Where We Got STEAM for STEM

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Anatomy is one of the oldest branches of science. Since ancient Egypt, humans have been dissecting their deceased to understand how the human body works and what happens during the pathology of disease. Today, dissections, or the act of cutting open dead organisms to study their parts, still play a role in science, technology, engineer and medicine.

Dissections allow us to see the working parts of the body. They can help us understand the structure of our organs and how they relate to their function. When studying anatomy, one of the most important aspects is to actually see the inside of organisms. We will dissect many types of specimen, for example (frogs, cats, pigs, plants, fungi, etc.) during the anatomy part of our dissection unit.

However, for any dissection you're going to need some tools. We will also take a look at the tools needed to carry out the dissection and many are almost similar to those used in surgery. 

The scientific method

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When conducting research, scientists use the scientific method to collect measurable, empirical evidence in an experiment related to a hypothesis(often in the form of an if/then statement), the results aiming to support or contradict a theory.

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The steps of the scientific method go something like this:

1. Make an observation or observations.

2. Ask questions about the observations and gather information.

3. Form a hypothesis — a tentative description of what's been observed, and make predictions based on that hypothesis.

4. Test the hypothesis and predictions in an experiment that can be reproduced.

5. Analyze the data and draw conclusions; accept or reject the hypothesis or modify the hypothesis if necessary.

6. Reproduce the experiment until there are no discrepancies between observations and theory. 

Engineering Design: is the method that engineers use to identify and solve problems. It has been described and mapped out in many ways, but all descriptions include some common attributes: 

The engineering design process is a series of steps that engineers follow when they are trying to solve a problem and design a solution for something; it is a methodical approach to problem solving. 

This is similar to the “Scientific Method” which is taught to young scientists.  There is no single universally accepted design process. 

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The process used is seen below.

Step 1 – UNDERSTAND – Define the Problem

Step 2 – EXPLORE – Do Background Research

Step 3 – DEFINE – Determine Solution Specifications

Step 4 – IDEATE – Generate Concept Solutions

Step 5 – PROTOTYPE – Learn How Your Concepts Work

Step 6 – CHOOSE – Determine a Final Concept

Step 7 – REFINE – Do Detailed Design

Step 8 – PRESENT – Get Feedback & Approval

Step 9 – IMPLEMENT – Implement the Detailed Solution

Step 10 – TEST – Does the Solution Work?

Step 11 – ITERATE