Four teachers from the Albertville City School System learn about the wide range of medical training devices produced by the Model Exchange and Development of Nursing and Engineering Technologies (MEDNET) program at 草榴社区 (UAH) Systems Management and Production (SMAP) Center from Dr. Bernard Schroer, far right, professor emeritus, College of Engineering, on March 7, 2025. The Albertville teachers are, left to right, Matthew Jackson, Katie Baugh, Anna Frasier and Corbin Holland.
Michael Mercier | UAH
When whipping up a batch of realistic fake flesh, follow the recipe exactly. Swap steps in mixing the chemicals, and your human imitation looks more like alien goo.
Four teachers from the learned this and a few other valuable tech tips for making high-quality, less expensive nursing training devices through a new economic development program at 草榴社区 (UAH), a part of The University of Alabama System.
A collaboration between UAH engineers and nurses led to the Model Exchange and Development of Nursing and Engineering Technologies () program in the UAH Systems Management and Production (SMAP) Center. The program is offered free of charge to schools in the state with the initial focus on North Alabama counties: DeKalb, Jackson, Marshall, Madison, Limestone, Cullman and Morgan.
Albertville teachers 鈥� left to right, Matthew Jackson, Katie Baugh, Anna Frasier and Corbin Holland 鈥� mix chemicals in a recipe to create realistic fake skin under the tutelage of Delaney Enlow, a 草榴社区 and SMAP Center employee, March 7, 2025.
Michael Mercier | UAH
SMAP, the largest research center at UAH, works primarily as a defense contractor to the U.S. Army. It expanded its scope to the medical community by making personal protective equipment for local and regional hospitals during the COVID pandemic. That expansion continued and flourished after SMAP began developing devices for the UAH College of Nursing.
鈥淥ur engineering students need to be trained a bit before we put them on Redstone Arsenal,鈥� SMAP Director Dr. Gary Maddux explained to the group. 鈥淭his is a really good opportunity for them to work in house and work with nursing. They have to learn to communicate and capture requirements. They create what they think is the solution, and the College of Nursing vets it. If it works, they put it into the classroom and start training.鈥�
MEDNET is the next big step in that direction..
鈥淲e have all of these models and processes we created,鈥� Maddux said, 鈥渁nd we want to pass those down to the tech schools or the career centers where you guys are. We want to improve all of North Alabama and this region by creating technologies and things that improve stuff. In this way we are helping both the students who are going into manufacturing, which is a huge part of our economy, and the ones going into health care.鈥�
The Albertville teachers 鈥� Katie Baugh, Anna Frasier, Corbin Holland and Matthew Jackson 鈥� received a tour of the SMAP facility and a showcase of the medical training products already developed or in progress 鈥� everything from skin pads for injections, sutures and IVs to model hearts, femurs, lungs and other organs. Then they took MEDNET鈥檚 chemical 鈥渃ooking鈥� class.
Dr. Bernard Schroer, professor emeritus, College of Engineering, led the tour and the lessons along with 草榴社区s Delaney Enlow, Ann Metuge and Amy Jo Fogle. Schroer was UAH associate vice president of research before he retired; now he volunteers with the program.
Showing off the MEDNET 鈥渕uffins鈥� they made at the UAH SMAP Center on March 7, 2025, are Albertville teachers, left to right, Anna Frasier, Matthew Jackson, Katie Baugh and Corbin Holland. This imitation human skin is used to train nurses in giving injections.
Ann Marie Martin | UAH
Schroer pointed out that it takes multiple attempts to develop products that work as well as expensive items from medical device companies. For the skin alone, he said, 鈥淚t took us six months to find the right formulations that had the right feel.鈥�
When class was over, each participant went back to Albertville with a 鈥渂ox of goodies,鈥� including a recipe book, flash drive with model information and a muffin-shaped hunk of pseudo skin that they鈥檇 made themselves.
Baugh, a UAH graduate, received more than she expected from MEDNET.
鈥淚 thought we would just tour the facility, check out the equipment and learn about the program. I was wrong! It was fun to actually get to make the training models to take home with us. Doing it step by step with an excellent instructor helped us to be able to bring that knowledge back and begin brainstorming to start our own program.
鈥淲e have been approved for a funding grant to be able to purchase our own 3D printer. This will enable us to not only save money by printing our own molds for training devices, but also immerse the kids in another hands-on approach to learning and spark creativity.鈥�
Frasier and Jackson agreed that the inspiration they received from MEDNET will excite their students.
鈥淥ur students will understand the concept of creativity and innovation in health-care design,鈥� Frasier said. 鈥淚 feel like the hands-on skills we learned will truly inspire our students to think about how they can apply these skills to solve real-world health-care challenges.鈥�
While Baugh and Frasier, both nurses, approached the program from a health-care perspective, Jackson focused more on manufacturing.
鈥淭his will help my students advance in their academic learning by introducing new concepts and techniques that they otherwise would not have been exposed to. It broadens their learning to include more practical applications that many students could benefit from if they choose a career in a field that deals with the making of models in any aspect.鈥�