SUMMER CAMP Students say “yes” to drug awareness While some kids slouched away summer days in boredom, eyes glazed from too many hours in front of the television, high school students and undergrads at WVSOM’s “Just say KNOW to drugs!” pharmacology camp learned important lessons about how drugs interact with the body – to heal or to harm. The camp ran July 15 – July 19. Day one got off to a rousing start with the “Build a Body” activity. Participants constructed a
One highlight of the campers’ experience
replica of the human body out of red and
was an activity employing “Sim Man,”
blue streamers (representing the circulatory
one of WVSOM’s patient simulators, to
system, of course) along with other items
demonstrate the effect alcohol has on
gleaned from store shelves. “John Doe’s”
the body. In a separate-but-related lesson
head was a shopping bag, lungs were
on medical ethics and social impact, the
balloons and he had bubble wrap for
students researched and discussed the
intestines. His heart? Unlike the Tin Man’s
merits and demerits of medical marijuana,
timepiece, John Doe sported a Chinese
an issue facing a number of state
lantern for this critical internal organ.
legislatures in recent years.
Each day began with a lecture, followed by
All of this hard work – and fun, there was
hands-on activities. Lecture topics included
a lot of fun – was recognized during the
“Antibiotics,” “Pain and Pain Medications”
Parents’ Showcase when students were
and “Drugs of Abuse.” Throughout the
able to display what they had learned.
week, participants enjoyed exposure to a
“One of the great things about this week
variety of faculty research labs and OPP
was watching how the students mentored
labs to increase their understanding of
each other,” Carrier said. “Most of the
related science and medicine.
lectures and activities were led by WVSOM
During one camp activity, the students
second-year students, Dustin Smyth and
matched “Bugs & Drugs,” swabbing
Mary DeMino. They offered guidance and
surfaces and growing bacteria in Petri
instruction to our undergrad participants
dishes, which were tested with different
who, in turn, mentored the rising high
drugs. Another day, students engaged in
school seniors. It was a trickle-down effect
an experiment with “Daphnia,” a genus of
that seemed to meet individual needs
small crustaceans or “water fleas” which
perfectly.”
can be used to test the effects of toxins on an ecosystem.
At the end of the week, all participants professed to have attained significantly
“The students were working with unknown
more knowledge about how drugs get into,
drugs and paying attention to changes in
around and out of the body. Carrier hopes
heart rate,” said Raeann Carrier, Ph.D.,
the positive word-of-mouth will bring even
assistant professor, pharmacology, and
more campers next year who will “just say
organizer of the camp.
yes” to a week of fun with pharmacology. WVSOM MAGAZINE
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SUMMER 2013
29
