Several students traveled from far and wide to explore the human body at N.C. Wesleyan Colleges first offering of the Human Body and Disease Camp.

While the camp may be too intense for everyone, the students who attended the camp seemed fascinated with the opportunity to dissect rats, sheep brains and pig hearts. Dr. Dan Stovall, who served as the instructor for the camp, said the students also went to the planetarium at the Imperial Centre to learn more about how space affects human physiology.

While the camp was offered on the campus of N.C. Wesleyan College in Rocky Mount, most of the students came from places outside the Twin Counties.

Rising high school senior Austin Strickland, who lives in Goldsboro, said he came to the camp because he wants to be a surgeon, and this camp offered something new.

I have never seen a camp like this before, Strickland said.

The price of the camp was a $415, a figure that seems pricey compared to many other summer day camps in the area. However, considering the camp earned students a college credit, the price may be considered a bargain.

Stovall teaches a number of classes related to the human body at Wesleyan, including anatomy and physiology, cancer biology and human development. He said the Human Body and Disease Camp offers a taste of all those courses.

This course is sort of a condensed version of the anatomy course will all the fun stuff thrown in, Stovall said.

Meagan Colston, a rising senior at Roanoke Rapids High School, said she has attended several science camps at N.C. Wesleyan College over the years and was excited to see this camp offered.

Elena Miller, another rising senior from Roanoke Rapids, said she especially enjoyed the opportunities for dissection.

I hope to go into some medical field, and so it was really interesting to get to know more about the body systems and how the body works and functions, Miller said.

Nia Farrow, who lives in Greenville, said she has a grandmother who lives in Pinetops and has attended a Wesleyan Science Camp in the past. Farrow, who plans to become a physical therapist, also said she relished the opportunity to carve open a pigs heart.

I really enjoyed the dissection because I have never been able to do one before, said Farrow.It is interesting to learn about the human body and to compare human organs with other animal organs.

Stovall said he thinks camps like this offer a great deal to students.

This camp is really relevant because health sciences is an exploding field right now, Stovall said.

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Students examine anatomy at camp - Rocky Mount Telegram