Microbestiary
ABOUT
Microbes live around us and within us, and our interactions with them are a matter of life and death, yet in regard to such issues as biodiversity, public awareness centers very heavily on “charismatic megafauna.” By making information about various microbes available and accessible, and by inviting imaginative response to that information, Microbestiary hopes to show, in welcoming and memorable ways, that the bustling microbial world is populated by strange and beautiful characters that are themselves quite charismatic: bacterial cells that contain coiled harpoons that unfurl to 15 times the cell’s own length when their ciliate host is attacked; ciliate protozoans with seven sexes and 21 different sexual orientations; ocean-going cells that glow in the dark; and so on.
Running list of ideas for the bestiary-- this is mainly on here for archival purposes. We want to switch over to using this webpage to track the progress of the different projects.
WHAT WE'VE DONE
TOTALS since Fall 2018:
Total Kids/Community Members Reached: 675
Total Educators Reached: 31
- InnovateHER: 13 girls, prolonged STEAM outreach
- August, 2022: Rock Springs High School Entire Biology program: ~840 kids. Winogradsky column building, explanation of ecosystems, etc.
- October 27th and 28th 2021: Rock Springs High School
- Microbestiary (along with wonderful help from Ali Ceretto) went to Rock Springs High School and Black Butte Alternative High School and taught 322 kids about microbial diversity, structure, and ecology. We performed a lecture (linked here) followed by a card game called ADAPT OR DIE. Students were largely engaged and interested in the card game, though it took a few rounds to figure out. We were invited back to do a week long intensive with the advanced biology students in May, 2021.
- October 1st, 2021: Erin was part of a panel concerning how trans-disciplinary outreach affects student engagement, learning and enjoyment. We performed the COPSE activity and discussed how to improve outreach efforts through collaboration.
- September 16th, 2021: Whiting Alternative High School, Laramie, WY
- Microbestiary and Ali Ceretto taught 4 classes of high schoolers (about 35 kids) about soil chemistry and how that affects plants and microbes. We used a lab backpack donated by the Ecology BGC to run hands on pH and nitrogen tests, and grew microbes from soil taken at various spots around the school on agar plates created by Mrs. Baas. This was part of an ongoing series of outreach projects with Mrs. Baas's classroom being conducted by COPSE.
- August 9th, 2021: Microbestiary worked with the Laramie summer camp to teach kids about microbial structural diversity. We worked with 70 kids from 3rd to 6th grade with the microbial suncatcher activity. We did a small introduction into why microbes are important, how they fit into the "spy" theme of the camp, and then walked the kids through the activity of making their suncatchers.
- August 6th and 7th, 2021: Microbestiary helped organize the first annual COPSE EON Conference.
- We had a table at the vendor fair and interacted with teachers from around the state. Erin also was a member of a panel that discussed outreach endeavors as a graduate student, effective and meaningful outreach strategies, and answered questions from teachers about conducting outreach. We gained insight as to what kinds of activities teachers wanted in in their classrooms, the best time and place to reach out to them for outreach activities, and laid the groundwork for statewide travel.
- July 26th, 2021: Worked with the Laramie summer camp to teach kids about Winogradsky Columns.
- Worked with about 70 kids aged 3rd-6th grade to make Winogradsky Columns and discuss how microbes are important for the environment and food.
- July 20th, 2021: Microbestiary (Erin) was invited to speak at an online conference on retaining underrepresented groups in STEM.
- Presented to Community College, High School, and other educators about tactics for retaining underrepresented groups, specifically women, in STEM activities. Spoke twice to approximately 15 educators.
- July 15th, 2021: Microbestiary threw a Summer Party for the EPSCoR grant.
- Attendees piloted activities such as the Suncatcher activity, hide and seek, the AR App, the medieval bestiary, and a potential art installation.
- January, 2021: Microbestiary created kits to give to the Albany County Library System
- Reached 60 6th-12th grade students in Laramie, and another 18 kids in Centennial, WY with our Suncatcher activity kits. Activities were split between 1st-5th and 6th-12th
- August 2020: Homebrew Contest
- Microbestiary worked with six homebrewers to have a homebrew contest with the Laramie Homebrew Club
- Fall 2019: SLA
- Ran the Build-A-Beast activity workshop for kids at Science Loves Art. Worked with five kids with hands on.
- Summer 2019: worked in the farmers market
- Built suncatchers and Winogradsky Columns with kids and adults at the Laramie Thursday Farmer's Market. We worked there three times, and serviced 60 community members across those dates.
- Fall 2018/January 2019: We worked with the lab school.
- Microbestiary taught an entire semester long class about microbial structural and environmental diversity (20 kids), and a singular class multiple times (15 kids) at the 7th/8th grade level.
PROJECTS
/wiki/spaces/MIC/pages/251527182
Involvement with the Wind River Reservation
Festival Attendance/Involvement