Community Outreach

I am driven to share my work and my enthusiasm for biomechanics with the broader community. Some examples of past efforts are below, and I am eager to expand on them in the future.

Ella stands at the front of a classroom with a slide that says "we work on projects involving science medicine and engineering". Children in gloves and gowns are visible in the foreground

Homeschool Day at The Science Mill:

Science in Our Veins

The Science Mill in Johnson City, TX, hosts homeschool days to provide hands-on science instruction to homeschooled children from across Blanco County. We contributed an activity centered around blood clots where students looked at blood cells under a microscope, mixed blood clots, and tested their extensibility using our low-cost mechanical test device!

The project was highlighted in the University of Texas Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics news bulletin.

Ella leans over a table to help a child mix blood to form a clot

STEM Girl Day at UT Austin

UT Austin’s annual STEM Girl Day brings over 9,000 K-8 students to campus to explore over 140 hands-on activities representing dozens of STEM disciplines. We hosted a station called “Let’s Make a Blood Clot!” where students had a chance to learn about blood coagulation and make real blood clots using bovine blood. Around 250 students tried our activity, and their feedback was overwhelmingly positive.

See a recap of STEM Girl Day from UT’s Division of Diversity and Community Engagement.