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Nicole: Finding elegant solutions
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Title-1


Nicole Black has been creating solutions since she was a little girl. As a girl, she grappled with hearing loss due to a perforated eardrum and wondered “why is such a simple problem so complicated?” After the Boston Marathon Bombing left countless others with a similar injury, she began a research collaboration with surgeons at Massachusetts Eye and Ear.

The procedure for repairing ruptured eardrums is a complex surgery that involves hours of anesthesia. In about 40% of cases, the surgery is not fully successful. Feeling frustrated that such a seemingly simple problem only had such a complex solution she set out to develop an alternative. Her work in materials science led to a groundbreaking formulation of a 3D printed material that has proven to be a near-perfect replacement for human eardrum tissue, paving the way for a promising new alternative.

Nicole experienced a problem firsthand and then used her knowledge to help others. Let's start by identifying problems around us.

Brainstorming Time! (10 minutes)
  1. Grab your tools: Get a piece of paper and a pen or pencil.
  2. Set the timer: Set a timer for 10 minutes.
  3. Brainstorm: Think about the following areas and jot down as many problems as you can in each category:
    • Me: What problems impact you personally? (e.g., boredom, difficulty learning something, lack of organization, a frustrating daily task, etc.)
    • Family: What problems impact your family? (e.g., chores, communication, keeping the house tidy, getting ready in the morning, etc.)
    • Home What problems exist in your home? (e.g., things breaking, lack of storage, wasting energy, accessibility issues, etc.)
    • Community: What problems exist in your community? (e.g., pollution, traffic, lack of parks, accessibility for everyone, etc.)
  4. Stop and Review: When the timer goes off, take a look at your list. Circle the problems that you find most interesting, that you have some knowledge about, or that you think are most important to solve. Choose one or two to focus on. Can you think of any solutions for these problems?