Posted by For my Bio 112 Steam project I looked into the endocrine system and the hormonal responses the thyroid goes through in certain situations. More specifically, what happens when thyroid goiters appear in individuals? I researched what causes the swelling of the thyroid, the hormones which causes this response, and how the thyroid reacts. I chose to create a clay model of the thyroid’s general location along with a regularly sized thyroid gland and a swollen goiter. The thyroids are detachable from the trachea for a comparison of the possible size increase of an unhealthy thyroid versus a healthy thyroid.
Logan chose to study human thyroid goiters and the hormonal response for the STEAM project. Logan created a clay model to represent both a swollen and normal thyroid goiter on the trachea. The clay model accurately represents the location of the thyroid goiter, which is located right under the larynx on the trachea. His model shows two different thyroid goiters. The swollen one is much larger in size than the normal thyroid. Thyroid goiters can become enlarged when they are not producing enough hormones, which the pituitary gland then prompts the thyroid to create the hormones that results in the thyroids becoming swollen. One thing I really like about this clay model is that it is interactive. The two thyroid pieces are detachable, so that you can see this size difference of a healthy thyroid and swollen thyroid on the trachea. This is a really great tool for those who have a lot of knowledge about thyroids and for those who are just learning about them. Overall this is a really great presentation that represents swollen and normal thyroid goiters. Logan did a great job on the STEAM project!