Mount Marty's new Anatomage Table

This school year, Mount Marty has introduced new technology into its anatomy and physiology classes, taking learning to another level. The Anatomage Table is a high-tech table programmed with five 3D human cadavers, as well as animal cadavers, which can be dissected and used to identify the various parts of the body. 

Kay Rasmussen, Ed.D., M.S., MLS(ASCP), assistant professor of biology, first heard about Anatomage tables from a news piece where another school had brought the technology to their classrooms. "I thought the technology was really fascinating," Rasmussen said. "I started hunting around for information. From what I was reading, it seemed many medical/health science schools were using this as a way of replacing or minimizing the number of real cadavers they needed. I thought this would be beyond great to have at Mount Marty." Rasmussen reached out to the Mount Marty administration, and with more research and collaboration, the table came to campus. "To this day, I still need to be pinched to actually believe we have this technology on campus."

The table can produce a 3D image of a real-life cadaver with its own story. The cadavers appear as they would have at the time of their passing. The table allows you to dissect, produce images of a particular body part, and view each system of the body, from the muscular system down to the nervous system. "My personal favorite is that you can remove the layers of the body and get way down to the blood vessels and the lymphatic system," Rasmussen said. "This is so much more interesting than looking at a photo in a textbook; students get to experience working with reconstructions of actual people."

Avera Health contributed the funds to help purchase the table, part of the hospital network's recognition of Mount Marty as its preferred nursing provider. The Anatomage Table will educate all who take anatomy and physiology, but especially Mount Marty's nursing students. The largest incoming class of nursing students ever, 51, began classes this fall. They will be able to learn from the Anatomage Table beginning in their sophomore year of nursing school. The table also has programmed animal cadavers, which could be utilized in classes such as zoology and ornithology, the study of birds, taught by Timothy Rice, Ph.D., associate professor of biology.

This fall, 50 students in the anatomy and physiology class are learning from the Anatomage Table. Two radiologic technology students mentioned being grateful for the new technology in the classroom. "I think it's awesome that the Anatomage Table is in the generation I live in," Naomi Chavez '29 said. "A lot of people before me never got to experience this through college, so having a virtual aid through schooling is something I don't want to take for granted."

Megan Toplovich '29 said she appreciates how nothing is permanent with the Anatomage table cadavers. "One thing I find really interesting about the Anatomage table is that, unlike a physical cadaver, you can dissect and explore the body repeatedly without any limitations. Once you take apart a physical cadaver, you can't put it back together. But with the table, you can reset, rotate and examine the body from every angle as many times as you need. Being able to examine the human body this way helps retain information better than just using a textbook." 

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About Mount Marty University

Founded in 1936 by the Sisters of Sacred Heart Monastery, Mount Marty University is South Dakota's only Catholic, Benedictine institution of higher education. Located along the bluffs of the Missouri River in Yankton, with additional locations in Watertown and Sioux Falls, Mount Marty offers undergraduate and graduate degrees focusing on student and alumni success in high-demand fields such as health sciences, education, criminal justice, business, accounting, recreation management, and more. A community of learners in the Benedictine tradition, Mount Marty emphasizes academic excellence and develops well-rounded students with intellectual competence, professional and personal skills and moral, spiritual and social values. To learn more, visit mountmarty.edu.