Education

Paper Plate STEM Kit:

The first summer class, which had students who were about 6-8 years old and the fall 4th graders, were given the paper plate STEM Kits. The students drew a large bat on a paper plate using washable markers. Upon completing the drawing, the students placed a piece of clear scotch tape over the nose, ears, and wings of the bat drawing. Then, with a different colored washable marker, the students drew dots on the tape to represent the fungus growth on the surface of the bat’s skin. Next, a spray bottle filled with water was used to spray the bat drawing. Once the wet dots (representing the fungus) were wiped off the tap, this demonstrated the effectiveness of the engineered treatment, successfully curing the bats. With this STEM Kit, students were able to view a clear demonstration that reflected our team's project and how we would implement the treatment in a spray form.

Figure 2: Students participated in the Paper Plate STEM Kit.

Strawberry DNA Extraction STEM Kit:

The summer afternoon class had students who were about 8-12 years old, and they were given the new Strawberry Extraction STEM Kits. Once the students had their lecture about our project, they were given a small cup filled with equal parts of dish detergent and water, with ¼ tsp/1.25 mL of salt mixed in, and a small bag with 2 strawberries in it. The students first mashed the strawberries until they were homogenized–containing little to no chunks. While mashing the fruit, Students needed to be gentle so that they did not pop the bag or create big bubbles. After, the students poured all of the mixture from the cup into the bag. Then, they had to gently squeeze the bag to help mix all of it. Again, the students needed to avoid creating big bubbles in the bag. Once the strawberry mush was thoroughly mixed, the students had to filter the mixture through coffee filters, retaining only the liquid in the bottom of a second cup. Once there was enough liquid, a capful of rubbing alcohol was added to the solution, and then set aside to let sit. After a few minutes, the students were able to use a coffee stirrer to pick up the DNA and observe it. This STEM Kit allows students to participate in an activity that opens conversation about what our wet lab does for our project. While the kids observed the DNA, we were able to explain in detail how we use and manipulate DNA in the lab to get our desired outcomes.

Figure 3: Students participating in the new Strawberry DNA Extraction STEM Kit.

Super Spread Tag

In addition, all students participated in a game outside called “Super Spread,” which is a tag-style game that demonstrates how the fungal infection spreads from bat to bat. One person (the infected bat) started in the middle of the play area (the “cave”). All other students were instructed to run around until it was time to hibernate (freeze in place). Wearing a white cotton ball on their nose, the child (representing the “infected bat”) woke up early from hibernation and attempted to tag others while they ran from one side of the playfield to the other. Any student tagged by the “infected bat” received a cotton ball on their nose and also became “infected”. The next round started with the uninfected bats waking up from hibernation and running around the playfield until it was time to hibernate again for the next season. Each infected bat (the students with cotton balls) tagged two to three students as they ran across the field. The rounds were repeated until everyone had a cotton ball or one person was left standing. To restart the game, everybody will be given "the spray treatment”, after which the game can begin again. This game helped students visualize how quickly the infection spreads through close contact and why it is so important that a cure is developed for this disease.

The Bat Pamphlet was created to help spread information about White-Nose Syndrome (WNS) in the bat population and to inform the public about how they can help. Our goal when creating the pamphlet was to make important information more accessible to people who might not have known about this issue previously.

The pamphlet explains what White-Nose Syndrome is, how it affects bats, and why it matters to us as a society. It also includes fun facts about bats and different ways that people can help prevent the spread of WNS–such as having better awareness of what to look for and who to contact if they recognize the signs.

This pamphlet is designed to be distributed to the general public in a way that’s easy to understand. We intentionally avoided complex scientific terminology, focusing instead on a straightforward overview of the disease and its impact. The information selected to be on the pamphlet was limited to what would be eye-catching and helpful to know. We want people to have an understanding of what is happening, but most don't have the science literacy to understand the in-depth process of how the fungal infection works using scientific terminology. With this in mind, we prioritized having a straightforward overview of the disease, its impacts, what bats contribute to our ecosystems, and some additional general facts about bats. The information contained still encompasses and educates on the issue, but it is displayed in easy-to-understand terms. The intent is to draw attention to the consequences that we will face if the bat populations continue to decline due to this disease.

This pamphlet is intended for distribution in public spaces such as libraries, nature reserves, schools, and science centers—places where people interested in nature or learning are likely to encounter it. While not everyone will see it, we hope that placing it in accessible locations will encourage word-of-mouth sharing and increase public awareness. By spreading knowledge, we can empower more people to take action and support bat conservation efforts.

Figure 4: Front of the pamphlet, general information about bats and WNS

---



Figure 5: Back side of the pamphlet, what people can do to minimize the spread of WNS.

Outro

After we finished our sessions, we successfully achieved our initial goals of improving students’ environmental awareness and empathy towards bats. Based on qualitative self-assessment surveys from both the summer and fall sessions, we saw a trend of students who showed more interest and empathy towards bats. We also had a tremendous amount of positive feedback from both students and faculty about the STEM Kit demonstrations.

When we were first creating the three STEM Kits, we prioritized ensuring that they were low-cost and easy to replicate. We designed the STEM Kits so that students and teachers could easily replicate them using materials they might already have on hand. We also prioritized simple instructions and accessible concepts to encourage students to share what they learned with others.

As part of our Human Practices approach, we prioritize ethical considerations when working with younger students. To protect their privacy while documenting the demonstrations of STEM Kit activities, we take proactive measures such as avoiding capturing students' faces in photos, refraining from collecting any personal statements, and not gathering qualitative data. These demonstrations are perfect opportunities for our team members to work on their scientific communication skills. By participating in sessions and presenting our project to students, more team members gain experience in explaining complex scientific concepts in a way that is engaging and understandable for younger audiences.