The Microbiology Outreach Foundation continued the AI Literacy program with grades 5, 6, and 7 at Dallas Elementary. With students as eager to learn as our team members who strive to present an informative and impactful program, it was a productive and joyous session for all involved.
The session started off with a brief presentation explaining bacteria and cells to provide the students with the knowledge needed on entities that surround us on a daily basis. They learnt about bacteria shapes and sizes, where bacteria can be found, and the functions of bacteria. To imprint the idea of morphology, the students first activity was Gram staining. This activity allowed for the students to decipher whether their bacteria was Gram positive or Gram negative by dyeing their bacteria coated slides and investigating its’ shape, size, and colour under the microscope. The students then took their findings to pen and paper and sketched out their bacteria.
“These sessions were a great learning experience for the students. They were shown the basics of how artificial intelligence is used in science which sparked their imagination.” -Courtney, Session Leader
The second session followed with group discussions to refresh the activities from session 1. The group discussions touched on the bacteria the students inspected, whether their bacteria was Gram positive or Gram negative, as well as the information learnt from the presentation; the good and bad of bacteria, where it can be found, and all of its different functions.
Following these discussions, the students were led into a presentation on artificial intelligence. The premise of this presentation was to teach the students on how AI can be used in an effective and responsible manner.
With proper AI functions in mind, the students then paired off with MOF members, as well as their bacteria sketches, and put their AI techniques to use. Using Google Gemini, the students were able to bring their bacteria sketches to reality by generating AI pictures. Through process of trial and error, students were able to learn how effective, and sometimes ineffective, AI can truly be.
“It’s so fun to watch kids explore microbiology for the first time. The combination of excitement and curiosity when looking at bacteria under a microscope for the first time is such a cool thing to watch.” -Mekenna, Session Leader
With the involvement and active participation the students continue to provide, these sessions are able to fully flourish and impact the younger generations. As more programs continue to be developed, MOF has been truly pleased with the classes attended over the 2024-2025 school year.