Skip to main content
University of Nebraska Omaha logo University of Nebraska Omaha
APPLY MY UNO DIRECTORY

APPLY MY UNO DIRECTORY
  • About Backback to Main menu
    • About
    • Leadership
    • Mission and Strategic Plan
    • Accreditation
    • Our City
    • Facts and Figures
    • Campus Safety
    • Buildings and Maps
    • Contact Us
  • Academics Backback to Main menu
    • Academics
    • Majors & Programs
    • Class Search
    • Catalogs
    • Academic Calendar
    • Colleges
    • Academic Affairs
    • Online Learning
    • International
    • Library
  • Admissions Backback to Main menu
    • Admissions
    • Undergraduate Admissions
    • Graduate Admissions
    • Tuition and Fees
    • Financial Aid
    • Registrar
    • Visit UNO
    • Request Info
    • Apply
  • Student Life Backback to Main menu
    • Student Life
    • Division of Student Life and Wellbeing
    • Academic & Career Development Center
    • Accessibility
    • Housing & Residence Life
    • Inclusion
    • Service
    • Student Conduct & Community Standards
    • Student Involvement
    • Student Safety
    • Wellness
  • Engagement Backback to Main menu
    • Engagement
    • Office of Engagement
    • Campus Resources for Community
    • Service Learning Academy
    • Barbara Weitz Community Engagement Center
    • Volunteer and Civic Engagement Programs
    • Samuel Bak Museum: The Learning Center
    • Faculty Resources
    • Student Resources
    • Voter Engagement
    • Community Engagement Partnership Initiative
  • Research Backback to Main menu
    • Research
    • Research News
    • Centers and Institutes
  • Athletics Backback to Main menu
    • Athletics
    • Baxter Arena
    • Omaha Mavericks Website
  • Alumni Backback to Main menu
    • Alumni
    • Transcripts
    • Thompson Center
  1. UNO
  2. News
  3. 2017
  4. 11
  5. Biomechanics Research Building Will Host Workshop for High Schoolers

Biomechanics Research Building Will Host Workshop for High Schoolers

  • contact: Charley Reed - University Communications
  • email: unonews@unomaha.edu
  • search keywords:
  • STEM
  • biomechanics
  • UNMC
  • engagement
  • research
image

The Perry Initiative is designed to inspire young women to pursue STEM careers in medicine and engineering - two fields where women make up a small fraction of the workforce.

OMAHA – An upcoming event hosted by the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) and University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) will seek to inspire young women to pursue a career in most male-dominated medical field in the country.

On Saturday, Nov. 18, faculty from UNO and UNMC are bringing 40 high school girls from around the region to UNO's Biomechanics Research Building to participate in the Perry Outreach Program, an all-day experience where participants will learn hands-on medical techniques and engineering skills through performing mock surgeries.

According to the Association of American Medical Colleges just five percent of the more than 19,000 orthopedic surgeons in the country are female. In fact, half of the 10 most disproportionate gender distributions in medicine between men and women are in some sort of surgical field.

Additionally, women make up just 13 percent of those with bachelor’s degrees in mechanical engineering and only 20 percent of engineering degrees earned in the United States overall.

“This is truly a way to engage young women into the broader STEM fields,” explains Amelia Lanier, COBRE (Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence) Outreach Coordinator for UNO. “Our event is part of a national effort that provides opportunities that these girls just aren’t going to get otherwise.”

The Perry Outreach Program is part of the Perry Initiative, a national effort founded in 2009 in honor of Dr. Jacquelin Perry, one of the first female orthopedic surgeons in the country.Dr. Susan Scherl, professor of orthopedic surgery at UNMC and an orthopedic surgeon at Nebraska Medicine and Children’s Hospital and Medical Center, has led the Perry Initiative workshops at UNMC over the last three years. This is the first year the event is being hosted by UNO.

“The day is always fun, but pretty intense,” Scherl explains. “There are six surgical modules that the students complete, including suturing, ACL reconstruction, and simple and complex fracture repair with plates and intramedullary nails. It's great to see how engaged they become while performing their operations.”

The event, which is free to participate in for students, will feature surgical modules broken up into morning and afternoon sessions prefaced by presentations made by Lanier and Scherl. Students will have the opportunity to do everything from learning to suture using pigs’ feet or performing a knee arthroscopy on replicas of human bones.

As part of the event, participants will receive their own scrubs to wear and take home, as well as a certificate of completion.

Biomechanics professors and graduate students from UNO, as well as volunteer clinicians from UNMC, will also help guide the participants through their surgeries.

“It is a fun filled educational day of speakers and hands on modules where the girls get to use saws, drills, screws and get a glimpse into what orthopaedic surgery is like,” says Dr. Maegen Wallace, an assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at UNMC; surgeon at Nebraska Medicine and Children’s Hospital and Medical Center; and Perry Initiative volunteer. “This will be my third year participating. Each year has been a fun experience for me and the participants.”

About the University of Nebraska at Omaha

Located in one of America’s best cities to live, work and learn, the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) is Nebraska’s premier metropolitan university. With more than 15,000 students enrolled in 200-plus programs of study, UNO is recognized nationally for its online education, graduate education, military friendliness and community engagement efforts. Founded in 1908, UNO has served learners of all backgrounds for more than 100 years and is dedicated to another century of excellence both in the classroom and in the community.

Follow UNO on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, and YouTube. 

  • News Sections:
  • UNO News Center
  • Maverick Daily
  • The Bullseye
  • Campus Events
SHARE

News Sections

  • News Center
  • Maverick Daily
  • The Bullseye
  • Campus Events

Featured Stories

  • #NUforNE: Keeping Nebraska Communities Healthy
  • Social Mobility, Experiential Learning Focus of Interview with UNO Chancellor Li
  • The Semester Guide
  • More Than 4,800 UNO Students Named to Dean's, Chancellor's Lists in Fall 2022

Contact Us

If you have a story idea, news tip, or other question, please email the UNO News team at unonews@unomaha.edu.

About University Communications

  • Next Steps
  • Visit UNO
  • Request Information
  • Apply for Admission
  • The UNO Advantage
  • Our City (Omaha)
  • Just For You
  • Future Students
  • Current Students
  • Work at UNO
  • Faculty and Staff
  • A-Z List
  • Popular Services and Resources
  • my.unomaha.edu
  • Academic Calendar
  • Campus Buildings & Maps
  • Library
  • Pay Your Bill
  • Course Catalogs
  • Internships & Career Development
  • Bookstore
  • MavCARD Services
  • Military-Connected Resource Center
  • Speech Center
  • Writing Center
  • Human Resources
  • Center for Faculty Excellence
  • Affiliates
  • University of Nebraska System
  • NU Foundation
  • Buffett Early Childhood Institute
  • Daugherty Water for Food Institute
  • National Strategic Research Institute
  • Peter Kiewit Institute
  • Rural Prosperity Nebraska
  1. University Policies
  2. Privacy Statement
  3. Accessibility
  1. 402.554.2800

University of Nebraska Omaha
University of Nebraska Omaha, 6001 Dodge Street, Omaha, NE, 68182
  • © 2023  
  • Emergency Information Alert
  • Report an Incident or Concern

Omaha Skyline

Our Campus. Otherwise Known as Omaha.

The University of Nebraska does not discriminate based on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and/or political affiliation in its education programs or activities, including admissions and employment. The University prohibits any form of retaliation taken against anyone for reporting discrimination, harassment, or retaliation for otherwise engaging in protected activity. Read the full statement.

scroll to top of page