The goal of our public engagement programme is to create the excitement of discovery science through hands-on activities that spark curiosity and conversations about infectious disease. Our aim is to empower participants with the simple message that by understanding how infectious diseases spread, we can take action to protect ourselves and our communities. This is key to shaping how we respond to outbreaks and daily encounters with infectious disease. I realised the importance of this after witnessing the response to the Ebola virus outbreak in Sierra Leone first-hand, whilst providing in-country molecular virology support at a local treatment centre. With Professor Ian Goodfellow from the University of Cambridge, and colleagues from the University of Makeni, Sierra Leone, we created a 5-day programme of discovery-based activities to introduce microbes, how they spread, how to prevent them and how vaccines work. Developing these activities leveraged my public engagement experience gained through volunteering at science festivals, developing creative ways to engage using low-cost, locally available resources. We trained a local team of engagement officers to independently deliver the programme in primary and secondary schools in Makeni. Since 2015, our team has engaged over 7000 students, with evaluation showing hugely improved understanding of infectious disease, high levels of excitement and enthusiasm for science and commitment to scientific careers. Engaging and training the teachers has been the key to long-lasting and widespread impact. Our programme culminates in an Outbreak! activity, which enables students to deploy their new knowledge in a real-world scenario experiencing many aspects of being a scientist. Students race to investigate, identify and contain a mystery disease that begins in their school and spreads internationally, with regular news flashes and press briefings to reiterate urgency as the outbreak develops in real-time. They perform a series of tests I devised to discover the cause, interpret their results to decide a course of action and communicate this to the press. I have since developed different versions of Outbreak! to run in UK schools for 8- to 18-year-olds, encompassing topics ranging from how viruses jump species, to antiviral development, virus evolution and drug resistance. The success of Outbreak! is thanks to teams of volunteers, inclusive of undergraduate students through to professors, who I have trained to maximise student-scientist interactions and create opportunities to informally discuss science careers. I have found that volunteers hugely benefit from developing confidence, clarity of thought and communication skills. Feedback has been integral to refining my activities and navigating the steep learning curve to develop the most effective ways to communicate, excite and engage our audiences. Integrating this with my research on emerging viruses has shaped my approach and sharpened my focus on address