It all began on a cold and [very] early morning… That’s right, at 7:30am, with blankets and pillows in hand, the Physiology class was at school and getting ready to leave for SOU. Although we were supposed to leave *at* 7:30, we ended up waiting for some people making it more like a quarter to eight when we finally pulled out. Once on the road and well under way, most people took this opportunity to catch up on some of the sleep they missed out on that morning, myself included.
[This space needed for napping…]
Once arriving at SOU in Ashland, and after figuring out where the bus should park, we stepped out into the glaring sun of midmorning. We took our first group picture against the infamous “bus background,” while squinting into the brightness that seemed almost foreign. Once this was done, it was off to search for the science building.
After mobbing the intersection (there were a bunch of little gradeschool kids crossing on the other side) we came to the general place where the science building should be. A bit of a walk led us right to the building. First stop, bathroomville. Once immediate needs were taken care of, we set off on a search for the right classroom. Following some directions and “touring” a couple of floors we found the room. Then we met L--, who later showed us around the cadaver room.
We had the opportunity to sit in on a class session, which involved a slide show, some speaking, and a heart dissection. (Some good pictures were taken of these, along with some of the items from the cadaver room. These are posted in Mr. L--’s classroom for anyone who’s interested.) We also got to see pacemakers, artificial heart valves, and hearts dissected in various ways to show the different parts.
After the class sessions we went to look at the various body parts in the cadaver room. Among these were things such as eyes, spinal cord, stomachs, intestines, livers, and even a brain! There were many more items in there, but it would be a horrendously long list if I told you all of them.
Once we were through in there, it was… LUNCHTIME!! Lunch is always a very good thing. After locating the food, it was discovered it wasn’t actual cafeteria food, but there were places to eat such as Subway, a deli, and a little restaurant type area. We spent about 45 minutes eating there, and also looking at the bookstore. The bookstore was interesting since it had everything from clothes to computers to books.
After meeting outside, it was time to head over to the training room to get a tour. Again, it was another “exploration” process to find the room. When we finally located it, it was very big, and very nice. Some of the Assistants that were there talked to us about the various things they do and some of the equipment that was there. Then the guy who was in charge showed up and gave us a demonstration of how one of the machines worked. The machine was used to help rehabilitate muscle, or help stop swelling. He showed us how the machine made the muscle twitch. It was very interesting. Once the tour and demonstration were over, we thanked him, then headed back to the bus. It was time to go home. After another fairly long bus ride, we arrived back at school around 5:00. It was a long day, but boy, it sure was fun!
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