Every summer, as the sun warms the campus of Marquette University, a new cohort of high school students gets a taste of the future. This year, a three-day biomedical engineering camp drew a group of eager teens, each hoping to discover what happens when curiosity meets cutting-edge science. Under the guidance of faculty and staff from the Opus College of Engineering, these students didn’t just sit through lectures—they rolled up their sleeves, experimented with real-world technology, and, in one memorable finale, raced fan-powered sailboats down rain gutters using only the flex of their own muscles.
“That was really cool,” said Ella Walker, a high schooler who joined the camp, describing her experience of controlling a sailboat with muscle contractions. “Flexing the muscles and having that go into the computer was very interesting to me. I didn’t know how our muscle function largely affects the data that appears on the laptop.” According to Marquette Today, Walker’s enthusiasm was echoed by her peers, many of whom left the camp with a newfound appreciation for the invisible forces that shape both technology and medicine.
The camp, which took place in the summer of 2025, was designed to introduce students to the intertwined worlds of biomechanics, bioelectronics, and biocomputing. Over three days, participants measured muscle signals, wrote code to interpret them, and learned how biomedical engineers create devices that improve lives—think CT scans, MRIs, and the everyday gadgets that keep hospitals running. As Walker put it, “I didn’t know how big of an influence biomedical engineers have on the entire medical field. We were talking about CT scans and MRIs; all those machines are done by biomedical engineers. I thought that was really interesting.”
That sort of revelation is exactly what the camp’s organizers hope to spark. “The main thing we want students to leave with is a sense of curiosity, empowerment and possibility, whether they choose engineering or not,” explained Shahd Sawalhi, associate director of enrollment management and outreach for the college. “We want them to take away skills in problem-solving, being curious, figuring things out and hands-on experience.” As reported by Marquette Today, the camp welcomes students regardless of their prior experience—just a willingness to dive in and learn.
Guided by faculty such as Dr. Tanya Onushko from Marquette’s Biomedical Engineering Department, students used tools like Arduino microcontrollers, breadboards, and sensors to capture and analyze muscle activity. “As an engineer, you have to be able to design for issues that might arise for variability in different patients and users alike,” Onushko told Marquette Today. “Being able to play with these tools and devices gives them a little bit of inside knowledge on what they could expect out in their careers.”
Of course, learning wasn’t always smooth sailing. “They’re a little intimidated,” Onushko admitted. “We try to remind them that they are here to learn. They can get to where they want to be if they just ask questions and be involved. The best way to learn is to fail and try again.” That lesson resonated with Walker, who reflected, “One skill that I’ve improved on is patience. Not everything’s been perfect; there’s a lot of trial and error. That’s something I definitely need to work on, but I’ve worked on it at this camp.”
Unlike the rigid structure of some classrooms, the camp emphasized collaboration and creativity. Projects built on one another, touching on multiple aspects of engineering, so students could see the bigger picture. “As a college student, you’d dive deeper into the details, but here, students get a general understanding and then apply it to a concept they can see in front of them,” Sawalhi explained.
The camp also aimed to demystify the work of engineers for students from all backgrounds. “We don’t require prior skills,” Sawalhi said. “Even if a student is eager but doesn’t have the background, we still allow them to join, they just need to be ready to keep up.” For those unsure about their future paths, the camp offered a risk-free way to explore: “You don’t need to know you like biomedical engineering to do the camp,” Walker said. “Sometimes it’s great to just go into it and figure out, maybe this isn’t for me. Just be open to it. It’s a good way to figure out what you like to do, and what you don’t.”
Meanwhile, the spirit of curiosity and hands-on discovery is being echoed on a national scale. On September 16, 2025, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) announced the launch of its 2025/2026 Student Paper Competition, inviting high school and college students across the country to investigate the hidden standards that make modern life possible. According to a press release distributed via PR Newswire, the competition’s theme—“Imagine a World Without Standards or Rules—What Would Happen?”—challenges students to become detective-journalists, exploring how invisible technical standards underpin everything from smartphone compatibility to food safety and transportation.
“Though largely invisible to most people, standards form the essential backbone of our modern society,” ANSI explained in its announcement. These standards set guidelines for the design, operation, and use of nearly everything, ensuring that products—from light bulbs to medical devices—work safely and seamlessly together. Students are encouraged to explore research areas such as technology, digital life, safety, transportation, communication, and physical infrastructure, or propose their own topics with approval. Entries are due by June 5, 2026, and winners will be announced in August 2026, with winning papers published on ANSI’s website and potentially in other media outlets.
Every submission will receive a token of appreciation and a certificate for both the student and their school. The top papers from high school and college students will earn prizes, and the winning work will be shared widely within the domestic and international standards community, including experts in government, industry, and academia. For those looking to dig deeper, ANSI offers a suite of resources—including K-12 learning materials and searchable databases of standards—on its website.
The ANSI Committee on Education, which oversees the competition, is dedicated to promoting standards education and outreach, supporting the United States Standards Strategy, and responding to issues delegated by ANSI’s leadership. As the official U.S. representative to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), ANSI’s mission is to enhance the global competitiveness of U.S. business and quality of life by promoting voluntary consensus standards.
For students like those at Marquette’s biomedical engineering camp, opportunities like the ANSI paper competition offer a chance to take their curiosity a step further—investigating not just how technology works, but why it works, and what keeps our world running smoothly behind the scenes. Whether racing sailboats with muscle power or pondering the mysteries of universal WiFi, today’s students are learning that the future is built on both hands-on experimentation and the invisible frameworks that quietly support us all.
As summer fades and the school year begins, the lessons learned—in patience, problem-solving, and the power of standards—promise to shape a new generation of thinkers and doers, ready to ask questions, tackle challenges, and, perhaps, change the world.
