At Jump Simulation they discovered new ways to bring science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics into their classrooms. The visit was designed to connect teachers with real-world learning experiences and classroom-ready resources. Participants divided into groups for specialized activities including the Wing It: An Inside Look at Muscles & Bones workshop and the Tour with Heart Pours Experience.

During the Heart Pours Experience, educators explored multiple floors of the Jump Simulation & Education Center dedicated to simulation, innovation, and health care education. Organizers, including Katie Smith, coordinator of OSF Innovation Labs, say the experience highlights how interdisciplinary collaboration drives solutions to complex health care challenges.

Smith pointed out the goal of OSF STEAM programming is to create a pipeline for future health care workers. That can happen, Smith said, when teachers and their students have what she calls “ah-ha” moments as they realize what they thought was too complex is really not.

“Things like doing belly surgery laparoscopically but instead of on a belly, you use a cantaloupe. Or doing a shark dissection or making a robot hand that can actually work. Those types of things that we do here really, really inspire children but also inspire adults along the way too.”

Free resources through OSF STEAM website

The summit also highlighted many free resources available to educators at steam.osfhealthcare.org, not only for middle and high school-age children, but for younger children as well.

“We have books that are PDF form you can print out. We have YouTube videos. We have [smart phone or tablet] applications that are free and we have all the dissection materials and things like that there too. Teachers can use them. People can use them at their homes if they want to do something fun for the summer with their child,” Smith suggested.

Teachers also participated in a unique hands-on activity by creating their own heart model with guidance from engineering professionals. Chicago public middle school teacher Misty Richmond said the day helped educators like her connect with technologies and innovations first-hand to see how they could apply to classroom lessons.

“They [OSF simulation specialists] were sharing stories about how they use some of these 3D models to help them [surgeons] practice for a surgery they’re going to do and so being able to have a student be able to experience something like that it’s like, ‘Wait, we have a 3D printer at school. We can made a heart. And I’m like ‘Yes, they can send us the molds!' So, then we could make those kinds of things at our own school. And so just being able to make those connections for myself and then being able to extend those opportunities to students.”

The tour of the Innovation Labs and simulation spaces also had Richmond’s creative ideas flowing.

“An experience like today especially really opens your eyes to possibilities. And so, while we’re doing a lot of hands-on activities, I think it also makes you think about your own experiences in learning and how you can think about bringing experiences like this to your students so that they get to have the same excitement that you’re having.”

Workshops spark strategies for future lessons

Following the morning sessions, educators reconvened for a series of collaborative learning opportunities, including a Microscope Makers Space workshop focused on innovation and design thinking. The session provided participants with practical strategies and activities that can be implemented directly in the classroom.

Additional sessions introduced teachers to augmented reality technology and demonstrated how AR can be used to enhance student engagement and visualization of scientific concepts. Participants also received an overview of STEAM resources, digital materials, field trip opportunities, and educational partnerships available through OSF HealthCare.

The day ended with a question-and-answer panel and planning session, allowing educators to discuss curriculum integration, explore program options, and identify future opportunities for student engagement. Streator High School forensic and physical science teacher Nate Nugent has lessons he’ll share with other teachers.

“Being able to take these activities back to the school and even share them with my co-workers like, ‘Hey you should do this in your anatomy classes, and this is a place you should definitely check out.’ This was really eye opening.”

Organizers hope the summit will strengthen connections between schools and community partners while expanding access to innovative, medical pipeline-building STEAM experiences for students throughout the state.

Video clips with Katie Smith

Video clips with Misty Richmond and Nate Nugent

B-roll-Science Educators Summit

Kids played various games and engaged with student athletes in the heated, inflatable dual-membrane fabric air dome designed for year-round use by Redbird student-athletes. It also has artificial turf to match the current surface at Hancock Stadium. 

The open house celebration was held prior to the Illinois State football spring game. OSF STEAM hosted a table where kids learned about color blindness with special 3D glasses, plus they explored the human brain with specimens they could experience hands-on. They also took away a coloring page as part of activities designed to engage young people to think about the wonders of science and a potential career in medicine.

OSF decided to make a significant financial contribution to the long-anticipated ISU athletic indoor practice facility on the heels of a five-year agreement that made OSF HealthCare the official health care provider for Illinois State University athletics in an exclusive partnership. As part of that agreement, OSF HealthCare provides Illinois State University student-athletes with access to athletic trainers, sports medicine providers, orthopedic surgeons, and behavioral health professionals.

OSF HealthCare Eastern Region Chief Medical Officer Carol Friesen says the strong partnership between two long-standing community organizations is about contributing to better education, and health and wellness.

“It’s important that we take care of each other. Health care and academics are the lynchpin of every community and if we’re strong, then the whole community is vibrant. So, we wanted to make an investment in a meaningful way that would further what’s going on here at ISU.”

Friesen was astounded to learn 19 different sports on campus use the facility, along with community use by various travel sports teams. OSF HealthCare St. Joseph Medical Center President Eunmee (pronounced UHN-may) Shim was impressed by the size and scope of the facility and shared that the significant OSF investment reflects its Mission to serve with the greatest care and love. Plus, it supports a potential future talent pool.

“Investing in ISU makes perfect sense because we’ll be getting the talents from them. They are the anchor of the community we can serve together.”

Athletic Director Jeri Beggs says having an indoor practice facility is so necessary to remain a competitive program in NCAA Division 1 athletics. But even Beggs was surprised by how many sports are now using the building.

“Our golf team loves this space because they can chip and actually see the trajectory of the ball. Baseball and softball play almost legitimate games in here. They put home plate over here. Softball says it’s basically a real field for them except right field is a little short. So, all of our sports come in here – just doing sprints in here.” She adds, “It has changed every sport that we have.”

Retired former athletic director Larry Lyons started the fundraising and planning for the facility. Head football coach Brock Spack credits him with a vision for the indoor practice center, as well as for improving other facilities dating back to Spack's start with the university 15 years ago. But Spack says without financial support from OSF HealthCare, Lyon’s vision might not have become reality.

Spack also points out the impressive facility has helped with recruiting, and he says it has made a significant difference in the excitement and performance among student athletes.

“It doesn’t matter when we practice here – whether its spring or winter, or fall, they come in here and they play lights out because I think it has a big-time feel to it, and they feel like a big-time team in here. We have really good practices in here.”

Redbird Athletics dedicated and officially opened the newly named OSF HealthCare Athletics Training Center on September 30, 2023. 

Carol Friesen & Eunmee Shim

Jeri Beggs & Brock Spack

B-roll of OSF-ISU Naming Celebration

Payton Glinkski watches TV medical shows with her mom, but she never thought about a career in medicine because she doesn’t like, as she puts it, “blood and guts.” But, with a virtual reality (VR) controller and headset she learned not every job in health care has a potentially gory element.

“I just knew there were nurses, doctors, dentists and social workers but it kind of went into more depth into every part of what a doctor does or (what) everyone in a hospital does … all the workers.”

A two year-collaboration between OSF HealthCare, LaSalle County government, and the Regional Office of Education District 35 in North Central Illinois included design, equipment installation and training, led by OSF STEAM, under the umbrella of OSF Innovation. Healthcare Careers 360, a web-based application, and the Enduvo VR Career Explorer remove barriers and allow middle school students to explore a wide variety of health care careers.

OSF I-80 Innovation Hub Director Zack Vankeulen of OSF HealthCare explains the web-based app and VR offers immersive learning in health care settings that would otherwise be off-limits to students due to federal privacy and safety regulations.

“An observer isn’t allowed in the emergency room or in the operating room (OR) so they can’t learn about those careers as well as some of the other areas (outside of health care) that they have access to. So, by creating this virtual reality environment the students are immersed right in the middle of an OR during a surgical case and they’re able to do as close to hands-on experiences they can without actually being in the room.”

Gamified learning

While some students used the VR headsets and worked in such careers as surgery technician, dental assistant, or an emergency medical technician, other students worked on computers playing games to identify and learn about items in medical settings. For example, Brooklyn Verda showed how she found a pressure washer in a biomedical engineering lab. Kids also had to find a bonus ‘lucky pickle’ and then watched videos about the environment and career they were exploring.

Verda liked the gamified learning and didn’t find it too challenging

“I didn’t really have any difficulties. It was pretty fun and easy to do. But other than that, it was really cool.”

Vankeulen says OSF targeted careers that are hard to fill in rural communities such as Earlville, Mendota and Ottawa.

“So, we focused on those, mainly, as well as the large volume careers such as nursing and dental hygiene, which you wouldn't think traditionally is an OSF career, but we recognize the need and included that as well.”

The collaboration for STEAM programming picked up steam when state lawmakers enacted Illinois PaCE, which requires school districts prepare students in grades 6-12 for a career or technical education pathway by introducing them to opportunities for a wide variety of high-skill, high-wage or in-demand career fields. It also requires high schools to implement College and Career Pathway Endorsements or opt out of implementation by July of this year.

ROE 35 Superintendent Chris Dvorak says he would love to continue the collaboration and possibly expand the career opportunities included in the programs. Additionally Dvorak says, “The ROE will hold future professional development opportunities that will allow teachers to share thoughts, ideas, and successes as we continue to support STEAM implementation.”

Earlville Junior High Principal Jenette Fruit has a philosophy that small schools can do big things and collaboration is key. Even if the technology brings a new challenge, Fruit says, students readily embrace it.

“And they will figure it out and they like being able to explain what they did to solve the problem. And I think that comes with this too. I didn't know about the boundaries. I didn't know about the different things with the VR and they're like, ‘No Mrs. Fruit. This is what you have to do, and this is why.’ And kids just like to know how to solve stuff. We just have to put it in their hands.”

The ‘boundaries’ she references are the areas within the sterile environment in an operating room. Those are the kinds of concepts students are learning as they experience surgical procedures, patient interactions and medical decision-making in a simulated environment that mirrors a real hospital and clinical setting.

Science teacher Kirsten Sweeney says for a small, rural school district it’s rare that students would have exposure to using VR headsets.

“To be able to work with equipment like this, that they just aren’t going to be able to because they just can’t afford these types of systems, so it’s so valuable to be able to have that in the school system for them.”

Next steps

OSF STEAM builds programs to help students see how their skills and interests align with potential careers, encouraging them to pursue further education and training. In fact, Sweeney says the next steps for students include using another OSF STEAM-designed web-based app called healthcareers.guide.

It will allow them to explore more deeply one health career including such things as duties during a typical day and of course, salary.

“They always want to know how much they’re going to make so we’ll be looking at what the average pay is for those positions, and we’ll actually have them create a resume and a cover letter as if they were sending it off to OSF," Sweeney says.

And that’s what it’s all about. Getting the next generation ready to fill the significant shortage of health care positions, not only physicians, nurses and vital staff, but the many important support roles. Without a strong pipeline, patient care and access to quality medical services could be in jeopardy, particularly in rural and underserved areas.

Schools interested in partnering with OSF for STEAM programming, can contact events@jumpsimulation.org. 

Zack Vankeulen

Students Payton Glinski and Brooklyn Verda

Principal Jenette Fruit and Teacher Kirsten Sweeney

B-roll of ROE-OSF STEAM

Jump Simulation, a part of OSF Innovation and among the largest purpose-built simulation and health care engineering centers in the world, recently received a five-year reaccreditation by the Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSH). SSH is an international organization that seeks to improve performance and reduce errors in patient care through the use of simulation. It is also the world’s largest health care simulation accrediting body.

The designation comes after an application process that included a visit to the 67,000 square foot Jump Trading Simulation & Education Center in Peoria, Illinois, which opened in 2013. The re-accreditation covers the areas of assessment, research, teaching/education and systems integration. 

In their final report, reviewers noted several strengths of the Jump Simulation program:

•  The whole organization is built around innovation and integration, co-located with performance improvement, data analytics and other resources.
•  Strong organizational buy-in
•  Exemplary OSF STEAM program

“The Jump Trading Simulation & Education Center's STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) programs cater to a diverse range of students, including college pre-medical students, middle and high school students, at-risk youth, young learners nationwide through remote learning, community and youth organizations, and undergraduate and graduate students from various majors.” The report continues, “These programs aim to inspire interest in health care and STEM fields by offering hands-on, immersive learning experiences designed to equip participants with valuable skills and knowledge for future success in technologically demanding careers.”

The accreditation indicates the Jump Simulation program has served as a resource for quality improvement, patient safety, risk management and related groups, contributing to the enhancement of health care systems which have used its programs and facilities.

Clinicians, scientists, and engineers are encouraged to collaborate in the development of new ways to solve the most pressing problems in health care. This work is funded through competitive grants sponsored by four Jump-university partnerships. Besides the ARCHES program Jump collaborates with three other Illinois universities, including University of Illinois-Chicago (Community Health Advocacy); Illinois State University (Connected Communities Initiative); and Bradley University (Innovation for Health).

Other related facts:

•  22,730 learners were instructed in FY24 through 2,031 different events
• 348 simulations used 56 standardized participants who are highly trained individuals who portray characteristics of a patient, family member or clinical team member
• Jump Trading Simulation & Education Center has been selected to host Society for Simulation in Healthcare SimOps 2025 Conference in July of 2025

Jump 10-year anniversary B-roll

Gabe Koch (pronounced Cook), DO, a native of Tremont, Illinois, is a first-year Emergency Medicine resident at OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria who says he’s not sure why he felt drawn to a career in medicine. He wasn’t particularly drawn to TV medical dramas and his only family connection is an uncle and two aunts who are nurses. But he thought it would be cool to take a class to become an emergency medical technician.

As a volunteer EMT in his hometown, Koch was exhilarated and felt a strong calling to emergency medicine. He then became an emergency department technician at OSF Saint Francis. After he initially failed to get into medical school, Koch decided he should enroll in an OSF STEAM course, Pre-Med Immersion.

OSF Pre-Med Immersion Experience is a two-week clinical program for college students who are interested in medical school. The program is offered by Jump Simulation which is part of OSF Innovation and is a collaboration with the University of Illinois College of Medicine Peoria (UICOMP). Students are exposed to a variety of roles in the clinical environment. Koch says the OSF STEAM course gave him invaluable experience and confidence in skills such as suturing, drawing blood and reading an electrocardiogram.

“I feel like the STEAM program really gave us bits and pieces to kind of start putting the broader picture together. And that was beneficial, because I think it gives you just a bit of a leg up. Even something as simple as reading an EKG – you're going to get exposure to EKGs in the STEAM course, that maybe your classmates in medical school weren't exposed to.”

Koch says medical school is very competitive. He was among thousands of applicants for one of 110 seats at Western University of Health Sciences COMP-Northwest in Lebanon, Oregon. He was accepted after taking the Pre-Med Immersion course. Koch thinks the experience showed his commitment and perhaps gave him an advantage over other applicants.

“So, I wanted that experience and also wanted to show medical schools on my application, you know, ‘Look, I'm taking initiative. I'm doing something extra here, because I am committed and really driven to succeed and get into medical school.’”

“These are my people”

The OSF STEAM course was a good start to creating a comfort level with the idea of working in a medical setting. Koch was exposed to the sights, sounds and smells that are unique to being in that atmosphere. It validated his career choice.

“These are my people. Health care is where I belong. The physicians and the other staff and the people that we got exposed to and got to meet. I think it was just a validation that, yes, this is what I want to do, and these are the people I want to call my colleagues.”

He was also inspired by the physicians who seemed so passionate about what they do every day.

“There's a lot of things in the news about burnout, physician burnout, and it's inspiring to see there are still people who love what they do and have been doing it for years, and that it’s not all doom and gloom. You can have a great career.”

During his experience, Koch was exposed to surgery, the Anatomy Lab at Jump Simulation, and he heard from a neurosurgery resident who shared some hard truths.

“It wasn't all rainbows and lollipops. And we saw real life examples of that by that resident coming and speaking to us and saying, ‘You know, very bluntly, like, it's hard. Residency is hard, medicine is hard. And so, you really have to be committed.’ So that was, that was something that really stood out.”

Koch appreciated the honesty, and it spurred him to want to push ahead with schooling to become a physician specializing in emergency medicine. But he says even if that wasn’t the case, the experience is worthwhile for anyone exploring the idea of a medical career.

“You know, if I hate the STEAM course, then I'm going to change my biology major, and I'm not going to apply to medical school, right? If I love it, or if I'm equivocal about it, I'm going to investigate further. If I love it. I'm going to keep going full steam ahead to try to get into medical school.”

OSF STEAM has been recognized by the Society for Simulation in Healthcare as an “Exemplar” for simulation programs world-wide. Participation was just the beginning for Koch who, after six months of his residency, already knows he’s landed where he belongs. And that is the idea behind the OSF STEAM Pre-Med Immersion Experience — to expose pre-med students to the OSF, UICOMP facilities and instructors with an eye on recruiting them to study and then live and work as medical providers in central Illinois.

Koch hopes to do that and to eventually give back by serving in the future as one of those passionate providers encouraging young people with an interest, that medicine can be a very rewarding career.

First-year medical resident Gabe Koch

B-roll of OSF STEAM Pre-Med Immersion

National STEAM Day is November 8 but OSF HealthCare is kicking off an entire month of STEAM-related activities, starting with an opportunity for kids from kindergarten and up to experience new STEAM activities at Peoria Playhouse Children’s Museum.

The goal of the OSF STEAM program is to inspire and encourage children to envision themselves having a career in medicine by engaging in activities involving science, technology, engineering, art and math. Shannon Egli (pronounced EGG-lee), STEAM educator and director of the Anatomy Lab at Jump Trading Simulation & Education Center, says the new activities are to stimulate excitement about learning more.

“I think by them coming and playing with these things, it might introduce them to the health care field and maybe it’ll interest them in doing more STEAM things like what we offer at Jump or at OSF where they can come in and dissect a shark, they can dissect a squid or build a heart pump that’s just like a functioning heart pump that’s inside a person and they can just keep going with it.” Egli explains, “This is really just an introduction to the health care field through a sense of play, but they get that extra knowledge at the same time.” 

There are a handful of interactive STEAM activities added to the usual line-up at the children’s museum in Peoria. Egli says anything that’s slimy or offers a unique tactile experience goes over well.

“We have squishy organs where they can lay on the ground, trace their body and then put the squishy organs where they think they’re supposed to go on their own body, so they get a chance to understand where parts of their body are on this piece of paper. It’s really cool because they like to squish a heart or liver or lungs and really get to play with it and get involved.” 

Egli took his own children Maxwell, age 7, Eleanor, age 5, and two-and-a-half-year-old Winston to test out a few of the activities before they debuted. Eleanor showed off her knowledge as she made her way through some of the organs.

“The brain is squishy, and this is where you put it,” she explained while putting the pink brain on top of her head. “It has some grit on it, and you pop it like this,” Eleanor demonstrates while squeezing and twisting the brain, "And its white stuff. And these are the lungs,” as she holds them to her chest and then pushes them out and in towards her to represent breathing. “And this is the heart,” Eleanor declares while placing it near the center of her chest. 

Her younger brother Winston also liked the brain and was able to show it belongs in his head.

OSF Innovation Labs coordinator Katie Smith says kids can dive into hands-on learning by exploring bone structures. They also look at a paper skeleton as they put together a vertical magnetic skeleton puzzle with parts created by engineers at Jump using molds and 3D printing. Smith says it’s designed to show how bones connect to support the body.

“It will show the skeleton so kids can see what the skeleton is supposed to look like, because it can be a little bit complicated. It also talks about how buildings and skeletons are similar so the scaffolding in a building is similar to the skeleton in a human.” 

This week, in addition to the activities at the Peoria Playhouse, OSF STEAM brought hands-on engineering and anatomy activities to some patient learners at OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois, sparking curiosity and wonder in health careers. Several other activities are planned throughout the month in collaboration with community organizations to expand the reach of STEAM activities that leverage the power of play.

Shannon Egli

Eleanor Egli and Katie Smith

OSF STEAM B-roll

November 8 is National STEAM Day – a day that inspires kids to explore and pursue their interests in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math. But OSF HealthCare is making a point to celebrate and promote OSF STEAM learning throughout the month of November.

Noël Adams, vice president, Academic Collaborations and operations, OSF Innovation Labs at OSF HealthCare says the STEAM lab will mark National Steam Day by kicking off the first of a series of augmented reality (AR) lessons for its Anatomy Academy.

Adams explains students can access a free lesson by registering on the OSF STEAM website and they’ll receive a series of QR codes to scan with their mobile phone or tablet to trigger digital images via augmented reality that can put a trainer in the child's hand.

“As we go through and we teach different modalities or different trainers or different human anatomy, we can change whatever it is that child is holding just through the QR code. And so, it really equalizes our ability to, not only teach remotely because we can put a trainer in any kid's hand anywhere, but also there's no cost barrier in our training.”

This live course on systems of the body will run once a month for the next year. The curriculum was developed by OSF Innovation engineers and faculty at the University of Illinois for
6^th-12^th grades. Adams thinks it could be a great option for home schooled kids whose parents might not be experts in anatomy.

“There's not a lot out there for homeschool kids as far as health care curriculum and STEAM so we did make a strategic effort to create something that's very welcoming to them. So, these courses actually run during the day when they would have traditional schooling and again on-demand if they want to do their schooling at night.”

A recorded version of the live lesson will also be available on the OSF STEAM website.

Throughout November, OSF HealthCare will be hosting school children at Jump Trading Simulation & Education Center in Peoria where they can learn about careers such as medical visualization and bioengineering. Innovation engineers will also be traveling to schools. For example, in Pontiac, Illinois, students will get a DIY lesson detailing how to make their own anatomage table for less than $50. The device uses advanced 3D anatomy visualization to teach lessons about the body.

The engineers will also mark National STEAM Day by leading hands-on STEAM activities for hospitalized kids and their siblings at OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois. Throughout the year, OSF provides free bedside STEAM programs so children can stay engaged in learning while they’re out of school due to their illness.

The range of OSF STEAM programs cover grade school through college  and include simple, free online activities and at-home courses that come with activity kits. There are mini-med classes for college-age students to explore various aspects of medicine plus internships that focus on creating STEAM activities.

Community Partnerships

OSF is bringing STEAM education to as many young people as possible, particularly those who are under-represented in fields related to Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math, including women and people of color. According to the National Science Foundation (PDF) and the National Academies, women and certain ethnic groups –Blacks, Hispanics, and American Indians – are considered underrepresented in STEAM.

Community partnerships are an important way to reach under-represented groups and introduce young people to ideas and experiences that can create an “ah hah” moment, where they discover a passion for health care. Peoria’s Friendship House President and CEO Marcellus Sommerville says plenty of young people have lit up with ideas after participating in a STEAM activity, such as a baby shark dissection led by OSF STEAM educators who came on-site to guide the effort.

“I mean, we've had experiences where kids have said they want to be a biochemist, and they're really excited; they see themselves as you know, dissecting and explaining and exploring. For each kid, it allows him to dream of what possibilities are there for them.”

Sommerville says as many as 40 young people from Friendship House also spent time over one week, learning about career options by exploring the various labs and technology at Jump.

“They got to touch the manikins, they got to see how the blood flowed and all the different things I mean, for that week, they were overjoyed. So, I think that's the fun part about the partnership – exposing these kids to bigger and better things that they necessarily would not see or did not know.”

The Anatomy Academy augmented reality lessons will generate excitement, Sommerville says, because with only a smartphone, kids will get a more immersive experience. In that way, easy technology can be an equalizer 
as Sommerville sees it.

“I think it could offset and help the kids who maybe don’t have those opportunities to have a laptop at home or bigger devices, but most kids have a mobile phone and if they can use it in a proper way, it can be a huge benefit.”

Sommerville is also grateful to donors to the OSF STEAM program because, he says, they’re investing in the community and helping kids dream of how they can join the medical workforce of the future.

Noell Adams

Marcellus Sommerville

National STEAM Day AR Lessons B-roll