Advances in Physiology Education, Vol 257, Issue 6 6-S8, Copyright © 1989 by American Physiological Society
Electricity and the body: a precollege demonstration laboratory
R. G. Carroll
Department of Physiology, East Carolina University School of Medicine, Greenville, North Carolina 27858-4354.
The active recruitment of students to scientific careers is essential to
the continued health of the basic medical sciences. One step in this
process involves an early exposure to the practice and possibilities of
scientific investigation. Physiology faculty of colleges and professional
schools are uniquely poised to demonstrate the importance of science to
younger students. This report describes a laboratory demonstration that is
designed for groups of middle-school and high-school students as a part of
a medical school tour. With appropriate modifications, a similar approach
can be used to demonstrate the principles of scientific investigation to
students at any level. Subsequent discussions can be used to illustrate the
potential benefits of medical research. Presentations such as the one
contained in this paper may aid in the recruitment of future physiologists
and physicians.
