These videos originated from a community engagement partnership between Sheryl Hemkin’s Chemistry 401 class (Drug Interactions and the Body), the Knox County Health Department, and St. Vincent de Paul’s Middle School.
The partnership was developed to address community interest in learning more of the science behind how drugs and other chemicals interact in the body – and the downstream effects. Surveys have indicated that the local youth were interested in learning more about how drugs work in the body so they can understand why drug use is a bad choice.
The Chem 401 class piloted this project in the 6th grade Science and Health class at St. Vincent de Paul. We developed and implemented age appropriate lessons and class activities that revolved around the body’s biochemical interactions with nicotine (in tobacco products) and ethanol (in consumable alcohol), as well as sugar, caffeine and gluten.
We also created the following short videos as an additional companion for the nicotine/tobacco and ethanol/alcohol middle school lessons.