TY - JOUR
AU - Cornwell, Rebecca Mary
AU - Ross, K. S.
AU - Gibeily, Caius
AU - Guthrie, Isobel
AU - Li, Pak Hei
AU - Seeley, Laurence Taylor
AU - Kong, Yaxuan
AU - True, Ava
AU - Barnes, Arun
AU - Nimmo, Emma
AU - Len, Gloriya
AU - Oprea, Ioana
AU - Lin, Boyang
AU - Sasi, Aswin
AU - Chu, Vicky
AU - Davidson, Chloe
AU - Ulasavets, Daniil
AU - Renouf-Bilanski, Grace
AU - Dmitrieva, Maria
AU - Leung, Yana
AU - Ye, Ziying
AU - Brown, Sasha
AU - Vaidya, Meghna
AU - Hynes, Jenna
AU - Mullner, Catherine
AU - Agarwal, Priyansha
AU - Johnston, Paul
AU - Thorley, Charlotte
AU - Melo Czekster, Clarissa
PY - 2024
DA - June
TI - Unearthing new learning opportunities: adapting and innovating through the 'Antibiotics Under Our Feet' citizen science project in Scotland during COVID-19
JO - Access Microbiology
VL - 6
IS - 6
DO - https://doi.org/10.1099/acmi.0.000710.v3
AB - ‘Antibiotics under our feet’ is a Scottish citizen science project that aimed to raise science capital in primary school learners and their teachers through measurement of microbial diversity in urban soil samples in the search for novel antimicrobial compounds. Resistance to antibiotics is rising, posing a global threat to human health. Furthermore, science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) skills are in crisis, jeopardising our capacity to mobilise as a society to fight antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Originally conceived as a response to the AMR and STEM emergencies, our project was hit by the unprecedented challenge of engaging with schools during the COVID-19 pandemic. We describe how we adapted our project to enable remote participation from primary schools and youth groups, utilising COVID-19 response initiatives as opportunities for multi-level co-creation of resources with learners in primary, secondary, and higher education. We produced portable kit boxes for soil sample collection with learning activities and videos linked to the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence. We also addressed glaring project specific content gaps relating to microbiology on English and Simple English Wikipedia. Our hybrid model of working extended our geographical reach and broadened inclusion. We present here the inception, implementation, digital resource outputs, and discussion of pedagogical aspects of ‘Antibiotics under our feet’. Our strategies and insights are applicable post-pandemic for educators to develop STEM skills using soil, microbes, and antibiotics as a theme.
PB - Microbiology Society
UR - https://hdl.handle.net/10023/30035
KW - Coronavirus (COVID-19)
KW - Education
ER