The NIU School of Nursing helped support the DeKalb School District’s Welcome Back Bash event recently by sharing information and letting students spend some time with Juno, a human simulator.
Kristen Selig, director of NIU’s simulation and nursing labs helped students listen to Juno’s heartbeat and lungs, feel her pulse and even compare her body sounds to their own. Many children were fascinated by Juno, with some asking if she is a robot or checking back in with her later in the day to see if her cough was getting better. The School of Nursing uses a variety of low and high-fidelity human simulators as part of the academic curriculum.
The Back to School Bash is coordinated by New Hope Missionary Baptist Church with community businesses and organizations also supporting the efforts. The goal of the event was to provide children in need with school supplies, a new backpack, and clothing to start the school year, and connecting their families to community resources.
On the day of the event, over 1,000 backpacks were be distributed to K-12 students. Various other supplies were also distributed, including food and clothing, as well as information about resources for students and families. District 428 staff and teachers from each school were present to provide information and connect with families. Community resources such as the DeKalb County Health Department, Live Healthy DeKalb County, YMCA, and Kishwaukee College were also be present. Northern Illinois University supported the event with informational and interactive displays for students to explore.
