Dakota State adds cadaver lab to science center
May 29, 2025
Dakota State University is wrapping up construction on its first cadaver lab. This fall, a cadaver dissection course, Human Gross Anatomy (BIOL 492) will be offered.
During Dakota State’s six-year program review for biology, the reviewer, Dr. Dani Bolland, an assistant professor of biology at University of Minnesota Morris, thought that a small back room could be converted into a cadaver lab.
Dr. Andrew Sathoff, assistant professor, undergraduate research coordinator, and coordinator for science, is excited to be able to offer a new opportunity to DSU science students.
One of his favorite experiences from his undergraduate experience was being a part of an undergraduate team that dissected a cadaver.
“I take a lot of recruiting visits for incoming high school students, and a lot of them are interested in healthcare professions of some sort,” Sathoff said.
While students currently complete dissections with animal organs like a sheep’s brain and a pig’s heart, organs are different in the human context, explained Dr. Alex Dececchi, who will head the cadaver lab.
Students able to participate in a cadaver dissection will be able to list the experience on their CVs, resumes, and applications to graduate school.
“It’s a unique experience, and most students don’t get to actually lead the dissection, which is what DSU students will be doing,” Sathoff explained.
According to Dececchi, the class will be capped at 10 students to make sure all students have the same opportunities to experience the dissection.
While it is not an intro-level course, it is an undergraduate course, so it won’t cover everything. “Students will get a big sense of how complicated the human body is and get a better sense of how things work,” he explained.
Students will need a faculty member present when working in the cadaver lab to maintain respect and order, honoring the donor who provided their body as an educational opportunity for students.
DSU will receive a cadaver from University of South Dakota Medical School this summer prior to the start of fall classes.