Epidemics

Infectious Disease Outbreak-Basic Phenomenon

This model simulates the basic phenomenon of infectious disease outbreak dynamics in a population.

• Grades: 9-12; 

• NGSS Standards: HS-LS2-2, HS-LS2-6, HS-LS2-8

Infectious Disease Outbreak-Transmission and Mortality

This model simulates the infectious disease outbreak dynamics in a population influenced by different transmission rate, mortality, and human mobility.

• Grades: 9-12

• NGSS Standards: HS-LS2-2, HS-LS2-6, HS-LS2-8

Infectious Disease Outbreak-Population Comparison

This model simulates the infectious disease outbreak dynamics, such as the case of COVID-19, related to the factors of population density, transmission rate, mortality rate, and individual mobility. It can be used to explore various infectious disease outbreak scenarios, such as outbreaks in a bigger or smaller city, grounding, different levels of transmission rate, etc. 

• Grades: 9-12; 

• NGSS Standards: HS-LS2-2, HS-LS2-6, HS-LS2-8

Infectious Disease Outbreak-HealthCare, Isolation and Quarantine

This model simulates the impacts of hospital inpatient capacity, isolation, and quarantine on the infectious disease outbreak dynamics, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The infected cases include both carriers, the infected people who have not shown symptoms, and sick, the infected people who have shown symptoms.

• Grades: 9-12

• NGSS Standards: HS-LS2-2, HS-LS2-6, HS-LS2-8

Infectious Disease Outbreak-Social Distancing

How far should we stay away from each other when practicing social distancing? What if some people practice social distancing while other people don't?  This model simulates the impact of social distancing (SD) on infectious disease outbreak dynamics in a population. In particular, it allows users to explore the effects of different social distancing spaces and the percentage of people who practice SD on the infectious disease outbreak dynamics.

• Grades: 9-12

• NGSS Standards: HS-LS2-2, HS-LS2-6, HS-LS2-8

Infectious Disease Outbreak-Vaccination

This model simulates the infectious disease outbreak dynamics in a population influenced by different transmission rate, mortality, and vaccination coverage. This model allows students to explore the effect of vaccination and the development of herd immunity.

• Grades: 9-12

• NGSS Standards: HS-LS2-2, HS-LS2-6, HS-LS2-8

Infectious Disease Outbreak-SEIR model

This model simulates the epidemic dynamics in a human population based on the SEIR model. Students may use the model to explore infectious disease outbreak dynamics in a population influenced by the length of the incubation period, transmission rates, mortality, population mobility, and vaccination coverage. 

Modeling Activity Article

• Grades: 9-12; 

• NGSS Standards: HS-LS2-2, HS-LS2-6, HS-LS2-8

Infectious Disease Outbreak-Daily cases and daily new cases

This model reveals the differences between the daily cases and daily new cases. It also allows students to label an individual person in the population, examine the chance at which the person is infected,  and follow the person through the epidemic.

• Grades: 9-12; 

• NGSS Standards: HS-LS2-2, HS-LS2-6, HS-LS2-8

Infectious Disease Outbreak-Variants

This model simulates the spread of two different virus variants in a human population during an epidemic based on a revised SEIR model, i.e., in this model, the infectious (I) are fully isolated at home or in hospitals so that they do not transmit the disease.

• Grades: 9-12; 

• NGSS Standards: HS-LS2-2, HS-LS2-6, HS-LS2-8

Infectious disease outbreak-Mutation and Breakthrough

This model simulates the infectious disease outbreak in which the viral transmissibility evolves and breakthrough infections occur. It allows students to compare the maximum active cases and total deaths of an outbreak when 1) viral transmissibility mutation is present and absent and 2) breakthrough is present and absent. They can also investigate these scenarios at different vaccination levels.

• Grades: 9-12; College

• NGSS Standards: HS-LS2-2, HS-LS2-6, HS-LS2-8

Infectious disease outbreak-Mutation and Masking

This model allows students to examine the effects of mutation and masking on the max daily cases and epidemic duration in a population. Both human beings and viruses are represented in this model. 

• Grades: 9-12; College

• NGSS Standards: HS-LS2-2, HS-LS2-6, HS-LS2-8

Infectious disease outbreak-Immunity Durability and Booster Vaccination

This model allows students to examine the effect of immunity durability on the max daily cases and epidemic duration in a population. It helps students understand why booster vaccination is needed. 

• Grades: 9-12; College

• NGSS Standards: HS-LS2-2, HS-LS2-6, HS-LS2-8

Squareville: Wastewater Surveillance for COVID-19

This model allows students to explore the potential impacts of wastewater surveillance on an epidemic under various conditions. 

• Grades: 9-12; College

• NGSS Standards: HS-LS2-2, HS-LS2-6, HS-LS2-8