Des Moines University Engages Youth in Hands-on Health Sciences

On two recent Saturday mornings at Des Moines University Medicine and Health Sciences, the students who were busy learning about human anatomy, practicing scrubbing in for surgery and creating casts for injured limbs were much younger than DMU's usual enrollees. Hundreds of girls and boys in grades 4-7 participated in hands-on activities in medicine and the health sciences at the university's annual Girls Exploring Medicine and Science and Boys Reaching for Opportunities in Science programs.

The free events, part of the university's youth outreach programs, were organized by DMU's community relations department and student organizations, including the Women's Medical Alliance and Pediatrics Club. More than 100 students, faculty and staff in many of the university's 10 graduate degree programs in medicine and the health sciences guided GEMS and BROS attendees in activities at more than a dozen stations. Activities included making take-home products for healthy skin, gazing at bacteria through microscopes, properly donning surgical gowns and gloves in the university's mock operating room and riding a blender bicycle to mix up healthy smoothies.

The programs are designed to expose youth to careers in health care and science and the fun, fascinating aspects these careers entail.