In this activity, students use DNA sequences to assess the risk of a West Nile virus outbreak for two towns. Students will learn about the life cycle of mosquito-borne viruses and the importance of hosts and vectors. Finally, the students will discuss what can increase or decrease the risk of a West Nile virus outbreak for a particular location. 

Federal Fish Activity (+ additional federal agency research activity)

In this activity, students make judgements about fish production violations using DNA sequencing information. Students also describe the mission, origins, and role of the USFWS, FDA, and CDC. Finally, students develop a plan to prevent fish production violations. 

Federal Fish Activity (variation without additional research activity)

In this activity, students make judgements about fish production violations using DNA sequencing information taking the perspective of one assigned federal agency (CDC, FDA, or USFWS). Students also develop a plan to prevent fish production violations. 

In this activity, students will take on the role of an epidemiologist responding to the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in Wuhan, China in late 2019 and 2020. Students will use DNA sequences taken from the live animal market to find species that may have contributed to human infection. Students will learn about zoonotic diseases, how they are spread, and the importance of outbreak investigations. Students will then discuss their findings, propose ways to reduce the spread of zoonotic diseases, and recommend ways to prevent future outbreaks.

We are surrounded by microbes, but not all of them are harmful- in fact, some (many) are beneficial! In this activity, students use sequences from bacteria and viruses to identify microbes isolated from different locations (from Sample Cards) in a school. They then read about their microbes (using provided Microbe Cards) to learn more about each microbe, and decide what to do (if anything) about its presence. This activity is appropriate for elementary and middle school students. High school students could complete the basic activity, then do a research project to determine how they would treat different surfaces to remove the various bacteria and viruses present.

Students use sequences of DNA found in an ancient Aztec cemetery to identify the possible microbe that sickened and killed many Aztecs between 1545 and 1550. Students also make a phylogenetic tree to compare the relatedness of the ancient DNA samples to modern organisms. 

In Nepal and Tibet, there are stories told about an extremely large human-like creature that lives in the Himalayan mountains. Known as the yeti or the abominable snowman, sightings of this creature have been reported since the 1800’s. Recently, scientists have been able to sequence the DNA in hair samples that were said to have come from the yeti. Students will use the DNA sequences to determine the origin of these hair samples.

There are two versions of the handout- a shorter version that you can use if you use the slides to introduce relevant information to students (“with slides” handout), and a longer version for students to read the information on their own (“no slides” handout).

Parmesan by Any Other Name (+ Phylogenetic Trees)

Italians define Parmesan (or Parmigiano-Reggiano) as a cheese made using particular (traditional) practices in a particular region of Italy. American “parmesan” does not meet this definition. Students will be given DNA sequences of bacteria from American “parmesan” and Italian Parmigiano-Reggiano cheeses, and use these sequences to make predictions about how similar or different the two cheeses are. This “+ Phylogenetic Trees” version additionally has students use an online tool to build a phylogenetic tree, to more accurately evaluate the relatedness of the various bacteria. Students need to have some basic knowledge of how to interpret a phylogenetic tree to successfully complete this version.

Parmesan by Any Other Name (variation without phylogenetic trees)

Italians define Parmesan (or Parmigiano-Reggiano) as a cheese made using particular (traditional) practices in a particular region of Italy. American “parmesan” does not meet this definition. Students will be given DNA sequences of bacteria from American “parmesan” and Italian Parmigiano-Reggiano cheeses, and use these sequences to make predictions about how similar or different the two cheeses are. The “No Trees” version relies on basic bacterial identification using BLAST, and the diversity of bacteria present to evaluate the cheeses. This version is appropriate for elementary and middle school students.

In this activity students will learn about some strange and interesting animals! They will look at a picture of each animal and write down their observations about it (Does it have fur? Does it have wings? How many legs does it have? What else do you observe?). Then they will read an interesting fact about the animal and finally use DNA to identify the animal.

Students use DNA sequences to identify glowing (bioluminescent) organisms. They then build a phylogenetic tree (optional) to determine the relationships between these organisms. Students complete short readings to learn more about bioluminescence and how it can be used by the different organisms.

This work was supported by a Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) from the National Institutes of General Medical Sciences, the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R25 GM129179. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. It is also supported by an Institutional Development Award (IDeA) from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) grant number P20GM103451.