In a Heartbeat- A Heartfelt Day

              Many of the mentees would call it a heartfelt day- literally! Early this morning the girls geared up to go to Wayne State's Science Hall for the Biology mini-course. After an informative and engaging lecture from Dr. Karen Myhr, a physiology professor at Wayne State, the girls got to put their newfound knowledge of the heart to the test. Dr. Myhr instructed the girls to role-play a simulation of the mechanism of the heart; Some girls acted as organs, exchanging gases and absorbing nutrients, while others acted as the blood itself, transporting oxygen and other molecules around the 'human body'. It was a great way for the girls to visualize the information. 

           Next we were off to the biology lab upstairs to visualize the heart in a much more realistic way. After a quick lesson on responsible conduct around cadavers, the girls were able to physically hold and observe real human hearts! The hearts were obtained from Wayne State University's School of Medicine. For many of the girls, this was their first experience observing real organs and it truly solidified how exciting the study of science can be. It may have even inspired a few young minds to consider a career in the sciences!

Stay tuned for all the fun to come! 

-Mentor Aamna 

IHB Monday Night Activities

After a long day of learning, we gave our brains a break and had some fun! Before dinner we tried a new activity called "Speed Mentoring" where the GO-GIRLs spent 2 minutes with each mentor with a particular question to be asked and answered. The girls and mentors had a ton of fun while covering important topics such as college applications, ACT prep, and AP classes. After dinner the whole group headed outside to Keast Commons to burn off some steam! We played volleyball, frisbee, played on the swings, and did some sidewalk chalk art. We definitely made our presence known on campus! We came back to the dorms to munch on some snacks while working on hearts and crafts. Now it's time for bed to get ready for a long day of learning about nutrition and exercise tomorrow!

-Mentor Kimmy
(Picture of Speed Mentoring below)

"In a Heartbeat"- Part 1!

We are finally here, GO-GIRL Summer Academy 1 for 2014! "In a Heartbeat" started out great today. Check-in went smoothly thanks to all of the wonderful parents who attended orientation, allowing us to get most of the paperwork out of the way early. The girls settled into the dorms and are now experiencing college life. After eating their first college meal, we headed over to the Education building for the first of many surveys and a quick overview from Mentors Jess and Anita. They talked to us about the USDA Food Plate guidelines and showed us how to use the pedometers to record our steps, simple ways we can keep our heart healthy. Next, we headed over to the beautiful Chemistry building for an introduction and overviewfrom Dr. Sally (pictured here). We finished out the night with a movie, Hearts and Crafts, and Twilight Yoga.

 More to come, it will be a busy day tomorrow with biology and nursing!

Thanks for reading,
Mentor Catherine