Saturday, March 4, 2023

Did you know that the human body is made up of around 200 different types of cells? One of those cell types, stem cells, are special, because they can turn into other cell types depending on the environment! At this event, our participants used gummy bears to explore these processes and created models of different cell types like skin cells, muscle cells, or brain cells.

Materials: 3 gummy bears, 1 cup of warm water, 2 tbsp salt, 2 tbsp sugar, play-dough in at least 4 different colours, 1 bowl, 3 small jelly jars, marker. See these instructions to prepare the gummy bears 1-2 days before the session. 

Experts: Sophia Aslanidis and Olivia Cirone are students and Teacher Assistants at McMaster University, in Electrical and Biomedical Engineering and in Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering. They work with the McMaster Women in Engineering Society, an organization that promotes, supports, and uplifts women and young girls in engineering.