Welcome to Science Snapshot, a quick digest of the latest research happening across the CU Anschutz campus. Hear from researchers as they briefly explain one of their recent studies and how it could improve healthcare. In this installment, we highlight what statistics say about whether an elementary school science outreach program meets its goals and how and if BPAP machines as an adjunct therapy in the ED help youth with asthma.
Researcher: Aimee Bernard, PhD
Department: Immunology and Microbiology
What was studied?
Think Like a Scientist (TLaS), a program developed to extend the science outreach pipeline to our youngest future scientists – elementary-aged students. The six-week (one afternoon/week) afterschool curriculum was designed to foster the development of science skills by making science accessible and enjoyable through interactive lessons and hands-on experiments free-of-charge. The curriculum encourages students to “think like scientists” through lessons centered on the scientific method, experimental design, creativity and collaboration, and science communication. Most importantly, the experience was designed to purposefully humanize science through the recruitment of real-life volunteer scientists and healthcare professionals from the CU Anschutz campus to engage in the hands-on activities in a 1:2 volunteer to student ratio.
What were you looking for?
We sought to assess whether engaging in interactive, hands-on activities with real-life scientists increased students’ development of science skills and interest in pursuing future careers in science.
What did you find?
We found that local Aurora students were statistically more likely to report an increased interest in science, knowledge of the scientific method, confidence in experimental design, and overall interest in a career in science after participating in the TLaS program. Our findings support the implementation of science outreach to elementary-age students and that TLaS serves as a model for a successful STEM outreach program.
Why does it matter?
Previous studies suggest that students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds often have limited exposure to science career environments, a factor associated with lower interest in pursuing science-related professions. Although numerous pathway programs have been designed to address this gap among adolescents, relatively few focus on elementary-age children. Our findings indicate that providing exposure to science careers during early childhood may be an effective strategy for fostering sustained interest in science-related careers.
Researcher: Patrick Wilson, MD, MPH
Department: Pediatrics
What did you study?
Asthma is a leading cause of emergency department visits and hospitalizations in pediatric patients. We studied whether the application of non-invasive bilevel positive airway pressure (BPAP) helps children 5 to 17 years of age improve faster when presenting to the emergency department with an acute asthma attack.
What were you looking for?
We wanted to know if BPAP is an effective adjunct therapy in acute pediatric asthma exacerbations in the emergency department setting. Our goal was to decrease the duration of inhaled continuous albuterol therapy given its potential side effects and the time demand for critical care management during delivery.
What did you find?
We found that BPAP did not decrease the total time continuous albuterol therapy was required compared to control. However, the control group used a sham BPAP set-up, meaning it did not deliver significant pressures but did heat and humidify the inhaled continuous albuterol therapy like the BPAP intervention.
Why does it matter?
The findings challenge the assumption that the benefits of BPAP in pediatric asthma predominantly come from its ability to deliver bi-level pressures. It provides evidence that the heating and humidification of the inhaled continuous albuterol may be the driving factor in clinical benefits. We are planning a follow-up study to evaluate the role of heated humidified high-flow nasal cannula (HHFNC) in pediatric asthma to answer this important question.