2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Designing for Precision: Modeling Radiation Therapy with Robotics and Sensors (Resource Exchange)

Presented at Pre-College Engineering Education Curriculum and Resource Exchange

This middle school bioengineering lesson introduces students to the engineering design process through modeling the precision systems used in cancer radiation therapy. Students explore how robotics and sensors are engineered to align radiation beams with tumors while protecting healthy tissue. Through hands-on construction and coding, participants learn how engineers integrate feedback and control systems to improve accuracy and safety in medical technology. The lesson emphasizes teamwork, problem-solving, and iterative design, important core engineering habits, while connecting science and engineering concepts to real-world healthcare innovation.

Authors

Andrew Jose Loarte University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign
Joshua E. Katz http://orcid.org/0009-0001-3320-2536 University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign [biography]

Joshua E. Katz is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, DELTA program, at UIUC, where his research centers on collaborative learning in engineering education and other STEM disciplines. He obtained his B.S. in Technology and Engineering Education in 2019 and his M.S. in STEM Education and Leadership in 2021 from Illinois State University. Additionally, he holds a professional educator license for secondary education in Technology and Engineering Education in Illinois.
Emily Rodriguez University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign
Seneca Straub University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign
Dr. Molly H Goldstein http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2382-4745 University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign [biography]

Dr. Molly H. Goldstein is a Teaching Assistant Professor and Product Design Lab Director in Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering at the Grainger College at the University of Illinois. She is also courtesy faculty in Mechanical Science and Engineering, Curriculum & Instruction (College of Education) and Industrial Design (School of Fine and Applied Arts). Dr. Goldstein’s research focuses on student designers through the study of their design actions and thinking.
Dr. Marcia Pool http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2813-4217 University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign [biography]

Dr. Marcia (“Marci”) Pool is the Assistant Director for Education at the Cancer Center at Illinois and a Teaching Associate Professor in Bioengineering. She holds a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering, has served for sixteen years as teaching faculty/staff in biomedical/bioengineering and nine years in departmental/institute educational administration, and is an ABET program evaluator for Bioengineering/Biomedical Engineering. She focuses on identifying and evaluating mechanisms to enhance the educational experience and develop students into engineers and researchers. Her work includes interventions to enhance training for high school students, undergraduate students, and predoctoral (graduate students) and postdoctoral trainees through training programs such as NIH T32s. These programs include curricular, extracurricular, and professional and career development components with required evaluation and tracking of student participants.
Stephanie Dietrich http://orcid.org/0009-0001-1855-6512 University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign [biography]

Stephanie Dietrich holds a master's degree in library and information sciences and is a certified K-12 teacher, with experience teaching computer science and engineering design to K-8 students. She currently serves as the Educational Programs Manager at the Cancer Center at Illinois, where she leads K-12 outreach and community engagement initiatives, inspiring young learners through hands-on STEM activities and cancer education.

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