Educators, local students and scientists will share the ‘phun’ in physiology as the Department of Biology hosts Dunkirk eighth grade students, their teachers and school Principal Rock Vallone in the American Physiological Society’s Phun Days at the Science Center on Friday, Nov. 7 and 14.
Assistant Professor Scott Medler and Kathleen Lesniak, associate professor and coordinator of Science Education, are coordinating the morning events that will involve 150 Dunkirk Middle School students.
After gathering in the Science Center atrium, students are to visit four labs and engage in hands-on activities that explore physiology under the direction of Drs. Todd Backes, Bruce Tomlinson, Medler and Lesniak, as well as Fredonia graduate and undergraduate students. The program focuses on the physiology of exercise and health, and students will participate in activities related to how their bodies work, including learning about cardiovascular and muscular systems by monitoring their own hearts and muscles as they exercise.
Goals of Phun Days activities include introducing students to the important role of physiology in their basic health and encouraging them to consider professions related to physiology such as medicine, dentistry, physical therapy and occupational health.
Activities will also provide an opportunity to introduce local students to the Fredonia campus and new Science Center, while serving as an opportunity to strengthen connections and partnerships between local schools and the campus.
For decades, Principal Vallone and his teachers have served as mentors and provided student teaching and field experiences to Fredonia science education candidates. Vallone has also made significant contributions to adolescence science education on the campus by teaching two courses for the last two decades.
