Beyond the Textbook
By James Gilbert
June 6, 2023
John Brown University goes to great lengths to equip students for success through its hands-on educational philosophy and career preparation resources. For science majors, this includes providing the right equipment and lab resources for their learning experience.
Within the chemistry department, students have access to a range of foundational (and impressive) lab equipment on which they must show proficiency to graduate. Susan Newton ’85, Ph.D., professor of chemistry, explained that some of the machines allow students to identify the number of hydrogen and carbon atoms in a sample, check the molecular weight of molecules and separate compounds from volatile solutions. By the time students graduate from the program, they are proficient enough with these machines to distinguish between the molecular compounds present in an unidentified substance and name it.
This amount of technical precision is rarely seen at an undergraduate level. This makes all the students in the chemistry program extremely hirable in both graduate settings and the workforce. Due to this, many students have an advantage in finding work upon graduation from JBU.
Courtney Jensen ’22, a graduate student, teacher and chemistry lab manager, echoed this reporting that her JBU education will enable her to confidently pursue a position teaching high school chemistry. Furthermore, Jensen spoke to the familial community of the science department. When Jensen faced a difficult health challenge, her professors supported her, reinforcing for Jenson that she was in a culture that valued her as an individual.
Another unique opportunity offered to JBU undergraduates is the cadaver lab on campus. The cadaver lab is primarily used by students in human anatomy or anatomy and physiology I and II, although other students, such as nursing majors, also fulfill course requirements in the lab. Dr. Tim Wakefield, professor of biology, explained that the science department receives the cadavers, or “tissue” as Wakefield refers to them, in mid-September, which are fully preserved using a formaldehyde-based solution to keep the tissue from decay. The cadavers provide an incredible opportunity for students to practically study the human body: blood vessels, muscles and internal organs are much easier to study when a student can actually see the tissue in question. Other methods, like dissecting fetal pigs, cats or plastic structures, — which are more typical educational tools for undergraduate students — pale in comparison to an actual body.
As one can imagine, there are several reactions to seeing a cadaver for the first time. Wakefield noted three – lightheadedness, nausea and existential crisis. Lightheadedness and nausea are easy to treat.
“I told [a student feeling nauseous], ‘go out to get some air, but you have to come back in because it’s a part of your class,’” Wakefield said.
A crisis of mortality is much harder to treat. According to Wakefield, most students experience some level of distress when they realize someday they will be just like the cadaver.
“When you look at a dead human body… you can’t help [but] realize ‘that will be me at some point in the future,’” Wakefield said.
Wakefield uses these moments to teach important spiritual truths, emphasizing to his students that the body is a temporal holding place for our immortal souls. Despite these initial reactions, students are always required to finish the lesson. Thankfully, most students are mentally prepared for the cadaver lesson and most are able to regain composure to complete their lab requirements.
Wakefield explained all the cadavers are donated by the anatomical gift program. Not only are all the cadavers previous Arkansas residents but JBU staff and students are meticulously careful to save every bit of the cadaver so that JBU can return all the tissue to the anatomical gift program. This dissected tissue is cremated and offered to the cadaver’s loved ones.
Another way JBU equips students to study God’s great world is through the Pre-Healthcare Professions Program (PHPP). Joel Funk, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, explained the process of getting involved with the PHPP program. This program is for physicians, physicians assistant, dentists, veterinarians, optometrists, pharmacists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, public health workers, hospital administrators, osteopaths and many other health-related fields. The program is by no means a cakewalk but functions as a way to filter students who have what it takes to accomplish a medical degree from those who do not.
In this program, students are required to declare their intentions for the PHPP program by their sophomore year. Once they declare their interest in the program, they undergo a rigorous interview process. Funk said the reason for this interview is twofold. First and foremost, it is to see if the student has a strong reason to become involved in the healthcare system. Funk said this is a sort of soft-fail situation for the student, as sometimes students make it to their sophomore year without a clear reason why they are pursuing a healthcare career. It is important for students to thoughtfully establish a reason for pursuing a degree in healthcare because many medical schools are now requiring students to answer this question well before the school decides to accept them.
The second reason for the PHPP sophomore interview is to ask technical questions and evaluate the level of competency the student already possesses, then tailor a course list specific to the student’s academic gaps.
JBU seeks to equip students to succeed and uses this interview to guide students to a path best fitted for them.
