June Almeida, Virus Detective! The Woman Who Discovered the First Human Coronavirus is a beautifully illustrated, non-fiction picture book chronicles the scientist, June Almeida, and her scientific process of identifying and naming viruses, specifically the group of “crowned” coronaviruses. June Almeida, Virus Detective! The Woman Who Discovered the First Human Coronavirus. By Suzanne Slade Illustrated by Elisa Paganelli Published by Sleeping Bear Press (April 2021), Ages 4-8. “I wanted to give young readers more confidence in the (pandemic) world we live in by educating them about an important, influential, but unknown woman scientist – June Almeida.” Suzanne told me. Like all of us, Suzanne felt unsettled by the COVID pandemic Spring 2020. She searched for answers. A National Geographic article about June Almeida provided answers and inspiration. Learning that coronaviruses were discovered 30 years ago by a “forgotten woman scientist”, Suzanne knew she had to bring June’s story to the world. Suzanne Slade put her other book projects on hold. Sleeping Bear Press brought Elisa Paganelli on board and this amazing, inspiring picture book biography was born. I am so thankful they did. June Almeida, Virus Detective! perfectly captures how a dedicated, passionate scientist brings forth new understanding to the
Crafty Microbiology: Teaching Microbiology Skills Online
Crisis inspires innovation! We developed Crafty Microbiology to teach essential microbiology skills at home using safe, common, cheap craft supplies and disposable lab tools. A.M. Estes, A.S. Jozwick, and J.E. Kerr 2021 How can you teach students fundamental microbiology skills at home – safely? The COVID-19 pandemic has been quite the disruptor for educators and students alike. To stop the spread of this virus, we human hosts need to stay away from each other! SARS-CoV2 is super tricky since many infected people don’t show symptoms or have mild symptoms. So what do you do when the skills your students need to learn can’t be done face-to-face? In-person Microbiology Labs Microbiology laboratory, in particular, is tough to teach to students at home. Typically students learn how to grow and test non-disease-causing bacteria in the Microbiology teaching labs on campus. Growing bacteria requires special media “food” for the bacteria, incubators to keep the cultures at the right temperature, and lab equipment – including Bunsen burners and special tools for moving the bacteria. A fundamental skill is learning “Sterile” or “Aseptic” technique. Students learn how to grow only the non-pathogenic, Risk Group 1 microbes they are given. Sounds easy – right? Well, no.