Pickering students to attend MOS field trip

LYNN – The Tour de France is one of the most physically taxing sporting events in the world, as participants cycle across France for days, pedaling up hills and through small villages, pushing their bodies in the hopes of achieving the best overall time.Thanks to a grant from the Museum of Science, a group of Pickering Middle School eighth grade students will get a first-hand look at how the cyclist’s brains react to the demanding event when they attend the “Wired to Win” IMAX film at the museum this Friday.The video makes science come to life by showing detailed images of the brain as it sends signals to the rest of cyclists’ bodies during the race. For the Pickering students, the video is not only a first-hand look at the concepts of high school anatomy and physiology courses they will take, but also a review of certain physics and science concepts that they have already learned in their middle school courses.”We have been learning about physics and talking about the concepts of speed while we get prepared for the science material on the MCAS tests,” said science teacher Lorraine Gately. “So this video will touch on speed, and students will get to see how quickly the brain sends signals to the rest of the body while they are riding in the race. It is like a review of what I have taught, and it will also help the students begin to understand the brain, then it is my job to help them connect the dots.”The Museum of Science awarded Gately $1,102.50 to cover the cost of the trip, including educational materials, admission and bus reservations, as part of its “Wired to Wonder” program in conjunction with Ortho-McNeil Neurologics, Inc. Along with the IMAX film, students will get to spend time in the planetarium and exhibit hall which highlights different uses of the human body.”They are going to come out knowing so much more about the human brain than they used to,” she said.For Gately, the Museum of Science program was not only a great teaching tool, but a also a trip she personally wanted to make in honor of Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong who, like Gately, is a cancer survivor.Last year at this time, Gately was battling breast cancer and preparing to enter chemotherapy when someone gave her Armstrong’s book, “Not About the Bike.”In the book, Armstrong details his battle with testicular cancer that left him with a less than 20 percent chance of living. He attended chemotherapy five days a week and battled back from his deathbed to win seven consecutive Tour championships.Gately said the book inspired her to remain strong during her chemotherapy experience, and when she returned to school this year with her cancer in remission, she could not pass up a chance to attend this Tour de France-themed field trip.”When I read his book and he was talking about the chemotherapy, I thought ‘If he can do this five days a week I can do it every other week,'” she said. “I was thrilled to see the museum was offering this trip, and I am so happy we got that grant.”In all, 90 eighth grade students will attend Friday’s trip, and other students in the school will have an opportunity to view a DVD copy of the IMAX film in class.