CWU biology professor spearheads local Anato-Bee competition

Central Washington University partnered with Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences (PNWU) last month for a virtual science competition for STEM-focused high school students.

CWU hosted about 30 students from 25 Northwest high schools on Zoom for the local chapter’s Anato-Bee event on February 24. Each of the local participants — which included students from Ellensburg High School and others across Washington and Oregon — advanced to the April 6-7 regional competition at PNWU in Yakima.

“PNWU was originally going to serve as the local chapter, but when they took over the regional competition, we decided to get involved,” said Dr. Celine Cortes, a CWU assistant professor of biology who helped coordinate last month’s virtual event. “We started recruiting students in November and ended up seeing a lot of interest.”

Cortes explained that the students who compete in the Anato-Bee already have a working knowledge about anatomy and physiology. The nationally sanctioned Anato-Bee organization —overseen by the American Association for Anatomy — provided regular online tutoring sessions leading up to the local event.

“The competition is intended for students who already have a strong science background,” Cortes said. “There’s a decent amount of studying that goes into it.”

The exam that was administered by Cortes and her colleagues featured a series of multiple choice questions and image identifications. Each of the participants advanced to the upcoming regional competition, where they will vie for a $3,000 STEM outreach scholarship this summer.

Cortes noted there will be financial assistance for participants who need help covering travel expenses to Yakima.

“The regional event is in-person, so we want to do whatever we can to offset travel costs for students who need help getting there,” she said.

Cortes, who joined the CWU faculty at the start of the academic year, said this year is likely just the beginning of the Biological Sciences department’s partnership with PNWU and the national Anato-Bee organization.

“We’re already starting to talk about next year,” she said. “We definitely intend to continue this partnership.”

Cortes explained that there is also a recruitment aspect to her role as Anato-Bee chapter coordinator. She said she was upfront in her email communications with students that she is an anatomy and physiology professor, and she encouraged them to take a closer look at Central.

“I care about giving them experiences that will set them up for college,” Cortes said. “It was fun to be able to put a face to the names of all the students I was talking to before the competition. I hope we can keep those conversations going as they think about where to go to college.”