Beckman graduate students Michael Focht (left) and Kellie Halloran join CiLiving host Heather Roberts to discuss bodies, bones and the "squishy stuff that holds us together."

With creativity and a sense of humor, even the most complicated scientific concepts can reach a general audience. Last spring, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology graduate student researchers Michael Focht and Kellie Halloran made their onscreen debut in a segment of WCIA’s ciLiving to test this theory with ice cubes, an Eiffel Tower and some Silly Putty.

Focht and Halloran are Ph.D. candidates in mechanical engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. They are part of the Tissue Biomechanics Lab, which is nested within the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering in The Grainger College of Engineering.

Because lab director Mariana Kersh, an Illinois professor of mechanical science and engineering, is a researcher at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, the group’s projects are inherently interdisciplinary. Focht’s specialty is tendon biomechanics, and Halloran’s is wheelchair biomechanics.

On ciLiving, Focht and Halloran explained how their research on the musculoskeletal system — the scaffolding of bones, cartilage, ligaments, tendons and tissues that protect our organs and allow our bodies to move — contributes to understanding and preventing injuries, especially in populations like older adults, wheelchair users and even racehorses.

To make their point, the researchers used props and outside-the-box thinking. Read the Q&A below to learn how they did it.

Editor’s note: Focht and Halloran answered the below questions collaboratively. Their responses have been lightly edited for publication.

Watch their full segment online.

Creating a TV-friendly, visual demonstration of your research is no easy task! What were your first steps?

Kellie Halloran explains her research.

All research starts with a question. We looked at ways to connect our research questions with our audience’s experiences and interests. We brainstormed common clinical applications of biomechanics, including diseases and injuries that affect people of all ages. We hope that by understanding the “why” behind our research, audience members will be more engaged with and curious about the work we are doing. We knew that our demonstrations needed to be simple and visually engaging for a TV audience, so we chose fun, easy-to-digest biomechanics demonstrations for the segment.

What surprised you about the experience?

Neither of us had been on TV before, so the entire experience was new to us! We went into it a little nervous, but the TV hosts and everyone there were very helpful and easy to talk to. The support from Jenna [Kurtzweil] and Lexie [Kesler] [of the Beckman Institute Communications Office] in organizing everything and helping us prepare for the segment made everything go smoothly. The time went by quickly, and we were glad that we had practiced the timing of our demonstrations beforehand.

What do you know now about science communications that you wish you had known before you started?

Michael Focht explains his research.

It’s easy to feel like you’re in a highly specialized bubble while doing scientific research, so it can be helpful to break down and express your work in a more digestible way for broader audiences. We weren’t positive how to do that beforehand, but after figuring out different ways to communicate our research, it became easier and ended up being a fun challenge that we genuinely enjoyed.

Why should others in your field consider creative outreach?

Musculoskeletal health affects everyone’s quality of life, so helping people better understand the state of the biomechanics field and why it’s important can impact the decisions people make when it comes to exercise and injury prevention. Outreach not only makes us better scientists as we communicate our research to broader audiences but can also encourage the next generation of researchers to be curious about biomechanics.