The JMU Anatomy Open House is a no-cost opportunity for high school students to spend a Saturday with JMU anatomy students, professors, and their fellow anatomy-enthused peers building community and learning together. As a participant, you will:

• Explore models, specimens, and other anatomical tools to better understand form & function and how we apply that understanding to address critical questions surrounding topics such as human health, animal behavior, and natural history.
• Learn about anatomy-related careers from JMU students who are currently navigating those paths.
• Engage in conversations with anatomy professors to learn about their research.
• Continue these conversations over a complementary lunch in our East campus dining hall.
• With advanced registration, compete in the optional Anato-bee competition hosted at JMU (see below for details). Top placing competitors will have the opportunity to compete in the Southern Regional Anato-Bee on March 8-9 at a regional medical school.

In addition to complementary lunch, students will receive an official "JMU Anatomy" long-sleeve T-shirt.

This event is hosted by the JMU Center for STEM Education & Outreach in partnership with the JMU Department of Biology faculty.

Date: Saturday January 25

Location: JMU’s East Campus

Time: Tentatively 8:30 AM-12 PM

Registration Deadline: December 15 or until full. Space is limited and priority will be given to local participants by order of registration.

Registration Form: https://forms.office.com/r/XB9Q2u1Qsn

Additional open house details including the agenda, locations, parking, accessibility, and permission form access will be sent via email to registered students and their parents/guardians at least two weeks prior to the event. For questions, please contact: Dr. Kerry Cresawn, STEM Center director, cresawko@jmu.edu

• Parents, guardians, siblings, and other guests are welcome, but not required, to accompany their student/s to some or all open house events through lunch.
• Students can be dropped off at the front entrance to the Bioscience building during the check-in window (tentatively 8:30-9 AM). There, students will be greeted by one of our JMU student volunteers and directed to the check-in table.
• Students under the age of 18 will be required to provide a permission form at check-in. This form must be hand-signed by a parent or guardian. We will have copies of this form available at check-in and make them available to download, print, and sign prior to the event.
• Students under the age of 18 must be signed-out by a parent, guardian, or other authorized adult (designated on the permission form).
• While parents and other guests are invited to join us for lunch in the dining hall, we can provide each student with only one complementary lunch ticket. Guests will have the option to purchase lunch tickets for $16.25.
• The optional Anato-bee competition at JMU will take place after lunch (tentatively 12-2 PM) in a campus computer lab. This is an optional event that we are hosting in tandem with the open house. Only competitors registered with the national Anato-Bee organization will be permitted in the computer lab during this part of the event.

The Anato-Bee competition is a national outreach initiative led by a team of anatomy educators from the American Association of Anatomy, in which high school students learn about anatomical sciences through a nationwide competition. Registered participants will have free access to a series of virtual tutoring sessions led by current medical students, a human anatomy dissector app, and other study materials. Students first compete through a virtual platform hosted by a local college or university on January 25 at no cost; top placing students go on to compete in a regional in-person competition at a medical school on March 8-9. Regional finalists will have the opportunity to participate in an immersive summer research experience in medical/anatomical sciences that is supplemented with a stipend. Check out last year’s winners!

Students who want to compete in the Anato-bee must register with the national organization by January 13. Click here to register with the national organization; please write in JMU as your local chapter to compete on January 25.

JMU-assigned participants will have the option to compete remotely or at JMU. On January 25^th (tentatively 12-2:00pmET), on-campus participants will compete on a computer in one of our computer labs alongside other local competitors. Members of the JMU Anato-bee team will be present to supervise and provide technical support. Remote participants will use their own device at home (or another suitable location). On-campus participants will also have the opportunity to register for the in-person JMU Anatomy Open House that will take place before the competition (see above for details).  

Anato-Bee Registration 

Registration Deadline: January 13th

Registration Form: Click here to register for the anato-bee competition. Note, this form is different from the open house registration form. Students interested in both the open house and anato-bee must register for each event separately.