Science Outreach with Lab-on-a-Chip

During microTAS2016 in Dublin we organised a hands-on science outreach event with 500 local school children. Research teams from Europe, the Americas and Asia developed short engaging experiments on fabrication and applications of microfluidic devices. Here we are sharing posters explaining the various activities.

When?

• Tuesday, 11 October 2016, 11:00 - 13:00

What?

• An educational event geared toward local school children
• Entertaining lecture on lab-on-a-chip (presented by Prof. Sabeth Verpoorte)
• Hands-on-activities

Why?

• Enthuse the next generation of scientists
• Share expertise in our community
• Do something hands-on and fun

1. Chip Fabrication and Interfacing

• 3-D-printed log-like blocks (University of Cardiff)
• Modular plug-n-play kit (Corning)
• Chocolate molding (University of Hull)
• Milling with Pantograph (University of Hull)
• Minecraft for Microfluids (University of Hull)

2. Illustrating Flow Phenomena

• Couette flow cell (McGill University)
• Concentration gradients (University of Hull)
• Lego bricks for mixing (MIT)
• Lateral deterministic displacement (University of Edinburgh)

3. Droplet Microfluids

• Digital microfluidics (University of Toronto)
• Droplets with hydrostatic pressure (Fluigent)
• Droplets with oil and Ribena (University of Hull)
• Droplet game (Fluigent)
• Microbubbles (University of Leeds)
• Hanging drops (University of Michigan)

4. Paper Microfluidics

• Flow through paper (McGill University)
• Flow through paper (UCL)
• Paper diagnostics (University of Boston)
• Paper microfluidics (University of Hull)

5. Illustrating Forces

• Centrifugal microfluidics (DCU)
• Ultrasound (University of Glasgow)
• Ultrasound (KTH)
• Plasma discharge (UCL)

6. (Bio)applications

• Cell origami (University of Tokyo)
• Tissue-on-chip (University of Hull)
• Circulating tumor cell capture (University of Hull)