For our final day in Bilbao, we spent the morning visiting the university’s labs and seeing some of the incredible projects students and professors were working on. One of the most meaningful was a 3D printed prosthetic arm model being designed for an amputee patient. This was yet another meaningful example of how engineering and…

We started the morning with a visit to Tekniker, an engineering and research company located in the Basque countryside. After learning about the company’s history, missions, and projects, we toured the facility and saw impressive technology such as advanced 3D printers and a small car that could adjust the width of its wheels depending on…

Today in Bilbao we spent most of the morning learning about balance and the different factors that affect it including neurological, muscular, visual, and vestibular systems. We also learned about concepts such as such as base of support, center of mass, and center of pressure, and how these factors are used to evaluate a patient’s…

Today we started our the day in the bioengineering lab of the engineering school where two of Saioa’s research partners presented a wheelchair designed with sensors to detect patients balance while in the chair and determine how there weight is distributed and if or how a fall out of the chair occurs. The design typically…

Today we started out our mother’s day morning by grabbing churros and chocolate with Saioa. They were huge (and very delicious of course)! Then we headed into town to stop by a few flea markets. The first one was small and had lots of artistic jewelry and graphic shirts which were very cool. We then…

Day 6 was spent exploring the beautiful coastal towns of San Sebastian and Zumaia after sleeping in a bit later. The weather was absolutely perfect out: so sunny and warm! After about an hour bus ride, we started the day in San Sebastian where we visited Monte Igueldo and got incredible views overlooking the ocean…

Day 5 started at Hospital Basurto where our tour guide Dario carried the energy for the visit. He was so personable and funny, knew practically every corner of the hospital, and made even the most technical areas interesting. We visited several units such as the NICU, pediatric ER, the microbiology lab, the infectious disease unit,…

On day 4, we visited Hospital Quironsalud Bizkaia where we were introduced to serveral rehabilitation technologies and assistive medical devices. One of the most impressive demonstrations was the Hank exoskeleton designed by Gogoa Mobility Robots, which is used to treat patients with mobility and rehabilitation needs. The device served as a link between engineering and…

Our third day in Bilbao brought together academics, innovation, and hands on cultural experience. We started with a presentation by Dr. Iñigo Lorenzo Ruiz who explained the structure of nursing education in Spain as a whole as compared to how healthcare functions in the US. We then heard from Dr. Mikel Diez Sánchez, a colleague…

Day 2 in Bilbao started with a scenic bus ride out to Hospital Gorliz which quickly became one of the most memorable experiences so far. The hospital staff warmly welcomed us, taking time to introduce themselves, share their experiences, and explain how their healthcare system operates. Even the patients were very open and accepting of…

Hi! My name is Aseda Asomaning, and I am a first year nursing student from Collegeville, Pennsylvania, just outside of Philadelphia. I am currently a student in the Fredrick Honors College and am pursuing a Global Health Certificate alongside my nursing degree. Growing up surrounded by family members in healthcare, I was exposed early on…