Summer SAVY, Session 5 Day 4, “Exploring Epidemiology One Microorganism at a Time” (3rd-4th)

Posted by floresmm on Thursday, July 17, 2025 in blog, SAVY.

Dear parents,

Today in Exploring Epidemiology One Microorganism at a Time, we finalized our towns’ emergency plan and supplies.   In groups, the students brainstormed about emergency safety measures for our towns, chose quantities of supplies (meals, water, masks, etc.) to “order”, and thought about what town officials like the mayor, sheriff, public health officer, and media relations would have to do to keep the citizens safe.

The students learned about John Snow, the father of epidemiology, and how he figured out that cholera was from a water pump in London. He was a disease detective who used tactics like surveillance and response, tracking and tracing, and causal connections. We revisited the importance of washing hands with soap and water and eating food that is well-cooked from hygienic places.

We completed a gallery walk of scenario cards showing events that would increase or decrease the spread of an epidemic. These included beneficial scenarios like the World Health Organization efforts spread globally; vaccines are available; and trained medical teams are deployed. Some of the challenging scenarios for the community included: a record attendance at a concert, a government collapse, tropical storms, and a new school year.

Then we reviewed some beneficial bacteria like yogurt, cheese, and pickles. We attempted to make pickles using a recipe with cucumber, sugar, vinegar, water, salt, and pepper. Our mixture and cucumber slices are in the refrigerator, and we will check them out tomorrow.

We learned about the defense mechanisms our bodies use (skin, the immune system, mucus, tears, stomach acid, earwax) to fight off germs.  And we compared this to a castle defending itself.  Then the class took a quick field trip to the PTY Immunology class. Each SAVY student was paired with a PTY student. The high school students shared what they learned with our SAVY students.

At the end of the day, we played a game from the CDC website called “Solve the Outbreak.” It is an interactive disease detective simulation. (Similar to Choose Your Own Adventure) The students choose from 12 different scenarios, like: Birthday Party Gone Bad, Midterm Revenge, or The Village of Gold. They acted as Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) officers to solve the outbreaks.

Dinner table questions: 