The first time Nadia Shannon visited the gross anatomy lab at the Indiana University School of Medicine, the smell of formaldehyde and the sight of body donors made her squeamish. One year later, the North Central High School sophomore approached the lab confidently, eager to learn more about the human body.
“I got to feel inside the chest cavity and feel the tissues — it was really cool,” said Shannon, who was among 10 Indianapolis area students who spent two weeks of their summer break as “anatomy interns” at the IU School of Medicine through the Girls STEM Institute.
The program is one of hundreds of outreach experiences run by the Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiology. Last year, more than 2,000 Indiana students in kindergarten through 12th grade came from about 50 different schools statewide to participate in lab tours.
High school groups learn about human anatomy from doctoral and master’s students in anatomy while working with a body donor. Younger students don’t tour the gross anatomy lab, but they participate in anatomical learning using animal skeletons, human fossil specimens and 3D models.
“We’re doing two or three lab tours every single week,” said Jessica Byram, PhD, director of the Anatomy Education PhD program for doctoral-level anatomy educators. Her graduate students help run the K-12 and undergraduate anatomy programs. “For younger kids, it’s important to pique their interest early and expose them to medicine and science careers.”
Shannon thinks she might become a cardiothoracic surgeon. Or an anesthesiologist. Or an ER nurse. Or maybe a genetic counselor. Her experience as an anatomy intern has taught her that the possibilities for medical professions are expansive.
As she and the other anatomy interns crowded around a 3D-printed eye model, they peppered their mentors with questions: What determines eye color? Why do you get bags under your eyes? Is that genetic? Other questions were more general as they sought information about various health professions: Which medical specialty makes the most money? Do you have to work a lot of hours? How long do you have to go to school? Can you raise a family and be a doctor?
“This program does encourage me to pursue medicine,” said Shannon, “and it helped me learn about different medical professions.”
Each student was assigned a faculty mentor who helped them explore a topic of their choosing related to human anatomy and physiology. Shannon’s mentor was Byram, who aims to make learning fun and often wears a tie-dyed lab coat and a pair of skeleton earrings.
“She’s just very cool and smart and great to be around,” Shannon said. “She’s a good mentor.”
Elizabeth Agosto, PhD, also serves as a mentor and helps run community outreach programs as leader of the Center for Anatomy and Physiology Education (CAPE) at IU School of Medicine.
“The goal is to provide educational opportunities they otherwise could not access in their schools,” said Agosto. “Working with younger children exposes them to STEM professions, and at the middle and high school level, we want to keep that STEM interest ignited.”
As anatomy interns, the Girls STEM participants explored human body structure and function in various ways, including using ultrasound devices to look inside each other’s bodies. They also visited the new makerspace in the Medical Education and Research Building to view 3D models of the heart and other organs.
At the end of the two-week internship, they each presented a mini-lesson of their choosing. Robert Becker, a PhD student in the anatomy education program, worked with two students who wanted to learn more about the cardiovascular system and the impacts of exercise.
“These are smart kids who are interested and engaged, and they’re making lesson plans, giving presentations and developing cool, interactive activities,” he said. “It blows me away. When I was their age, I wasn’t doing anything like this.”
Shannon’s presentation examined genetic disease and included a video of her in the gross anatomy lab handling two kidney specimens with gloved hands as she compared a normal kidney to a diseased one.
“You only get the disease if both parents are carriers or affected,” she explained.
Naomi Price said the anatomy internship has helped her explore career options as she aims to fuse her interests in art and science. Her project investigated muscle tissues, a continuation of her interest in the musculoskeletal system since she studied bones last summer.
While these students represent hundreds who visit the anatomy lab at IU School of Medicine each year, members of the Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiology (ACBP) also take anatomical learning out into the community. Outreach has been a priority for the department under Chair Alexander Robling, PhD.
“This department is in a unique position within the School of Medicine to most effectively reach the next generation, who constitute a precious pipeline resource of healthcare providers that will be necessary to meet the future healthcare needs of our state,” he said.
The ACBP department runs two activity tables at Celebrate Science Indiana, a festival held at the Indiana State Fairgrounds each fall promoting the joy of discovery and the economic and societal benefits of science. And for adults, the department hosts periodic “Anatomy Nights” at Sun King Brewery in downtown Indianapolis, organized by Jason Organ, PhD. It’s an opportunity for anyone interested in science to dissect a sheep brain while having a few beers.
“ACBP boasts a world-class teaching faculty who are all heavily community-minded, with an unwavering passion for mentorship,” Robling said. “I could not be more proud of the work they do for the youth of our city and surrounding regions — engaging young people and sparking an interest in science and medicine.”
