New technology at the Health Sciences Library hopes to innovate students’ education

layer by layer as they explore and dissect that model, according to Jonathan Seyfried, a HSLIC library information specialist.

“It’s an actual person … There are actually four different models, and that allows for a bit of diversity in terms of the physiology. And then when you get to the anatomy table, you can manipulate the model by rotating it, zooming in, zooming out; you can slice the model … or you can peel back layer by layer,” Seyfried said.

Table 9 also comes with various animal models for veterinary students to study or to compare animals’ anatomy with human ones for educational purposes.

By Annya Loya @annyaloya

The Health and Sciences Library and Informatics Center at the University of New Mexico introduced an anatomy virtual dissection table, a 3D printer and three virtual reality headsets into their program for student and faculty use, according to the HSLIC staff.

The anatomy virtual dissection table, the only natural and thoroughly segmented 3D human anatomy system, was added in October 2022. It is the latest model by the company Anatomage, according to the Anatomage website.

Essentially, the table takes images of tiny minute layers of the human body and then re-composes them into a larger model that people can zoom in

“The purpose of the new technology is to provide health sciences students with an experience that is pretty much as close as you can get to cadaver dissection without actually having that cadaver there,” Seyfried said.

The table is open for all UNM students and faculty members who wish to learn from it as well as the public. There are no reservations required unless a faculty member wishes to take a large group of students, according to Seyfried.

The Ultimaker S5 3D printer was added in September of 2022. Its user-friendliness and short-term learning curve were the biggest factors in purchasing it, according to Seyfried, and Timothy Mey, the Division Head at the HSLIC.

“We wanted something that was reliable and then easy to use because we want to remove as many barriers as possible to get our students to use the tech,” Mey said.

Students and faculty can use the 3D printer for educational purposes and print body parts, such as an aorta valve or a human palate, to help them study and have a better understanding that otherwise they wouldn’t have, according to Seyfried.

Unlike the anatomy virtual table which can be used by anyone, the 3D printer is only accessible to students and faculty from the health and sciences department. Because the equipment is still new, there is no need for reservations; the only requirement for its use is that it is for educational purposes, according to Seyfried.

The library also introduced three new Oculus Quest 2 Advanced virtual reality head- sets back in April 2022. Rachel Howarth, another HSLIC library information specialist, said that the headsets were in response to the current VR Lab the library has but is much more flexible.

“But having these (VR) that you can check out that are personal to you. You don’t have to be in the room with the staff using it. This is much more portable and manageable and flexible than that’s new to the library,” Howarth said.

Like the 3D printer, the VR headsets are only offered to HSC students and faculty. They can be checked out at the HSLIC front desk for up to three days, according to Howard.

“(This lets us be on the) bleeding edge, or at least the cutting edge, in terms of offering technological solutions to HSC students,” Mey said.

There’s still a discussion regarding purchasing more VR headsets to satisfy the needs of HSC students, acording to Seyfriend.

“We wanted to infuse the new technology into what we offer here at the library, which is your kind of starting point for research and edsee Tech page 2

Cattle from page 1 none of them have been successful over a period of decades, and it’s unfortunate to have to take this step, but it’s the most efficient and effective tool, and it’s the only way to make sure we get the cattle out of there and solve this problem once and for all,” Schulke said.

The decision to proceed with the aerial gunning has been met with backlash and claims of animal cruelty. On Wednesday, a federal judge rejected a request from the New Mexico Cattle Grower’s Association and the Humane Farming Association to delay the start of the shooting.

Most recently, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham issued a statement regarding the issue in which she criticized the lack of engagement by the Forest Service with those involved at the impacted areas and urged the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the USFS to “do better” for the peo-

Tech from page 1 ucation in our program. (We) also (want) to support the faculty who might want to incorporate some of that tech into their curriculum,” Seyfried said.

The funds for all additions ple of New Mexico.

“While I understand the challenge the U.S. Forest Service is rightly trying to solve, I am disappointed in their lack of meaningful, long-term engagement with New Mexico stakeholders on controversial matters like this one,” the statement read.

The Cattle Growers’ Association had been pushing for the USFS to continue with round up methods, which the USFS did not consider to be an efficient measure. They also proposed fencing in cattle into grazing areas, which Schulke said would not be legal within the Wilderness area and would also require additional care for the maintenance of the animals. Bradley Miller, president of the Human Farming Association, sees this operation as a part of a pattern of callousness on the part of the USFS.

“The bottom line is that, as came from savings from what would have been salary for temporarily vacant positions and collections budgets my software. HSC collection policy includes buying all types of media that human beings and as a society, we’re capable of many incredible things, and we certainly have the wherewithal to remove a limited number of cows and calves from property without resorting to helicopters terrorizing them and wounding them and leaving them to suffer and die,” Miller said.

Miller contends that it is difficult to get a “clean shot” at the animals, leading to them being injured and left to die slowly rather than killed quickly — calves may also be left to die of starvation when their mothers are killed.

“The court argued that there would be no irreparable harm by conducting this cruel slaughter, but there is irreparable harm to the environment when animal carcasses are strewn all over our wilderness area and going into waterways … and there’s irreparable harm to the indi- would be beneficial to the community, according to Melissa Rethlefsen, the executive director at HSLIC. At the moment, the HSC department is not adding extra student fees to allow for usage of the added vidual animals that are suffering and dying, and there’s harm to all of us that care about unnecessary animal suffering,” Miller said.

Miller said he also worries that carcasses will be left in waterways, polluting the waterways and attracting scavenger species. According to the decision memo from the USFS on the 2023 operation, shot cattle will be left in place to decompose naturally and will “only be shot when away from water sources, trails, cultural sites and all other locations identified by Gila National Forest Service.” the Fence Post published several images of cows dead in waterways after the 2022 round of gunnings.

Miller said that the actions of the USFS break state animal cruelty laws and also contends that they violate the “Humane Slaughter Act,” which states that slaughtered animals must items, according to Rethlefsen.

“Other academic libraries with 3D printing services generally charge a cost recovery fee for filament, but we don’t have anywhere near the usage that would require us to move to that be rendered unconscious when killed. The HFA and NMCGA plan to continue seeking legal action as well as reach out in Congress on legislation to potentially prevent next year’s expected shooting.

The operation ended on Sunday, Feb 26; the small window between hunting season, Mexican spotted owl breeding season, and springtime park hours means that any more aerial operations will likely not be conducted until next year, according to Schulke. The USFS believes it likely that more cattle will remain at the end of the operation, after which they plan to continue with both lethal and nonlethal methods to remove the remaining.

Zara Roy is the copy chief at the Daily Lobo. She can be contacted at copychief@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @zarazzledazzle model at this time,” Rethlefsen wrote. Annya Loya is the news editor at the Daily Lobo. She can be contacted at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @annyaloya