The brain is both mysterious and powerful. It is responsible for every thought, movement, and emotion. As the body’s command center, it processes information and sends signals at lightning speed. But how often do we stop to consider what’s happening beneath the surface?

For students in Honors and Advanced Anatomy, the winter term was dedicated to unraveling the complexities of this vital organ. Diagrams and models laid the groundwork, but nothing matched the moment students donned gloves, picked up their scalpels, and explored the brain firsthand. In a hands-on dissection of a sheep brain, they traced the cerebrum's ridges and grooves, examined the cerebellum's delicate folds, and uncovered intricate neural pathways.

“Before the lab, we studied the nervous system, the cerebrum and its two hemispheres, the cerebellum, and the brainstem,” explains Hailey Kim ’25. “It was fun to examine the sheep's brain and figure out what each part was. The brain was more intricate than we had thought!”

Students’ brains were fully engaged during the dissection — their frontal and temporal lobes processing the pungent scent of the preserving fluid. At the same time, their amygdala and hippocampus — though not visible during the dissection — helped them stay composed and overcome the initial discomfort.

Once they divided the brain’s two hemispheres, students could identify key structures that were difficult to grasp from images alone. “It was really cool to see the difference between white and gray matter,” says Keira O’Brien ’25. “We had learned about it, but it’s hard to truly understand without seeing it in person. It was also interesting to feel how soft the brain actually is — something you can’t fully comprehend without a dissection.”

This hands-on experience gave students more than anatomical knowledge — it deepened their appreciation for the remarkable organ that shapes every aspect of human life.
 

See More Photos

See More Stories