Middle schoolers took control of their future on a recent visit to The Ohio State University, where they saw firsthand how robots are helping to make surgery less invasive and then sat in the driver’s seat themselves. Wellington parent and urologic oncologist Dr. Cheryl Lee P ‘26 ‘30 made the trip possible. Four doctors, including Wellington parent Dr. Fara Bellows ‘33, staff members, and graduate students walked middle schools through various stations explaining the anatomy behind urology, the role a surgeon, and the urology department at OSU. Robotic surgery instruments were also available for each student to try using the controls to move pegs around a board, nearly perfectly mimicking the movements of the doctor during surgery.
Afterwards, middle schoolers visited the campus planetarium for a sneak peek at a new show “The Origin of the Elements.” Science teachers Cristen Geary and Me-Chelle Burkhalter P ‘22 have been collaborating with OSU on the classroom materials used to prep students before the show, and their work will be published in conjunction with show once it goes live to the public.
It was an exciting day for students to have a glimpse of the future on Earth while also gaining a greater understanding how far we have come.
Check out more photos from the day here.