Team:OhioState/Public Engagement
St Joseph Montessori School
For the 2019 Competition, our team chose to partner with a local Montessori school to teach children ages 6-12 about microbiology and synthetic biology. We worked with three different groups of students: Lower Elementary (ages 6-9), Upper Elementary (ages 9-12), and Middle School (ages 12-14). For each of the grade levels we designed a 3-part curriculum composed of discussions and hands-on activities. Scroll down for more information about the lessons and activities we completed with each age group!
Lower Elementary (Ages 6-9)
Day 1
Introduction- what is a microbe?
For our first day with the Lower Elementary students, we wanted to introduce them to microbiology and synthetic biology using examples that they would recognize. We talked about microbes that make yogurt and microbes that produce the smell of swamps. We tried to highlight that microbes have many different capabilities that we can take advantage of for various applications. We talked about microbes that live in our gut and help us digest food and microbes that live on our hands.
BwB - SuperOrganisms
We completed the SuperOrganisms activity from Building with Biology, where students first used an engineering design process to create a superhero to save a person falling from a really tall building. The students were given various parts that they could combine such as: bionic legs, a magic wand, a cape, and extendable arms. We then challenged students to use the same process to design a microbe to help clean up an oil spill using a bacterium and interchangeable parts such as an oil sensor, an oil processor, a bioemulsifier, and a self-destruct button.
Day 2
cANDy DNA
On our second day, we talked about how the parts we used to make our SuperOrganism in our last activity would be added by changing the DNA of the microbe. We defined DNA and talked about what has DNA and what doesn’t. We challenged the students to create molecular level diagrams of DNA using Twizzlers, Mike&Ikes, and toothpicks. Most students were able to recall that DNA had a double stranded structure and looked kind of like a ladder. The students were very excited to share their models and most of them looked very similar to the example model that our team created.
Handwashing Experiment/ Scientific Process
We also wanted to introduce the LE students to the scientific process, so we designed an experiment to evaluate different methods of handwashing. We talked about the steps of the scientific process and followed each as we moved through our experiment. Each group of students was given a different method of washing their hands (soap and water, water only, hand sanitizer, nothing). We then had each students press their thumb into a petri dish, which we then incubated overnight and brought back for the students to see the next day.
Day 3
Handwashing Experiment/ Scientific Process
Before the students were given their plates back, each group shared their hypotheses about which handwashing method they thought was the most effective. We talked about qualitative and quantitative observations that are used to describe bacterial colonies, and then we returned the plates for each group to view and record their observations. After students recorded their observations for each group, they drew conclusions about which handwashing methods were the most effective. We also talked about variables and different factors that could have influenced their results.
Upper Elementary (Ages 9-12)
Day 1
TED ED Talk- You are your microbes by Jessica Green and Karen Guillemin
We showed this TED ED Talk to introduce the students to the microbes that make up our microbiome, and to start building the idea that microbes have many functions beyond causing disease and they are essential for many life functions.
Modified BWB SuperOrganisms
We used a modified version of the SuperOrganisms activity from Building with Biology to introduce the idea of synthetic biology and how we can engineer microbes to have useful functions. We introduced students to a few previous iGEM projects to give them ideas about what functions different microbes have and how they can be transferred from one to another, and then we challenged them to design a microbe capable of cleaning up an oil spill using the parts provided as well as a part of their own creation.
BWB Kit of Parts Challenge
Expanding on the SuperOrganisms activity, we introduced the students to the Kit of Parts activity also developed by the Building with Biology program. Students were given several different genetic “parts” and had to work in teams to address various challenges such as treating cancer, locating environmental toxins, or making renewable plastic. The students participated in great discussions about the parts that could be used and even drew on their discussions from the SuperOrganisms activity to brainstorm how the parts could be used together.
Day 2
Swabbing Experiment/ Scientific Process
To help students visualize the microbial life around them, we assigned groups different areas of the school and had them analyze the microbial diversity that resulted from swabbing the area and plating on a petri dish. We introduced the students to many terms and techniques that are used by microbiologists such as three phase streaks, agar/ media, and aseptic technique. We also had each group of students follow the scientific process in completing their experiment by developing a hypothesis, detailing their procedure, and making both qualitative and quantitative observations that they could use to draw conclusions.
Day 3
Swabbing Experiment/ Scientific Process
On our last day with the Upper Elementary students, we viewed the results from our swabbing experiments and drew conclusions about the microbial life in the school. We introduced students to colonies and CFUs and explained what they are, how they form, and why they are important for microbiological and synthetic biology studies. We also taught students about the different characteristics that we can observe from colonies such as color, opacity, shape, elevation, and margin. We also shared microscope images of different microbes to introduce them to additional ways that we can see and describe microbes.
Middle School (Ages 12-14)
Day 1
Biobistro
To introduce students to the different ways that synthetic biology can be used, we completed the Bio Bistro activity. Students read cards about products that are able to be created using synthetic biology or that scientists are working on creating through synthetic biology. We asked students to think about and share if they would use the product or not and why. We had a great group discussion about lab-grown meat, a daily food pill, and golden rice. In our following days at SJMS, the students even referred back to the discussion we had as a part of this activity.
Disinfectant/ Antiseptic Experiment Day 1
We challenged the MS students to design an experiment determining the effectiveness of a disinfectant or antiseptic. The groups worked together to develop a hypothesis about their cleaning agent and design a protocol to test their hypothesis. We reviewed each group’s protocol and supervised them performing practice streaks on agar plates before they were allowed to carry out their experiment. The different groups tested mouthwash, Lysol wipes, hydrogen peroxide, rubbing alcohol, and hand sanitizer.
Meet a Microbe
To introduce students to the incredible amount of diversity between microbial species, we assigned each small group a microbe to research independently with their group. The microbes assigned included: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Bifidobacterium, Epstein-Barr Virus, and Cyanobacteria. Each group was responsible for answering:
- What type of microbe did you have?
- Bacteria, yeast, or virus
- What is the name of your microbe?
- Where is your microbe usually found?
- What is your microbe’s relation to human health/ function?
- Does it cause a disease or have an industrial function?
- What stuck out to you about your microbe?
- What else do you want to find out about your microbe?
Day 2
Disinfectant/ Antiseptic Day 2
The students viewed the results from their disinfectant/ antiseptic experiments and drew conclusions about the research questions and hypotheses they wrote. Before letting the students view their plates, we introduced them to terms such as colonies and CFUs and explained what they are, how they form, and why they are important for microbiological and synthetic biology studies. We also taught students about the different characteristics that we can observe from colonies such as color, opacity, shape, elevation, and margin. Each group shared the experiment that they designed as well as their results with the rest of the class.
Meet a Microbe Day 2
The groups of students took turns presenting a profile of their microbe to the rest of the class by sharing the answers to the questions assigned on Day 1 of our Meet a Microbe experiment. After the groups share the results of their research we had a group discussion about the similarities and differences between the microbes all of the different groups had. We talked about how microbes are classified, what the differences between yeast, bacteria, and viruses are, how we name microbes using their genus and species name, and where we commonly interact with microbes on a daily basis, often without realizing. The students had great questions for further exploring their assigned microbes, most of them focused on how we could use synthetic biology to give them positive uses.
Day 3
Epidemiology Simulation
We introduced students to the role epidemiologists play in monitoring and preventing the spread of microbial- associated diseases. Each student was given a test tube of liquid to represent their bodily fluids. Then they went through a process of exchanging fluid with their classmates, keeping track of who they traded with in what order. After the exchanges, we used an acid-base indicator to identify who had been “infected” with the disease. We walked through the process used to identify our index case together, and then we repeated the entire simulation and gave students a chance to identify the index case on their own.
@igem.osu
@igem_osu
igem.osu@gmail.com
IGEM at Ohio State