Have you ever wondered what it would be like to step into the shoes of a neurosurgeon? On March 21, guests at the Saint Louis Science Center got the chance to see for themselves during a Partner Pop-Up featuring Alex Michael, MD, FACS, and Medtronic, an innovator in medical technology and healthcare.
At stations inside the Life Science Lab Classroom, children, teens, and adults tried their hands at a number of tools and medical procedures used in neurosurgery. Guests could try using a bone drill, suturing, and probing brain models using minimally invasive technology and state-of-the-art imaging.
“The Partner Pop-Up with Dr. Michael and Medtronic lit up the Life Science Lab like no one has ever seen,” said Science Center President and CEO Ray Vandiver.
“Our goal was to showcase how augmented reality and surgical navigation tools are transforming modern brain and spine surgery,” said Dr. Michael, who currently serves as chief of the neurosurgery section at Mercy Hospital South and will join the faculty of the Taylor Family Department of Neurosurgery at WashU Medicine in July 2026. “By offering the public a hands-on, high-tech glimpse of the kind of demonstrations typically seen at national neurosurgical conferences, we hope to inspire future generations to consider careers in medicine and science.”
See photos from the event:
Thank you to Dr. Alex Michael and Medtronic for collaborating on this Partner Pop-Up event!
