Mrs. Shumate’s Advanced Placement (AP) Biology students participated in the annual cadaver lab field trip held at Tidewater Community College (TCC) last week. Sixty students attended over two days, eager to learn more about the Biology of a human body.

The lab’s purpose is to provide an opportunity for AP Biology students to explore their interests in the medical field with a ‘hands-on’ real world learning experience where they can gather more knowledge about the human anatomy. Students were able to interact with the cadavers, experiencing what organs looked and felt like in the body in comparison to other mammals’ organs.

The field trip also consisted of a tour of TCC’s campus and were given information about various science courses offered. Two of the more popular courses seemed to be Oceanography and Astronomy.

One of the three experiences students were given on the field trip was Oceanography.  Students spent an hour with the professor, where he explained what his course entitles and some of the equipment used during his annual boat trip; he and his oceanography students use the boat trip not only to learn about the equipment on the boat necessary for study, but to learn about organisms found in the ocean.  

The rest of the time spent on the field trip was at the planetarium.  TCC does have its own planetarium, not only for Astronomy students to learn about the universe, but also for light shows offered for public viewing. In the planetarium, AP Biology students were able to see, up close and personal, different constellations and stars, in relation to the planets and the rest of the solar system. 

World renowned scientist Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution, the movie offered in the planetarium, concluded the field trip.

Junior Michelle Humphrey was one of the AP Biology students that attended the lab in hopes to learn more about the field of medicine.

“This field trip taught how important cadavers are to learning the anatomy of the human body; they basically are the backbone for doctors as they go through their many years of schooling,” Humphrey said.

Shumate offers the annual trip to TCC so they not only use the time to explore the campus, but they also discover the knowledge and resources that are available to students, as well as to get a small taste of life after high school. 

“The cadaver lab is such an important field trip for my AP Bio Students because they gain so much out of it.  They experience more about what’s it like being hands in the medical field, and can learn about Oceanography and/or Astronomy,” Shumate said.