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WNIJ's summary of news items around our state.

Museum Dissection Classes Peer Inside Mice And Millipedes

Photo provided by Midwest Museum of Natural History

The Midwest Museum of Natural History in Sycamore has hosted public dissection classes for the past couple years, and they've become quite popular.

The program is part of the museum’s effort to get people interested in natural history through a hands-on experience.

The classes feature a variety of animals, including arthropods, snakes, and sharks.

Cindy Khatri, with the museum, says it’s not just anatomy students that participate in the program, but rather, a wide variety of people.

"We have a lot of homeschooled families that come to the museum," she says, "and they’re interested in learning about these things, but maybe mom and dad don’t want to dissect a frog on the kitchen table."

Khatri says some participants get really nervous in their first session, but encourages people to still try. 

"Something that seems a little squishy and scary and kind of gross, ultimately ends up being a really fun time," she says, "and I think that you can learn a lot by experiencing something."

The next mouse dissection class is scheduled for Dec. 15.