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Finding a cure for a disease is a task for highly trained research scientists, right? Not always! Four teenaged girls from Vancouver have challenged the belief that only adults make medical breakthroughs. They’ve created an award-winning idea that may someday
improve life for many people.
Patricia Lau, Robin Massel, Olivia Maginley, and Katie Mogan are grade nine students at Point Grey Mini School. Their invention won top place in their division of Toshiba’s ExploraVision contest for 1999. This competition asks young inventors to select an area of research that has meaning in their own lives—such as medicine or the environment—then to design an invention. The hope is that the invention could actually be built by the year 2020, as technology advances.
The four teens decided to develop a treatment for osteoporosis, a disease in which a person’s bones become brittle and fragile.
Osteoporosis is most common among older women, and Robin Massel’s grandmother has the condition. Watching someone she loved begin to break bones helped Robin realize how important it was to find a remedy.
“Osteoporosis is a major problem. As females we’re at high risk to get it some day,” says Patricia Lau. “As well, 1999 was named the
Year of the Elderly by the United Nations.”
Although they chose to tackle a very difficult problem, the girls
insist they had a fantastic time working on the project.
Robin organized the team. Her group had won second place the
previous year, and she was determined to make another try for the
top prize. In September, 1998, she asked three friends to join her.
Olivia is a talented writer who helped with the research and writing. Katie provided the illustrations for the storyboards they submitted with their entry, and Patricia designed the computer graphics. Robin’s previous experience earned her the role of group leader. Recognizing each other’s strengths contributed to the team’s success.
The would-be inventors haunted libraries, probed the Internet, and even obtained advice from a medical specialist. But some of their greatest support came from closer to home. Robin’s mother, Lynn Massel, acted as community sponsor for the group. A science teacher herself, she oversaw their meetings every Friday and helped them direct their research. She suggested the girls break up their project into tasks that could be more easily managed.
The team’s science and math teacher, John O’Connor, was also on hand with guidance and support. Point Grey Mini School is home to many innovative projects supervised by Mr. O’Connor. He gives particular praise to this group of students.
“Intellectual ability is not enough,” he remarks. “The students
who really succeed also have to be self-directed and tolerant of each
other. This team had those qualities.”
Keeping the project on track wasn’t always easy. Finding time to meet presented a challenge. The teens also discovered that inventing involves trial, error, and yet more trial. Sometimes the ideas they came up with just wouldn’t work.
“We originally thought of using plastic to harden the bones,” says
Patricia. “But when we found out plastic would be rejected by the
body, we had to come up with something else.”
So what did the four girls invent? It’s a high-tech solution called WEBS. “We, the scientists, are very excited to present WEBS to you at this press conference. It took many years of research and collaboration to come up with this technology. We made major breakthroughs to create the WEBS. The titanium alloy Tibond was created to be magnetic, and form very strong bonds once in the correct position. We created Cartigel as the vehicle for Tibond to move to the inside of the porous bone. Our next challenge was the Spider, which photographed the inside of the bone, and then created a force field to line the Tibond in the three-dimensional web position, and finally fixed the WEBS in place. This slide shows the amazing WEBS in the bone.”
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WEBS (Woven Engineered Bone System).
Here’s how their treatment should work—when the medical technology of the future catches up.
First, a substance the girls call “cartigel” is injected into a patient with osteoporosis. Cartigel contains special material to harden bones. The patient then steps into a tubular chamber called a “spider.” The spider is hooked up to a computer, which reveals an image of the inside of the patient’s bones. An electromagnetic field around the spider puts the cartigel into place. Finally, a low-voltage electrical current transforms the cartigel into a solid, three-dimensional web inside the bones. When the patient exits the spider chamber, he or she has stronger bones.
In spite of the cheering sections at home and school, the process of creating something new took its toll on the girls. They began the project in early October. By winter, their red-hot enthusiasm had cooled. But they persevered and were ready to submit their idea in early February. When they learned it had won the regional level of the competition, excitement spurred them on.
The next step was to create a video about their WEBS invention. They had six weeks to do it. Showing yet more creative flair, they decided to film themselves playing the roles of characters who discover a cure for osteoporosis! Then there was nothing to do but wait —until they found out that they were the winners. In early June, the girls flew to Washington, D.C. with their families and teacher to accept their award. Each girl received $10 000. The money will go toward further education, but the experience they gained has no price tag.
The competition sponsor now owns their idea, which may be used in the future. “We don’t think it will happen exactly as we described it in our project. Scientists may actually get it to work another way,” Patricia comments.
According to the girls, being young can be an advantage when it comes to inventing. When you’re fifteen, or thirteen, or eleven, you believe that anything is still possible. An open mind allows a free flow of new ideas.
“We’re naive, and that can be an advantage,” says Katie. “If you
want to create something, just go for it. It’s a lot of fun.”
“If you have an idea,” echoes Patricia, “don’t let anyone stop you
from trying it. Follow your dreams.”
1. RESPONDING TO THE ARTICLE
a. With a partner, create a list of what you think are the key reasons for the girls’ success.
b. What motivated the girls to develop their specific invention? What aspects of the girls’ submission do you think would have captured the interest of the
contest judges?
c. Do you think that the girls would have achieved as much working individually? Explain. Have you ever been part of an effective team?
What made your team work well? What could your team have done better?
2. VISUAL COMMUNICATION CREATE DIAGRAMS
In a small group, make a list of common diseases and disabilities. Together, brainstorm ideas for an invention that would help a person who is coping with one of those diseases or disabilities. (You might want to do some general research about the disease or disability first.) When you have come up with your invention, draw diagrams that illustrate what it might look like and explain how it would work. Label your diagrams carefully and write captions for them. Present your invention to the class, using your visuals to help you communicate your ideas.
Before you make your presentation, look carefully at your diagrams. Do they clearly show how your invention works? Is there enough detail in each diagram? Are your labels and captions easy to read and understand? If necessary, revise your diagrams to make them more effective.
3. MEDIA DRAFT INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
Imagine that you are a journalist who has been asked to write an in-depth magazine article about the girls’ invention. You have arranged to interview the four inventors so you can gather information for your article. What questions would you ask? Reread the article, especially the parts in which the invention is described. Draft the ten questions that would best help you learn about all the different aspects of the invention. Give each question a specific focus so the response will provide the details you need.

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