The Microbiology Outreach Foundation (MOF) was given the privilege to introduce the AI Literacy program to South Sahali Elementary School, the former elementary school of a few MOF Leaders. With South Sahali being a French immersion school, it was most important to these students to learn about microbiology as it was a newer concept for them. MOF visited 3 different grade 6/7 classrooms to introduce the concept of artificial intelligence and how it’s important to know about AI as it continues to progress and become more present in everyday lives.
Day 1 began with a presentation to the students about bacteria and cells; what they are, where we can find them, their functions, etc. The students learnt about the positives and negatives to bacteria and why it’s important to understand that bacteria are all around us. They further learnt about the morphology of bacteria and were able to see the different shapes in person with our first activity of Gram staining.
Using crystal violet, iodine, acetone and safranin, the students were able to dye their own bacteria and inspect it under a microscope to see the shapes and formations their bacteria took on. After inspecting their bacteria, the students wrote down their findings and sketched out their bacteria. Day 1 was wrapped up by a thoughtful group discussion to consider what they learnt, as well as the different kinds of bacteria that were seen under the microscopes. Day 2 commenced with a review of what the students learnt from Day 1. They were grouped off with a MOF Leader to discuss what they recall from bacteria morphology, AI, and Gram staining, as well as what they recall seeing under the microscope. Following the discussions, the students paired up with a MOF Leader and their bacteria sketches to input their findings into Google Gemini. The use of this AI software was to distinguish whether or not the bacteria sketches could be shown in detail through an AI image by inputting specific keywords that the students used to describe their bacteria. Google Gemini’s AI abilities revealed to the students the pros and cons of AI and how it can be used responsibly.
The success of the AI Literacy program couldn’t have been accomplished without the young minds who were eager to learn and participate. Through their knowledge and questions, the program was amusing for everyone involved and MOF feels grateful to be able to share our programs with those who are interested to learn about the world of microbiology. MOF looks forward to continuing and advancing our programs to teach the youth valuable information about microbiology!
“I’ve had a lot of classmates who never had a positive role model in the science world, so they gave up on it before they got to the fun side of science. I’m so glad these kids have this opportunity to play and learn from us.” -Livia, Session Leader
“I think their curiosity while exploring new things and willingness to participate and ask questions really highlights the importance of what we are doing.” -Helen, Session Leader