SHS students work in their Anatomy and Physiology class.
Suffield High School launched its Anatomy and Physiology science elective in 2021, and it has quickly become a popular class, filling 3 sections in 2024. The Suffield Foundation for Excellent Schools’ generous funding has played a major role in this.
The class itself is based on the traditional concept of form and function – anatomy is the form, while physiology is the function. While plenty of time is spent on the structures of the human body, understanding how the anatomy functions is where most students connect with the class. To truly understand how the body works, students must have a strong comprehension of microbiology and genetics.
What better way is there to engage students in this understanding than through genetic engineering? The problem, of course, is how does one teach genetic engineering at the high school level? The answer starts with an investment in sophisticated lab equipment. Enter SFES.
Students at Suffield High School are now able to edit genomes – to go into a cell and add a gene, turn a gene off, or even edit a gene. Learning the content of such a process and how to use the equipment are both exciting to students and valuable experiences for those wishing to pursue a degree/career in a whole host of related areas ranging from genomics to pharma to data science. There are not many high schools in Connecticut that can boast the scientific breadth of its science electives/curriculum. Thank you, Suffield Foundation for Excellent Schools.
If you would like to know more about SFES, how they support opportunities for our students, or how to get involved, check out their website: https://sfes.org.