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Q4: How are SPRI doctors, researchers, and scientists involved in EPOC?

The SPRI EPOC would not exist without the overwhelming support of the researchers and scientists at SPRI who volunteer their time for all the EPOC’s programs. Each year, approximately 30 SPRI employees donate over 500 combined hours of volunteer time to the EPOC programs to ensure a high-quality and high-impact benefit to our community. The Steadman Clinic surgeons are also engaged in the EPOC programs, especially the Science Club, for which surgeons provide input on the students’ research projects throughout the year. Surgeons also attend the final presentations each Spring to show their support for the students’ hard work.

Travis Turnbull, Deputy Director of Department of BioMedical Engineering, SPRI

Travis Turnbull, Deputy Director of Department of BioMedical Engineering, SPRI

Travis Turnbull is the Deputy Director of the Department of BioMedical Engineering for the Steadman Philippon Research Institute (SPRI).  As deputy director, Travis is directly involved with problem solving and research as relates to improvement or rehabilitation of the musculoskeletal system.  Dr. Turnbull has a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Texas Tech University and is a critical asset to the BME team.

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Q1: What is EPOC and what are the goals of the program?

EPOC is an acronym that represents the Education and Public Outreach Committee of the Steadman Philippon Research Institute (SPRI). The primary goal of the SPRI EPOC program is to add value to our local, rural community through educational and/or outreach events that allow students of all ages to gain exposure to practical applications of the STEM disciplines. We are fortunate to work in an advanced, state-of- the-art, world renowned research institution and to be surrounded by highly educated and passionate professional scientists and engineers, all while living in the beautiful, rural community of the Vail Valley, so we take pride in sharing all that we can to encourage the younger generation and give them opportunities that would otherwise not be available in such a small-town environment.

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Q2: How old are the children involved in EPOC and what do you hope they take away from the project?

We focus on three primary age groups: elementary, middle school, and high school students. In elementary school, we invite every 5 th grade class in our community to take a field trip to the SPRI research facilities and tour the labs. Each year, these tours directly impact approximately 300-400 local 5 th grade students. For the middle school age group, we travel to local schools for career day presentations and we also judge science fairs and assist with engineering enrichment days. At the high school level, we host the SPRI Science Club that is a yearlong commitment for 10 high school students (top 2 students from each of the 5 local high schools) to do hands-on research projects with our researchers. At each age level, our goal is to expose students to practical applications of science, math, and engineering and we hope these experiences allow them to dream bigger than they previously thought. We know that these experiences also provide the necessary catalyst for some students who may have never realized such jobs were possible and, in that way, the students’ educational paths are defined and clarified, which is very exciting to watch as their individual interests are fueled by realizable goals and aspirations.
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Q3: It’s not easy to become part of high school Science Club. What is the criteria and why would a student want to participate?

The Science Club remains highly selective because we want to have the greatest impact on a few students, rather than spread our resources to the point that we have a minimal impact on a larger group of students. To this end, we work closely with teachers from each of the local high schools. These teachers are engaged in the annual Science Club program and participate as additional mentors alongside their school’s student team. Each school’s team of two students is selected by each respective high school. We have found this selection method works well because the teachers are the best resource for selecting the students who will benefit the most from the Science Club experience. We ask the teachers to primarily select students among Juniors or Seniors because these age groups, especially Juniors, are at a perfect point in their educational journey to experience the breadth and depth of research experience that we offer and benefit the most from the opportunity to clarify their educational and future career pursuits. In our experience, students want to participate in the SPRI EPOC Science Club for many reasons. Among those reasons are the prestige of being selected to participate as one of two students from their school and one of ten students from our entire community. Additionally, the Science Club has gained the reputation of preparing students for college-level education and research in a manner that is unparalleled, even among larger metropolitan areas, but especially in our rural community.

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Q5: The Steadman Clinic and the Steadman Philippon Research Institute are often involved in community projects. Is that important?

Dr. Richard Steadman founded The Steadman Clinic and Steadman Philippon Research Institute more than 25 years ago as synergistic, education-focused organizations. Education is intrinsically rooted in adding value to a community. Our organizations’ goals are to learn as much as we can and to share that knowledge with the international orthopaedic sports medicine community as well as our local community. Therefore, local community projects are a very natural and enjoyable activity of our organizations. We couldn’t be happier to live, work, and play in our beautiful mountain community and we take great pride and responsibility in our efforts to give back to our community through projects ranging from those of the SPRI EPOC to highway cleanups, coat and food drives, habitat for humanity, sports event volunteers, etc.

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