families to develop STEM-positive identities. Primary learning objectives include a broad understanding of cardiovascular anatomy and physiology, advanced technologies and emerging medical devices, and the benefits of a heart-healthy lifestyle and stimulating interest, building self-confidence, and helping participants envision themselves participating in and making potentially significant contributions to STEM fields. To date, 11,229 attendees of all ages and backgrounds have participated in 55 Heartwheels! events. Excellent programmatic ratings (1-5 scale: 1 = poor, 5 = excellent), including 94.5% of participants self-reporting that it was a fun educational experience and 96.6% reporting that they learned new things, with complimentary verbal and open-ended written feedback, demonstrate the significant impact and value that Heartwheels! and hands-on experiential educational events contribute to diverse, resource-limited, and underserved communities.
Descriptors: Outreach Programs, STEM Education, Laboratories, Life Style, Experiential Learning, Physiology, Anatomy, Program Effectiveness, Student Attitudes, Access to Education, Student Diversity
American Physiological Society. 9650 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20814-3991. Tel: 301-634-7164; Fax: 301-634-7241; e-mail: webmaster@the-aps.org; Web site: https://www.physiology.org/journal/advances
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Science Foundation (NSF)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Kentucky
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A