Bring Your Own Water: Exploring Hong Kong’s Marine Microbiome.
Team : Watching-Place; MIT pK-12 Action Group; Joe Diaz, Trishia Shu | Funded by MIT Open Learning
This module was developed for MIT’s pK-12 Action Group for the MIT STEAM Camp hosted in Hong Kong in collaboration with the Chinese International School (CIS). The program brought together over 200 middle school-aged students for two weeks of learning and making. The theme for the program, inspired by the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, was “Into The Water.”
In this module, students explored Hong Kong’s marine microbiome in a hands-on, experimental, and creative format that incorporated foundational biology techniques. We developed instructional material that introduced students to key concepts in marine ecology, biodiversity, evolution, microbiology, and conservation, paired with interactive demonstrations and hands-on activities incorporating microscopy and microbial culturing to allow students to more fully engage with the microscopic life around them. We also used the module as a way to guide students through the entire course of the scientific process, including experimental design, data collection, interpreting and presenting results, and developing further hypotheses, which allowed students the competency to develop testable hypotheses for the second week of the STEAM camp.
This program was play-tested with local students in Boston, MA. After its first full iteration in Hong Kong, the “Into The Water” module was further adapted by the pK-12 Action Group together with Divya Ramamoorthy for students in Athens. We are happy to share learning materials for this offering -- please feel free to reach out if interested in remixing this activity for your setting!
