By Raychael Moseley/ Managing Editor

The Collins Science Center debuted its brand new Anatomage Table on Sept. 3. This table will allow students to get hands-on experience with anatomy, without the extra hassle of cadaver organisms. 

Leading the demo was the Dean of the School of Science and Agriculture Dr. Andrew Linsenbardt. 

He explained that the table has thousands of different case studies and scans downloaded to its system. These studies will show the scan of the person or animal and then have a description of the cause of death, etc. 

Linsenbardt also had to be trained on the system and went to a conference over the summer. 

“They had different sessions over two days,” he said. “They had a whole setup with different tables, so they could show us different things. I thought it was helpful.” 

He also emphasized that while the table is helpful, it is also important to feel what real tissue feels like, so real dissections will not stop. 

The table is not available for everyone to use. Nursing students and exercise science students will get access eventually, but for now, the Anatomy and Physiology II students will be the main users of the table. 

Treasurer of the Marshall Public Library, David Riley, was also in attendance. He has a background in medicine and was a helpful tool for Linsenbardt to better explain the conditions these people on the scans died from. 

Riley also elaborated on the use of cadavers.

“A lot of med schools are moving away from anatomy labs where they’re doing a lot of cadaver work,” he said. “They may have a couple that they keep and students come and look at, but for the most part, the students aren’t dissecting cadavers anymore.” 

Exercise Science major Aurora Berry is excited for the benefits this table will bring. 

“I haven’t had the chance to use the Anatomage table yet, but I know it would be a huge benefit to my studies,” she said. “Being able to see real scans will make it easier to connect what I learn in class to real human anatomy, especially when it comes to understanding injuries, movement, and rehabilitation. It would give me a more hands-on perspective that textbooks can’t give me.”