Engaging students to learn biomedical engineering design is of critical importance to Dr. Aaron Kyle. As a high schooler, Dr. Kyle was fortunate to participate in pre-college courses that allowed him to learn about science and engineering outside of the traditional classroom. This led to the formation of his own identity as a researcher in Science, Technology, Engineering, Medicine, and Mathematics (STEMM). Through over ten years of running programs that engage youth to learn biomedical engineering design, Dr. Kyle has recognized that future success depends on students forming the foundational belief that they, too, can become STEMM researchers.
Aaron Kyle, Ph.D., is Professor of the Practice in the Duke Department of Biomedical Engineering and runs the Outreach Design Education (ODE) Summer Design Camp at Duke. ODE engages rising 10th-, 11th-, and 12th-grade students from Durham and the surrounding local community to learn biomedical engineering design in an immersive research laboratory. Dr. Kyle explains that it is critical for students to allow themselves the liberty to explore freely and make mistakes when preparing and testing designs. This safe space allows students to have early success with their designs, which bolsters their overall sense of STEMM identity.
One example of such success came from an ODE student team that developed a guidance system to assist visually impaired people while navigating their environments using guide canes. The team learned that people who use canes are susceptible to above-the-waist injuries due to the canes’ inability to detect obstacles above floor level. The group worked together to develop an attachment device that used ultrasonic sensors to detect obstacles both above-the-waist and at floor level, augmenting visually impaired persons’ abilities to navigate. Rather than focus on the physics of acoustic wave propagation and reflectometry, the students were intent on solving the problem and were empowered with the necessary sensors, feedback devices, and microcontrollers to create this device. “Hopefully,” says Dr. Kyle, “their experience in ODE will motivate further pursuit of knowledge and a better understanding of how their ultrasound sensors work.”
The ODE program has achieved incredible success since its start in 2023, as evidenced by exceptional outcomes. Students report an increased interest in STEMM and leave the program exhibiting behaviors that indicate a stronger STEMM identity.
Alongside ODE high school students is a cohort of teachers who learn to implement immersive biomedical engineering design principles in their classrooms. Dr. Kyle’s original intent was to offer the ODE program solely to high school students, much like the NIH R25-funded HYPOTHEKids (Hk) Maker Lab he created at Columbia University. However, funder feedback compelled Dr. Kyle to innovate the Hk model and expand the program’s scope to secure foundational funding. Noting that most continuing education for teachers merely consists of short professional development courses or self-guided material development, Dr. Kyle saw an opportunity to create an immersive co-learning program for K-12 teachers to explore engineering design. This pivot was instrumental in securing an R25 grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences to back the program.
Expanding the scope of ODE is already having a positive impact in local school systems. Jeffrey Faulkner, a science teacher at Orange Middle School and a former Orange County Schools Teacher of the Year Awardee, participated in the ODE Summer Design Camp for Teachers during the summer of 2025. Mr. Faulkner praised the program, saying, “The engineering design process integrates all aspects of science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM), which makes our teaching more interdisciplinary and supportive of all the other disciplines and curriculum of our schools. The process also accommodates the diverse learning styles of our students.”
Furthermore, partnerships with Lowe’s Grove Middle School and Durham Public Schools have enabled the ODE methodology for high school students to be adapted for middle school students through the ODE Design Hackathon—yet another successful adaptation. Dr. Kyle highlighted the creativity of Hackathon participants in recounting the designs presented at the event. One group of students designed an optical monitor that alerts janitorial staff when a paper towel dispenser becomes empty. After careful analysis of the problem, students developed a prototype using light sensors, a photoresistor, an LED light source, resistance circuits, and an Arduino microcontroller that triggers an alert to janitorial staff when a paper towel dispenser is empty. While most didactic learning would begin with a focus on principles of light, the photoelectric effect, how an LED light works, or coding—all of which are certainly necessary for a prototype to function—Dr. Kyle’s approach focuses first on identifying real-world problems before delving into the principles and materials required to design innovative solutions. The ODE methodology empowers students to identify as engineers and engage with complex, seemingly abstract principles in a practical way before studying theoretical frameworks that can feel inaccessible and alienating without a tangible connection to the principles.
Dr. Kyle’s vision to cultivate STEMM identity in high school students and the transferability of the ODE methodology are yielding impressive outcomes for both students and teachers. To learn more about the ODE Program at Duke, visit https://sites.duke.edu/odeatduke/. To get even more involved, explore ODE’s paid positions for Duke undergraduate or graduate student teaching assistants.
