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ABOUT THE CLASS

Welcome to the class! We are excited that you want to explore your body's place in the world. Your body is an amazing machine that is equipped with the capacity to deal with the world's great stressors.

This course may be different from other courses you may have taken online. Our intention is to create more than just a class conveying information; we want to create an educational experience. You will be engaged in stories about physiology from across the country, develop relationships with the instructors as they sacrifice their bodies for the good of science, and be awed by the complexity and adaptability of the human body. You will also have the opportunity to hear from top scientists and adventurers in the field. The class will illustrate and explain how your body responds to cold, heat, stress, age, altitude, g-forces, diving and zero gravity. Video travel locations include Stanford, Harvard, MIT, US Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Pikes Peak, Las Vegas, and Livermore California.

Check out the promo video to get a flavor of the adventure.

Buckle up! We hope you enjoy the ride.

THE STORY

Corey stumbled into Dr. Friedlander's Exercise Physiology class early in his college career. Eventually becoming her teaching assistant, the two joined forces to discover new and exciting ways to teach physiology to Stanford students. Together they decided that the best way for Corey to really understand the material was to experience a series of diverse physiologic stressors first hand. What resulted was a series of wild and crazy adventures captured on video that provide a novel approach to teaching you the fundamentals of environmental physiology. Come join us and be a part of our story as we learn about the human body!

PREREQUISITES

An excitement for storytelling and learning about the human body!

The course aims to be accessible to everyone. However, it is still challenging. A background in basic human physiology will prepare you to get the most out of this experience.

COURSE SYLLABUS

Cold
The storytelling adventure begins at Stanford University in a thermoregulation laboratory. Just thinking about it gives us goosebumps. Poor Corey! Look forward to learning about piloerection, hypothermia, after-drop, and some practical tips on dealing with the cold.

Heat
The EnvPhyz team is back on Stanford campus exploring the effect of heat on the body. There's no air conditioning in this section. Look forward to learning about hyperthermia, cooling techniques, heat injuries and some practical tips on dealing with the heat.

Aging
The EnvPhyz team gets old! Get ready for a trip to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to learn about the impacts of time (age) on our physiology. With age comes wisdom, so be prepared to glean a few gems from this section and learn some tips that could change the trajectory of your aging. Look forward to learning about the causes of age-associated changes; which ones are inevitable and which ones you can influence.

Stress
The EnvPhyz team throws a big curveball as last minute changes make a big impact on the story. Anne and Corey give their bodies to science to explore stress and its affect on your body. This section is sure to elevate your heart rate, so get ready for a wild ride! Look forward to learning about the stress response, chronic stress, and some practical tips on how to manage stress in your daily life.

Altitude
The team travels to the Army Research Station near Boston and to Pikes Peak, Colorado, to get you up close and personal with altitude research. Expect some adventures, good science, and rough transitions to altitude exposure. Look forward to learning about acute altitude exposure, chronic altitude exposure, serious altitude risks and some practical tips on preparing for that next trip up to the mountains.

Variable Pressures
After being subjected to so many environmental conditions, Corey finally gets his opportunity to strike back. Expect some high flying adventures into the world of variable pressures. Look forward to learning about g-forces, zero gravity, and the high pressures of deep water diving.

ABOUT THE TEAM

The EnvPhyz team is composed of professors, students, storytellers and video producers. We interface with academic researchers and real life people in order to create an experience that draws students closer to science. We make fun, experiential videos on each topic that lead the student into other supporting online learning materials that explain the underlying physiology. Support for this project comes from the Stanford Vice Provost for Online Learning (VPOL), the Dean of Humanities and Sciences, and the Program in Human Biology.

Anne L. Friedlander, PhD, Instructor

The heart and soul of the team, Anne has been teaching in the Program in Human Biology at Stanford University since 1997. Dr. Friedlander received a BA in Biology from Wesleyan University, a Masters and PhD in Exercise Physiology from the University of California, Berkeley, and conducted her post-doctoral training in the Division of Endocrinology, Geriatrics and Metabolism at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Friedlander has broad research experience in the areas of metabolism, environmental physiology, and using physical activity to promote healthy aging. This course is a product of her dedication to physiology, passion for teaching and love of the outdoors. She hopes you enjoy taking the course as much as she enjoyed making it.

Corey Dysick, BA, Secondary Instructor and Teaching Assistant

Aspiring physiologist and glorified guinea pig. Corey has loved the journey of creating stories about science, and hopes his experience will help students fall in love with physiology. Corey is the utility player on the EnvPhyz team, involved in content creation, storytelling, video editing, interfacing with EnvPhyz guests, and dreaming of the next big story to tell about science. A graduate of Stanford University, he will be attending graduate school to further pursue his passion for physiology and education.

Carlos Seligo, PhD, Academic Technology Specialist

As videographer and editor, Carlos was responsible for translating Anne and Corey's adventures into video stories. Carlos came to Stanford in 1997 as a postdoc and has been here ever since. His diverse set of talents has given the EnvPhyz team the technological boost they desperately needed. Wild, crazy, and excellent, Carlos is passionate about using technology to help students learn.

Wes Choy, MS, Course Producer

Our video production guru. Master of lighting, audio, and the team's most emotionally stable member. Without Wes the videos you are watching would be grainy, shaky, and dark. Formerly a media producer at the Yale University broadcast and media center, Wes saw the light and made his way over to the Office of the Vice Provost for Online Learning at Stanford where he serves as the Production Operations Manager. Thanks to Wes, who joined us after our Cold and Heat videos, we now have videos of excellent quality.

To Be Named Teaching Assistants

These extraordinary Stanford students are what make this interactive course experience possible. With experience teaching physiology courses here at Stanford, these individuals are well equipped to contribute to your learning adventures. Be nice to them, they control the grades!

Archie Angus McDuffus, BA(rk), Operations Manager

Archie oversees the operational responsibilities of the project. This includes, but is not limited to human resources, travel logistics, production logistics, and team morale. In his spare time he enjoys hiking, running, exploring new environments and eating just about anything he can get his paws on.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Are these videos real?

Yes. Everything you see is real. Real stories. Real science. Real learning.

Will I get a Statement of Accomplishment?

Yes, students who score at least 70% will pass the course and receive a Statement of Accomplishment. Students who score at least 90% will receive a Statement of Accomplishment with distinction. We recommend taking this course on a standard computer using Google Chrome as your internet browser. We are not yet optimized for mobile devices.

Do I need to buy a textbook or other materials?

No. Effort has been made to make this course completely self-contained. Everything you need will be provided for you.

How much of a time commitment will this course be?

You should expect this course to require 3-5 hours of work per week.

Can I just watch the story videos and skip the rest?

Yes! While we would love everyone to make the deep dive into the physiology, we also want to make the story videos available for all to see. Enter our course and search section contents for tabs with the beginning of the title reading STORY. We hope you enjoy!