WS Chronicle

WFU students give hands-on lessons at Carver

Wake Forest University graduate student Amie Severino holds a human brain during her lecture.

Wake Forest University neuroscience students visited science classes at Carver High School on Feb. 6 to discuss with students the functions of the brain and nervous system.

Each WFU student presented a different brain/nervous system-related topic. One college student used actual samples to show students the size of a human brain compared to those of a monkey, rat, cat and pig. Another Wake student demonstrated how the brain registers sound.

“This was an outstanding experience for my students. The WFU students were extremely knowledgeable about the nervous system and answered any question my students asked,” said Carver science teacher Heather Peterson.

Taren Vaughan, who is also a Carver science teacher, said the visitors from Wake Forest intrigued by her students.

“(My students) enjoyed the hands on experiences, and the students from WFU made them feel very comfortable,” she said. “Initially, my students were afraid to touch the brains; however, after listening to the presenters, our students were excited about the opportunity to engage in this type of activity.”

Amie Severino, who is pursuing her doctoral degree in neuroscience at Wake, said she was delighted by the teaching opportunity.

“My experience at Carver was excellent; the students were very attentive and asked great questions,” she said. “I really enjoyed this visit.”

Carver student Curtis Smith said the lessons were memorable.

“It’s always great to see, feel and touch what you read in books,” he said. “This makes it real, and the lessons stay with you for a lifetime. Carver High School really does a great job trying to educate us. The teachers and administrators here really care.”

The visit was arranged by Carver Curriculum Coordinator Kimberly Campbell and Christina Hull, chair of the Carver’s Biology/Science Department.

Carver Principal Ronald Travis expressed his gratitude to the Wake students and his staff, faculty and students.

“Many of our students don’t have the means to travel, visit and be exposed to different types of learning experiences,” he said. “However, with the number of universities we have locally, our parents can and should expose our students to more intellectual activities.”