IMD in the UK
IMD @ LSHTM, Launch of an animation
A new film named “A Language of Shapes” premiered on 17 September 2022 to celebrate IMD! This fairytale about the microscopic world of dysentery was watched more than 90 times on the day! This animation by animated documentary maker Samantha Moore, is based on the scientific research of the Mostowy Lab at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) in the UK and has been developed with the lab team.
IMD Meets Bad Bugs Bookclub
The Bad Bugs Bookclub set up in 2009 by Joanna Verran aims to get scientists and non-scientists to talk about novels of fiction where infectious disease took some part in the plot, focusing on the microbiology with the narrative.
On the 13th September local members of the Bad Bugs Bookclub met in Manchester, UK and talked about their favorite non-fiction books about microbiology. Some of these books were The Ghost Map, The Last Days of Smallpox, Pale Ride, Vaxxers, Spike, Microbe Hunters, How to Survive a Plague.
The Bad Bugs Bookclub meets once every quarter and now occurs also online! For further information, contact j.verran@mmu.ac.uk.
IMD @ UNIVERSITY OF LIVERPOOL
On the 15th September 2022, 40 pupils from a local secondary school aged 12-13, visited the University of Liverpool. Our event was aimed to promote microbiology and STEM in general with fun activities and inspire pupils to become future scientists!
After some short introductory talks, the pupils took part on hands-on microbiology activities such as “S. cerevisiae inflates a balloon” and “Let’s grow your skin bugs”, and finally they were broken down to smaller teams and received lab tours and took part in Meet a Microbiologist sessions.
At the end of the event pupils filled up a feedback form in which they all said they enjoyed the event and in particular the experiments! The majority expressed that the event improved their knowledge on microbes and their roles in our lives and also became more familiar with how its is to be a scientist.
IMD @ Wonderful World of the Small
The Wonderful World of the Small is a microbiology book for children written by Dr Lindsey Millar and Vivien Sárkány. The book aims to promote early years education in microbiology and get kids interested from a young age – inspiring scientists of the future!
Summary: This picture book for young children gently presents some types of microorganism and related concepts, providing a playful introduction to microbiology. Ten zany microbial characters are waiting to be discovered, such as champion swimmer, Bertie Bacterium, and his amazing microscopic motor! In quirky lab-notebook style, the colourful illustrations capture the diversity of the microbial kingdom and the wonder of observing specimens down the microscope lens. A fun learning journey to spark imagination.
Available online from Amazon, Etsy and Waterstones
For more information and contact details visit www.secretdoorpress.com