Beat by Beat: Understanding Heart Functi

Through this course, students will learn about the anatomy of the heart, the electrical conduction system that regulates the heartbeat and the interactions that the heart has with other organs in our body. Through lectures and discussions, students will gain an understanding of how the heart sustains life and how we can measure the activity of our heart through electrical readings produced on an Electrocardiogram (ECG). Students will then apply what they learn in the lab by considering how external factors can impact the overall health of the heart by performing independent research experiments and doing ECGs using themselves as test subjects. The course will culminate with a final research presentation where students will present their findings to their peers following the standards of the scientific method and simulating how scientists come together to present their data at scientific conferences.