White Mountain Research Station - Bishop, California
Your Body At 12,000 Feet – What Can Altitude Teach Us About Human Physiology?
Program Director:  Scott Weigle – Medicine
Dates of Instruction: August 21 to September 15, 2006

Physiology is best understood in the context of adaptation to stress, and the stress of ascending to high altitude is one of the most illuminating avenues for investigating the cardiovascular and respiratory systems in humans.  This course will start in Seattle with an in-depth review of basic physiological principles, determinants of athletic performance, and assessment of fitness.  We will spend time with several noted mountaineers, high altitude researchers, and respiratory specialists.  Students will learn how to measure cardiac performance, respiratory reserve, and maximal aerobic capacity using each other as research subjects.  We will predict the responses of each of these parameters to increased elevation and devise additional tests to explore adaptations to altitude.

The group will then travel to North America’s highest research laboratory in the White Mountains of central California.  At the Barcroft Station on White Mountain (elevation 12,500 feet) we will experience first hand the effects of altitude and repeat the measurements made at sea level over the course of 10 days.  Students will record and graph their data, analyze the statistical significance and time-dependency of changes from sea level, assess inter-individual differences in adaptation, and carry out additional tests they devised prior to arrival.  Students will finish by writing up their results in the format of an original manuscript to be submitted to a scientific journal.

This course would be excellent for students contemplating medical school, students with an interest in human experimentation, or anybody with a passion that drives them to the lofty spots on the planet.  The alpine environment of White Mountain closely resembles the high Tibetan Plateau with an unforgettable display of stars at night.  Bring your camera to record amazing sunsets, big horn sheep, and the bristlecone pine forest, which contains the oldest trees on earth (4700 years)!

Participants will earn 5 credits of BIOL 497 “Special Topics in Biology”.  Participants should check with their advisors to determine how these credits can apply towards departmental requirements.

Student Costs:
$ 1,850 Program fee
$ 200 IPE fee
Additional costs include airfare to Reno, travel visa, health insurance and vaccines, meals, course materials and personal expenses


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