In honor of AAPI Heritage Month, we are celebrating AAPI scientists and their contributions throughout history! Check out their bios & some fun science experiments to learn more about their work!
Tsai-Fan Yu: Physician
Dr. Tsai-Fan Yu was a Chinese-American physician and medical researcher, and was the first woman to be appointed as a full professor at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine! She was born in Shanghai, China and attended Peking Union Medical College on a full scholarship. Yu came to New York in 1947 and began working at Mount Sinai Hospital. She did extensive research on gout, a type of arthritis, working to understand the metabolism of the disease and the different types of gout that exist. In the 1950’s, she developed medicines that are now used successfully in treating gout! She even authored and published two books on gout and its mechanisms. She was given several awards for her contributions.
Immobilized Joints
Materials:
Popsicle sticks, tape, a variety of small objects (coins, shells, rocks, pasta, etc.)
Time Estimated:
5-10 min
Directions:
Try to pick up some of your small objects with your hands— easy, right?
Have a parent or friend tape popsicle sticks to your fingers, wrapping them tightly so you can’t bend your fingers.
Now, try again to pick up the objects with your immovable joints.
Try doing other things with your immobilized hands, like opening a door or drinking a glass of water!
Think Like A Scientist!
Why are our joints so important?
What would happen if you couldn’t move your fingers at all?
How Does it Work?
Gout is a type of arthritis, which is a disease that causes swelling or inflammation in your joints. This can make it really painful or difficult to move your body in the way that you need to! Joints are the points in your body where two bones meet, and they allow different parts of our bodies to bend and enable us to move around. You have big joints, like in your hips, shoulders, and legs, and you also have tiny joints in your toes and fingers. As you can see, even those tiny joints are super important for everyday activities!
Looking for more fun at-home STEM activities for your young scientist? Check out our workbook full of exciting science experiments and empowering activities!
