Medical Imaging Summer Camp

This summer, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering Chris Kobus led the “I See You” Workshop, an outreach program for high school students interested in biomedical imaging. Designed to raise awareness of technology, and to show a relationship between medicine and engineering, this four-week educational workshop brought students to Oakland’s Campus for a look into what medical imaging is all about. Sessions included learning about imaging technology, MRIs, the history of the x-ray, and even a tour of the state-of-the-art 3D Imaging Lab at Royal Oak Beaumont Hospital.

This partnership with Beaumont was an obvious one, says Kobus. “It turns out that Beaumont has resources dedicated specifically to outreach and is actively seeking partnerships like this one. It was an easy match.”

Partnerships were formed with Pontiac Schools and New Haven High School, as well.

This outreach camp came to be when Kobus and Dr. Jing Tang of the Electrical and Computer Engineering department received a National Science Foundation grant. The grant included a required outreach element, and from that sprung the medical imaging program.

This medical imaging workshop will be repeated in the spring of 2014 and 2015. The potential to expand this kind of outreach is growing, suggests Kobus, who is already collaborating with Dr. J. David Schall, also of Mechanical Engineering, on a camp focused on computer science. Kobus says, “These types of focused camps are increasing in demand. They also align well with the expertise found in the university.”

“These camps are a great example of how we extend the resources of the university to help grow the community and the region,” says OU INC Director Amy Butler.