Spectrum News: High school students learn STEM in UC program
Biology Meets Engineering introduces students to animal-inspired robotics
Spectrum News highlighted a University of Cincinnati summer program designed to introduce high school students to STEM fields.
In its third year, UC's Biology Meets Engineering program teaches UC students about animal-inspired robotics, drawing from both UC's College of Engineering and Applied Science and UC's College of Arts and Sciences.
UC students take the class for course credit while faculty offered a three-week course in June to introduce the concepts to high school students.
Program director Stephanie Rollmann, a professor of biology, said now more than ever researchers in both biology and engineering collaborate with other scientific disciplines.
High school student Hosanna Otchere talks to Spectrum News about UC's Biology Meets Engineering program. Photo/Spectrum News
“I think that people nowadays should think about being cross-trained," Rollmann told Spectrum News. "So our program needs engineering really is about looking at how engineering can be used to understand biology better and how biology can help us engineer and design things better.”
High school senior Hosanna Otchere said the summer program won her over. She plans to pursue a science program in college.
"It definitely pushed me into STEM," Otchere told Spectrum News. "This confirmed that I want to do it."
Featured image at top: High school students work on an animal-inspired robotics project in UC's Biology Meets Engineering program. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand
High school students participate in an exercise on color vision during UC's Biology Meets Engineering program. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand
Related Stories
News Cincinnati loved in 2025
January 2, 2026
The story of prohibition bootlegger George Remus was among WLWT's favorite segments in 2025. UC Law Professor Christopher Bryant spoke with journalist Lindsay Stone about Remus using a temporary insanity defense during a murder trial.
What to know about this year’s big tax changes
January 2, 2026
Local 12 reported that taxpayers can expect some major changes this tax season. Gary Friedhoff, adjunct instructor at the University of Cincinnati’s Carl H. Lindner College of Business, recently spoke to Local 12 about how to avoid surprises.
Study finds police officers face higher long-term health risks
January 2, 2026
J.C. Barnes, a University of Cincinnati professor, is interviewed by Spectrum News about new research showing that the physical and psychological demands of law enforcement can contribute to earlier deaths.