Applications Open! Enroll for Summer 2027 at 2026 Tuition Pricing Until Sept 30
Compare animal body systems through laboratory investigation in this two-week Dartmouth academy for high school students.
Course Description
A dissection turns a diagram into something you can investigate. Examine how different animals move, breathe, and survive, then uncover the evolutionary story behind the structures in front of you.
In this course you will compare skeletal, muscular, circulatory, respiratory, nervous, and digestive systems across vertebrate species. Dissections, anatomical models, and laboratory investigations let you examine structures directly and connect what you see with what an animal’s body needs to do.
Evolutionary cases bring the comparisons into focus. Consider how habitat and environmental pressures help explain an adaptation, then support your explanation with anatomical evidence. Selected historical examples reveal how culture and society have shaped the study of the body. Practice explaining anatomy to scientific and general audiences, connecting careful observation with the way biological ideas are understood.
This two-week full-day academy for high school students is part of Dartmouth Precollege Summer Scholars in Hanover, New Hampshire. Fully developed and run by Dartmouth, it is taught by Dartmouth faculty and expert instructors. Students focus on one academy throughout the program. Residential and commuter options are available.
What You Will Do
• Compare major body systems across vertebrate species
• Examine specimens and models through laboratory work and dissections
• Consider how history and culture shaped anatomical knowledge
• Connect body structures with their functions
• Investigate adaptations through evolutionary case studies
• Explain anatomical evidence to scientific and general audiences
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
• Compare how body systems support survival across vertebrate species
• Use anatomy and evolutionary evidence to explain adaptations
• Explain anatomical evidence clearly to scientific and general audiences
You’ll leave with your laboratory observations, comparative analyses, and a certificate of completion.
Why Comparative Anatomy Skills Matter
Anatomy becomes more useful when you can explain why a structure matters. Comparing species connects an observation in the lab with questions about movement, habitat, and survival.
That reasoning supports further study in biology and health sciences, where describing a difference is only the beginning. You also need evidence to explain how it works and what it means.
Who Should Attend?
For students who have completed 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade.
If animals fascinate you, look beneath the surface at how their bodies work. This academy connects hands-on observation with questions about evolution and survival, making it a useful way to explore interests in biology, medicine, veterinary science, or ecology. Laboratory work includes dissections and handling anatomical specimens.
The application includes a school transcript and short-answer questions.
Recommended by 9 out of 10 Students
Based on students surveyed in the Dartmouth Precollege Summer Scholars program (2026)
Your Summer at Dartmouth
Dartmouth Precollege Summer Scholars gives high school students a concentrated introduction to college-level learning in Hanover, New Hampshire. The intensive, noncredit academies are fully developed and run by Dartmouth and taught by Dartmouth faculty and expert instructors. Students explore current ideas through discussion, projects, and sustained work that helps them test an academic interest in depth.
Residential students live in Dartmouth residence halls, eat at 53 Commons, and can join workshops and counselor-supported evening and weekend activities. Time in Hanover and the Upper Valley adds a distinctive New England setting, while the broader experience helps students build independence and clarify what they may want to study next.
After successfully finishing this course, you will be awarded a certification completion for your accomplishment.
*This is a preview, not what you will receive