Wright State offers unique anatomy lab experience to high school students

Wright State’s Department of Neuroscience, Cell Biology and Physiology will offer an anatomy and physiology lab for high school students starting in January.

A unique anatomy and physiology lab at Wright State University will again be offered to high school students to enrich their understanding of the human body, help them make career choices and expose them to opportunities at the university.

The 90-minute, single-session Human Anatomy and Physiology Interactive (HAPI) lab, held at the Wright State Boonshoft School of Medicine, will be available to between 15 and 30 high school juniors and seniors from interested schools beginning Jan. 22, 2016.

The HAPI labs will continue to be offered to schools on each subsequent Friday throughout the spring semester.

Due to popular demand, applications to attend will be considered beginning Oct. 1 and be on a first-come first-served basis by email.

For more information, contact Bridgett Severt at bridgett.severt@wright.edu or Barbara Kraszpulska at barbara.kraszpulska@wright.edu.

“We are looking for serious students who are looking at colleges and likely have an interest in science and medicine,” said Thomas L. Brown, professor and vice chair for research in the Department of Neuroscience, Cell Biology and Physiology. “This lab will give them something that will expand their minds, but also help them make career decisions. It is going to be something they truly remember.”

The Department of Neuroscience, Cell Biology and Physiology is part of both the Boonshoft School of Medicine and the College of Science and Mathematics and is headed by interim chair and associate professor Christopher Wyatt.

“Students will be able to build upon their knowledge of the human body by interacting with experts in anatomy and physiology,” said Wyatt. “The HAPI lab at Wright State seeks to stimulate curiosity and increase understanding of medically relevant topics such as traumatic brain injury, smoker’s lung, Parkinson’s disease and cirrhosis of the liver. This experience will be invaluable for students interested in careers in science and medicine.”

The labs will be taught by anatomy instructor Bridgett Severt, associate professor Barbara Kraszpulska and 10 graduate teaching assistants who are part of the Master of Science in Anatomy program.

Most of the high school students are expected to be from the local area, but the HAPI lab is available to students from high schools statewide as well as those at community colleges and technical schools.

“This will be a real hands-on experience that will not only enrich students’ understanding of human anatomy and physiology but also the broader experience of what Wright State University is all about and what it can do for them,” Brown said.