The Willow Glen Resident Hands-on lesson lets kids get in touch with biology Human brain from Stanford wows and grosses-out middle school students By Cecily Barnes Metal trays covered with ominous black garbage bags line the tables of Maryam Raymond's third-period science class at Willow Glen Middle School. The stench of formaldehyde seeps from the crinkled plastic. But there are no frogs in the room today; no cow eyes either. Marinating in the pungent liquid beneath the dark, plastic bags lay the ultimate science experience--the human brain. Donned in green hospital scrubs, Stanford research technician Judy Stein-Aviles--also known as "Mallory's mom"--explains the abridged version of brain anatomy to the 11- and 12-year-olds. Although her lesson spans from brain function to the operation of the nervous system, the kids can't take their eyes off the trays. According to Raymond, the kids' restlessness is not just because of the brains; they're action-oriented and full of energy at every science period. "They love all sorts of hands-on activities," she says. "We usually do a few every week. We hardly ever just talk, because you can't keep them in their seats for more than five or six minutes." After a nearly 15-minute lesson, Stein-Aviles lifts the garbage bags from the trays and reveals the brains. The crowd goes wild. "Eeeww," one girl crows, scrunching her shoulders and wiggling her fingers. She then changes her tune, talking aggressively. "I want to touch some gross stuff." A boy jumps up in his seat two and three times over. "Yummy," he jokes. His neighbor's eyes grow to the size of golf balls. Outfitted with latex gloves, the kids race to the trays and peer inside. At the encouragement of Raymond and Stein-Aviles, the kids lift out the human brains and spinal cords, as well as brains that once belonged to a monkey and a fish. "They all want to know if the people are dead," laughs Stein-Aviles. "I tell them, 'I don't think they're alive.'" Stein-Aviles borrowed the gray matter from Stanford's Medical School and will return them after Willow Glen Middle School's segment on the brain. The kids are impressed, she says, when they realize they're learning from the same brains that Stanford medical students use. "I think it's a unique experience, and they'll never forget having had their hand in a real human brain," Stein-Aviles says. "My goal is to get people interested in science, especially the girls. I think to see a woman up in front of the class will give them a different perspective." At least in today's class, the young women upstage their male classmates, assertively running their hands across and around the pinkish gray organ. The boys touch too, only with a tinge of squeamishness. Boys and girls alike jump up and down when waiting their turn. Near the end of the period, one boy who had waited for some time finally gets the brain in his hands. Holding it arms distance from his body, he looks up at me pleadingly. "Could you pull up my sleeve?" he asks. [ Back to Contents Page | Willow Glen Resident Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Willow Glen Resident, December 9, 1998. ©1998 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.