CADAVER DISSECTION ATTRACTS CROWD AT MOORPARK COLLEGE.

Byline: Alicia Doyle Daily News Staff Writer

The anatomy room at Moorpark College was packed Wednesday afternoon as dozens of adults and younger students came to see a cadaver dissection.

The dramatic display was one of the most well-attended events during the college's second annual science exposition, which also featured biology contests, laser light shows and fiber optics displays.

Scotty Macleod, a lab technician for the physics department, was left alone at his station after the crowd heard there was a cadaver in a nearby room.

``People always want to see that,'' said Macleod, who was not surprised by the anonymous body's popularity.

While his audience thinned out when the dissection began at noon, Macleod spent his morning before a curious crowd as he judged an oil-derrick contest that featured a first prize of $100.

Each participant was given a meager kit of 750 toothpicks and glue to construct a miniature hoisting apparatus. The derrick that held the most weight before collapsing took first place.

``Something like this is really helpful, especially for engineering students,'' Macleod said. ``These are fundamentals used to build skyscrapers, bridges and buildings.''

Events were staged to promote science and technology, said Jennifer Albright, president of the college's Math, Engineering and Science Association. MESA sponsored the daylong exposition.

``This is our opportunity to spread science throughout the campus,'' said Albright, a student and one of about 100 MESA volunteers who coordinated Wednesday's event. ``This is the only student-run event of this size,'' she added.

Contests for Moorpark College students included one in which they could predict and calculate the range of a model missile.

For high school students, a rocket-building contest measured their basic understanding of aerodynamics and physics. An egg-dropping contest was based on similar scientific theories, while a pop quiz tested their environmental knowledge.

Woodrow Elias, a chemistry professor who gave an explosive demonstration, said those who attended the exposition would leave with a greater understanding of the world around them.

``This helps people understand all sciences,'' Elias said.

While the day's activities attracted students interested in pursuing science as a career, others attended simply to break their daily routine.

``It's OK,'' said Bao Nguyen, 14, a student at Moorpark High School. The freshman admitted he's not particularly interested in science but attended the exposition anyway.

``I came to get out of class,'' he said.

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2 Photos

Photo: (1--color) High school students hold their mouths as they see a human corpse dissected at Moorpark College.

(2--ran in SIMI edition only) Moorpark College student Jerry Davis inspects the damage to his toothpick derrick from a stress test.

Andy Holzman/Special to the Daily News