Louisiana Tech’s College of Applied and Natural Sciences (ANS) will host a Virtual Anatomy Tournament Sept. 28 and 29 to spread the word about its development of a Virtual Anatomy Lab and to showcase the Anatomage, a virtual dissection table the College hopes to acquire for the lab. In the remotely delivered tournament, students will have the chance to test out a version of the technology through their computers, practice their knowledge of anatomy, and work together to win prizes and recognition.

Photo credit: Anatomage

Dr. Jamie Newman, associate professor in ANS and head of the Newman Lab, and Dr. Shelcie Maynard-Harvey, lecturer in the School of Biological Sciences, are working with Anatomage as a partner with the College in hosting the tournament, open to all students who would like to sign up and create a team of three to five people. Students can sign up here.

Participants will receive an introduction to the Anatomage Table and get digital hands-on experience. Anatomical systems included in the competition are muscular, respiratory, skeletal bones, and the heart.

Each team will be signing up for a single 30-minute preliminary round. From there, teams will be selected to compete in the subsequent rounds. The number of subsequent rounds will depend on how many teams participate in the tournament. Here’s a breakdown of the schedule:

• Preliminary Rounds: Monday, Sept. 28, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Top 8 Round: Tuesday, Sept. 29, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Final 4 and Championship Round: Tuesday, Sept. 29, 4:30-5:30 p.m.

The development of the modern, modular Virtual Anatomy Lab will offer students in all health science areas an opportunity to interact with human and animal anatomy and physiology in an innovative way. The lab will be equipped with the following items to help provide exceptional learning opportunities:

• A full-size Anatomage table for virtual human and animal cadaver instruction and learning,
• Interactive, wall-mounted displays for instruction and group work; and
•  iPads for students to access anatomy software.

Renovation of a room for the lab in Tech’s Carson-Taylor Hall began this summer.

The Lab will be a hotspot for interactive, collaborative, and remote learning for students from a variety of disciplines, but especially for students in Biology, PreMedicine, Pre-Dental, Animal Science Pre-Veterinary Medicine, Nursing, Health Informatics and Information Management, Human Ecology Nutrition and Dietetics, and any other health sciences areas.

To learn more about the tournament, contact Newman at jjnewman@latech.edu or 318.257.2622.