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PITTSBURG —
Two area high school teachers will be adding a new feature to their curriculums.
The University of Kansas Medical Center Area Health Education Center in Pittsburg was recently awarded a $17,000 grant to supplement learning about public health in Kansas high schools, Outreach Communications Manager Cori Ast said. The grant will fund the development of two new units on public health for Mini Medical School, an applied science curriculum for Kansas high school teachers to use in their classrooms.
Pittsburg High School teacher Jim Foresman and St. Mary's Colgan High School teacher Donna Maus are two of several teachers across the state who will be using Mini Medical School in their classroom. Neither were available for comment as of press time.
Officials hope the program will help students think about careers in the medical field.
“Today, the public health workforce is experiencing a steady decline. There’s not many people entering the field and almost 25 percent of current workers will retire in the next few years,” said Mary Beth Warren, executive director of the KU Medical Center Area Health Education Center, in a release. “The development of these modules will help encourage high school students, as they are beginning to think about their career options, to consider opportunities in public health.”
According to the program’s website, Mini Medical School was originally designed as a community education tool for adults and was later restructured to shift the focus to the high school science classroom. The goal is to provide resources that teachers can use to supplement and enhance the curriculum that has already been established. The ultimate benefit for the students is an exposure to various aspects of the health field while working on fun and exciting projects.
The seven modules include the following topics:
• Orthopedics and Sports Medicine
Activities in this module were created to demonstrate the importance of collagen in the bone. Students will also examine the relationship between structure and function in bone and analyzing the effect of diet and weight-bearing activities on bone mineral content and therefore bone strength and bone health.
• Brain Function
With this module the use of positron emission tomography (PET) images are used to help understand the function of the brain.
• The Ear and Hearing
In this unit, students will learn about the different parts of the ear and their role in hearing. They will also learn about common disorders of the ear and the profession of audiology. The activity will focus on Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) through testing the decibel levels of different areas.
Two area high school teachers will be adding a new feature to their curriculums.
The University of Kansas Medical Center Area Health Education Center in Pittsburg was recently awarded a $17,000 grant to supplement learning about public health in Kansas high schools, Outreach Communications Manager Cori Ast said. The grant will fund the development of two new units on public health for Mini Medical School, an applied science curriculum for Kansas high school teachers to use in their classrooms.
Pittsburg High School teacher Jim Foresman and St. Mary's Colgan High School teacher Donna Maus are two of several teachers across the state who will be using Mini Medical School in their classroom. Neither were available for comment as of press time.
Officials hope the program will help students think about careers in the medical field.
“Today, the public health workforce is experiencing a steady decline. There’s not many people entering the field and almost 25 percent of current workers will retire in the next few years,” said Mary Beth Warren, executive director of the KU Medical Center Area Health Education Center, in a release. “The development of these modules will help encourage high school students, as they are beginning to think about their career options, to consider opportunities in public health.”
According to the program’s website, Mini Medical School was originally designed as a community education tool for adults and was later restructured to shift the focus to the high school science classroom. The goal is to provide resources that teachers can use to supplement and enhance the curriculum that has already been established. The ultimate benefit for the students is an exposure to various aspects of the health field while working on fun and exciting projects.
The seven modules include the following topics:
• Orthopedics and Sports Medicine
Activities in this module were created to demonstrate the importance of collagen in the bone. Students will also examine the relationship between structure and function in bone and analyzing the effect of diet and weight-bearing activities on bone mineral content and therefore bone strength and bone health.
• Brain Function
With this module the use of positron emission tomography (PET) images are used to help understand the function of the brain.
• The Ear and Hearing
In this unit, students will learn about the different parts of the ear and their role in hearing. They will also learn about common disorders of the ear and the profession of audiology. The activity will focus on Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) through testing the decibel levels of different areas.
• Diabetes, Obesity, Nutrition and Exercise
There is very strong connection between diet and the potential for the development of diabetes. This activity gives students a look into their own diet and encourages them to think about how the choices they make affect their health.
• Immunology, Vaccination and HIV
In this activity, students will demonstrate the natural antibiotic resistance that has developed in certain bacteria commonly found in everyday life.
• Malaria
One of Mini Medical School's two newest modules, the malaria module teaches students about the transmission of malaria through mosquitoes, the global impact of the disease, and the efforts being made to control and prevent the spread of malaria. During the module, students can look at the different stages of a mosquitoes life cycle and watch how malaria is being researched in the United States.
• Influenza
The second of Mini Medical School's newest modules, the Influenza module builds on students' understanding of DNA and RNA structure and function, the general virus structure and function, and antigen/antibody interactions. Students are lead through a case study involving an interactive step-by-step progression of an epidemiological study as professionals unravel the mysteries of a new influenza virus (H3N2).
