{"id":233511,"date":"2026-05-04T15:09:39","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T01:09:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=233511"},"modified":"2026-05-04T15:10:04","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T01:10:04","slug":"stickieears-mind-competition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/04\/stickieears-mind-competition\/","title":{"rendered":"UH<\/abbr> team creates tool to remove objects from kids\u2019 ears"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
\"group
The StickieEars team.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A common emergency room issue\u2014objects stuck in children\u2019s ears\u2014is driving innovation through the University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at M\u0101noa\u2019s Medical Innovation and Design<\/a> (MIND<\/abbr>) Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> competition.<\/p>\n

John A. Burns School of Medicine<\/a> (JABSOM<\/abbr>) pediatric emergency physician Travis Hong said the problem is more frequent than many expect.<\/p>\n

“You’d be surprised how often kids come in with things stuck in their ears\u2014beads, food, small toy parts,” Hong said. “I see these cases at least every couple of weeks, if not more.”<\/p>\n

Removing those objects safely can be challenging and sometimes requires improvisation.<\/p>\n

“A lot of ER<\/abbr> care involves figuring out what works in the moment,” Hong said. “In some cases, we use a small amount of medical-grade adhesive on a cotton swab to try to extract the object\u2014but it requires precision, and the child has to stay very still.”<\/p>\n

Student-driven solution<\/h2>\n
\"ferrer
Aileen Ferrer explains the concept of StickieEars to Travis Hong.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

That challenge inspired this year\u2019s winning team in the MIND<\/abbr> Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> competition.<\/p>\n

“We wanted to create something safer, more controlled and designed specifically for this problem,” said Aileen Ferrer, a JABSOM<\/abbr> student and leader of the StickieEars team.<\/p>\n

The team developed a hybrid suction-adhesive device to improve safety and control during removal.<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s a common issue, but there isn\u2019t a standardized tool,” Ferrer said. “We saw an opportunity to improve that.”<\/p>\n

Developing the prototype required collaboration across disciplines\u2014central to MIND<\/abbr>\u2019s mission. The annual competition brings together students from across campus, including JABSOM<\/abbr>, the Shidler College of Business<\/a>, the William S. Richardson School of Law<\/a> and the College of Engineering<\/a>, to tackle real-world healthcare challenges.<\/p>\n

Working with students and mentors from different backgrounds changed how we approached the problem.
—Aileen Ferrer<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

“Working with students and mentors from different backgrounds changed how we approached the problem,” Ferrer said. “That collaboration was one of the most valuable parts of the experience.”<\/p>\n

“Students are addressing real clinical needs, and the level of innovation in these projects is exciting to see,” said faculty advisor Peter Di Rocco, clinical assistant professor at JABSOM<\/abbr>.<\/p>\n

Ferrer hopes StickieEars will eventually reach clinical use.<\/p>\n

“I think this could have a real impact in everyday practice and make a difference for patients,” she said.<\/p>\n

Read more at JABSOM<\/abbr><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

UH<\/abbr> students from across disciplines compete in MIND<\/abbr> Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> competition to develop medical innovations addressing real clinical problems.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":233514,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[182,31,1106,146,9,68],"class_list":["post-233511","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic-news","tag-engineering","tag-john-a-burns-school-of-medicine","tag-pediatrics","tag-shidler-college-of-business","tag-uh-manoa","tag-william-s-richardson-school-of-law","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t