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Translation of Physiological Understanding (PhUn) Week Activities to a Larger Multi‐ Level Group of Students in a Scientific Environment Following Hurricane Maria
Author(s) -
RodriguezFlores Christine D.,
Cruz Myrella,
GonzalezCharles Agnes P.,
BrofenQuiñones Samuel,
Rivera Raquel,
Colon Maria,
Ramos Dihna,
Appleyard Caroline B.,
Chompre Gladys
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.2018.32.1_supplement.lb223
Subject(s) - curiosity , test (biology) , theme (computing) , mathematics education , psychology , learning environment , medical education , medicine , ecology , social psychology , computer science , biology , operating system
Our previous PhUn week activities focused on students from similar grade levels in schools always achieved good learning outcomes. This year due to damaged school facilities after hurricane Maria devastated our island of Puerto Rico, we decided to introduce a Neuroscience theme in a larger combined activity held in a university laboratory environment. Hypothesis Having a larger number of students from different grade levels in a more scientific environment will promote learning and motivation. Methods Students from elementary (n=36), middle (n=33) and high school (n=33) attended an activity held at the local university. The activity was divided into three phases: a pre‐test, a teaching/interactive phase which included two conferences followed by rotating hands‐on activities, and a post‐test. Results As in previous years, all students learned new information (elementary, middle school, and high school (39%, 5% and 11% increase vs. pre‐test). However, in contrast to previous years, students asked many questions related to research and laboratory safety, and wanted to know more about how they could work in that type of setting. Conclusions Even in this larger group setting, all students gained knowledge about the nervous system, and the new environment produced higher levels of curiosity and excitement. Students were able to learn first‐hand what a physiologist is and what a career in this field might be. Support or Funding Information Supported by PUCPR This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal .