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Educational Resources

Teacher Workshops
Grade: K-12
Resource: Week long summer institutes for middle and high school teachers, an infectious disease lecture series for teachers and a teacher guide for visiting the Disease Detectives exhibition.

Museum Exhibits
Grade: public
Resource: Disease Detectives, a 1500 sq. ft. traveling exhibition about infectious diseases. Museum visitors become infectious disease-fighting detectives and solve up to three mysteries.

Films, Videos, & Multimedia
Grade: Public
Resource: An interactive website designed to compliment the exhibition. It contains activities from the exhibition, additional content information and a teacher guide.

Disease Detectives Exhibition opened January 2008

Examining food and waterborne microbe sculptures

Analyzing lab results for the Case of the Birthday Surprise

Emerging Infectious Diseases: A Museum Exhibition/Program, Phase I/II

Grant Code: R25RR020439

Funding Years: 09/27/2004 - 07/31/2009

Institution: Science Museum of Minnesota

Department: Human Biology Program

Address:
120 W Kellog Boulevard
Saint Paul, MN, 55102

PI:
FINK, LAURIE A.,
Phone: (651) 221-9428
Fax: (651) 221-4514
Email: lfink@smm.org

Director of Special Project Funding:
WECHSLER, LARRY,
Phone: (651) 221-4720
Fax: (651) 221-4525
Email: wechsler@smm.org

URL: http://www.smm.org

URL: http://www.diseasedetectives.org

Audience

Family and school groups, high school science teachers and community center programs

Subjects Addressed

Infectious disease, microbiology, epidemiology and public health

Project Description

The project goals: 1. Create an engaging and interactive exhibition about infectious disease, 2. Create programming and a website that compliments the exhibition, 3. Demonstrate that there are many different careers which aim to fight the spread of infectious diseases and all of these professionals must work together to solve an infectious disease mystery, 4. Highlight infectious diseases causes, mechanisms of spread and prevention. The goals will be met by the project deliverables: A. a 1500 square foot traveling exhibition, Disease Detective, B. a supporting web site, www.diseasedetectives.org, C. a puppet show called Riddles of Life, D. teacher professional development, E. a teen outreach program.

Resources for Sharing

1. Website www.diseasedetectives.org with activities and a teachers- guide. 2. Riddles of Disease puppet show script about the history of infectious diseases and the importance of solving infectious disease mysteries. 3. Disease Detectives 1500 square foot exhibition for rent. 4. Evaluation reports to share with colleagues. 5. Volunteer activities in-development for use in other institutions.

Dissemination Strategies

1. Traveling Exhibition - Disease Detectives will be available to other institutions for a rental fee. The rental fee is subsidized for the first 5 institutions that host the exhibition. 2. Teacher Professional Development - Two week-long institutes and infectious diseases information nights for local science teachers focused on microbiology and infectious disease. The institutes deepen and invigorate a teacher-s science curriculum. They are teacher-focused, inquiry-based and include indepth discussions, time for curriculum, lesson, and assessment planning, incorporate state and national standards and include hands-on lab activities. The info-night series start fall 2009. SMM-s Teacher Resource Center will host a series of infectious disease information nights. Local ID experts will lead discussions about infectious diseases with participating teachers. 3. Community Outreach - eight high school students trained to present topics on infectious diseases to community center partners during after school and summer programs. The SMM teens developed and presented multiple programs to the students and invited the community partners to join them at SMM for family days that coincided with SMM-s cultural days.

Abstract

The Science Museum of Minnesota (SMM)--in collaboration with scientists at the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy and Academic Health Center; the Minnesota Department of Health, and the Minnesota Antibiotic Resistance Collaborative--requests a Phase 1/11five-year SEPA grant of $1,250,000 to develop a traveling museum exhibition and web site that highlight the fascinating science behind the outbreaks of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases that are changing and shaping our way of life in the 21st century. Topics to be covered will include the emergence of new illnesses like SARS and Avian Influenza and the re-emergence of drug-resistant infections that were once curable but now can be fatal. An Infectious Disease Advisory Panel and Content Experts representing the collaborating institutions listed above and others will guide museum staff in the development of these exhibits and programs. EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES will be a 1,500 square-foot special exhibition to be installed in SMM's Human Body Gallery in spring 2007. After an 18-month presentation, it will begin a tour to five medium size science centers over two years. In addition to the exhibition and its complementary web site, special programming will be targeted to reach specific audiences, including: K-12 school groups visiting the museum (a user guide with on-line pre- and post-visit activities aligned with state and National Science Education Standards); K-12 classroom teachers (Curriculum Enhancement Institutes); and outreach programs serving after-school programs for children in under-served inner-city neighborhoods. A focus on areas of ongoing research will be used to highlight how far we have come in understanding the complex world of infectious diseases and how far we must go in treatment or elimination of present day health threats.

Keywords

infectious disease; traveling exhibition; current science; family groups; school groups; K-12 teachers; community outreach; science museum; Minnesota Department of Health; Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy