At last, we returned to our old stomping grounds: the small auditorium at the Bilbao School of Engineering. In the morning, we met Saioa and Michel for a comprehensive seminar on the medical and mechanical science of human balance. As we all sat in our special student seats, we began the presentation, which was divided into two parts. In the first part, we explored the scientific terminology behind balance itself. For example, we defined terms such as the center of mass (which we, for the sake of the class, assumed to be near the belly button in a human) and base of support (the area under the body in contact with the ground). In the early slides, we learned how balance is maintained when the base of support is under the center of mass, which can be upheld by the distribution of the center of pressure (the force a person exerts to maintain balance). Most notably, balance is the product of three interactive systems: vestibular, proprioceptive, and visual systems. These are directly interpreted by the brain and output in motor actions (like the movement of the foot). Whenever any one of these systems or the connections between them is altered, balance becomes hard to maintain. Although this was not explicitly mentioned in the presentation, I appreciated how well a patient can balance would be a great indication of their overall health, since so many systems are involved in the process of supporting the body.
After we had heard about balance, we had the chance to hear about some of the methodologies that doctors and engineers use to evaluate balance. In a fun activity, we had to partner up and give each other a score ranging from 0-4 on each challenge. The first assessment was to determine how well I could get up from a chair without assistance. The final challenge was to hold one foot in the air (with a blind fold on) and hold my balance for at least 20 seconds. I am proud to say that I scored perfectly on each test, earning the top score of 56.
Following a fun morning, we headed to the Athletic Club football team stadium, known as ‘La Cathedral’ but professionally known as San Mames. This tour was amazing as we got to see the field and even the team locker rooms where they gear up before the big games. A funny moment occurred when my friend Sascha and I arrived in the press conference room and pretended to give a press conference to the Plus3 class and other tourists. Nearing the end of a great Bilbao trip!