When Mira Moufarrej was a young girl her grandmother was diagnosed with rapidly progressing cancer. When she passed shortly after her initial diagnosis, Mira felt helpless. At first Mira thought she wanted to be a physician. At Stanford, she quickly discovered the possibilities in the field of bio-engineering, she knew she had found her passion. Her work at Stanford as a graduate student led to her discovery of genetic markers associated with pregnancy including fetal development and the risk to the mother of preterm birth and preeclampsia.
Inspired by Mira Moufarrej, who studied the human body to understand health and disease, we're going to explore the amazing systems that make our bodies work. What body system interests you most?
- Observe:Think about how your body works every day. How do you breathe? How does your blood circulate? What happens when you eat?
- Brainstorm: Choose one body system (e.g., circulatory, respiratory, skeletal). List at least three things you'd like to learn about that system.
- Design: Express your creative side! Create a presentation or a model of the body system using different materials ands howing:
- How the body system works.
- How it can be affected by illness or injury.
- What are some ways to keep this system healthy?