The Society for General Microbiology is bringing students and the public together in the search for new antibiotics
18 November 2014
Today, the Society launched ‘The Small World Initiative’ in the UK and Ireland, a project that will give the general public, students and educators the opportunity to work with scientists as part of a global initiative to discover new antibiotics.
Antibiotic resistance and the requirement for new antibiotics is an issue of international importance. The Small World Initiative’s search for new antibiotics will help inform the public about the problems surrounding drug resistance and will engage them in the scientific research process.
The Initiative, first organised by Yale University, is an innovative and authentic research project which uses crowd-sourcing to discover new antibiotics from soil bacteria. It is now running in universities and colleges across the US. It is hoped that exposing their undergraduates to research experiences will inspire them to major in a science-based degree. The Society for General Microbiology is taking the project further by including school pupils and the general public. A series of ‘pop-up’ events will take place at locations across the UK, giving the public the opportunity to submit their soil samples, on which they can then make observations and comment as they are tracked through the analysis process. Initially, the Small World Initiative is being run as a pilot project between the University of East Anglia and the Isaac Newton Sixth Form in Norwich.
The Initiative will support teachers in providing practical lessons with links to the wider curriculum and give students the opportunity to take part in ‘hands-on’ research that will both encourage them to study science further and to increase the scientific literacy of all students involved.
Professor Nigel Brown, President of the Society for General Microbiology, said of the Small World Initiative: “I am delighted that the Society is collaborating with our US colleagues in this exciting initiative. As the largest learned microbiological society in Europe it is important that we take a lead in engaging the public on antimicrobial resistance and drug discovery. Supporting and developing this Initiative, which brings together the general public, undergraduates and school students in a citizen science project to help identify novel antibiotics, is an excellent opportunity to do this.”
Dr Laura Bowater, a member of the Society’s Small World Initiative Steering Group said: “This is such an exciting project. The Society is taking a ‘real’ research project into schools. Pupils will have an opportunity to work with scientists to feed into the pipelines of new antibiotic discovery. They will be given opportunities within the school environment to learn more about the process of scientific research whilst developing their own scientific skills and techniques to address the urgent need for more antibiotics.”
Rachel Jarrold from the Sir Isaac Newton Sixth Form said: “Sir Isaac Newton Sixth Form is thrilled to be a part of the Small World Initiative. As the UK’s first specialist science and maths sixth form college, Sir Isaac has a strong ethos for providing a rich and challenging education through stimulation and innovation. The Small World Initiative provides an exciting opportunity for our students to be at the forefront of citizen science. They will develop relevant research skills and enhance their appreciation and understanding of scientific methods whilst contributing to the search for novel antibiotics that are so urgently needed.
“We hope to share the experience and outcomes with other school within the Trust, including primary schools.”
The Society for General Microbiology will be putting out further details explaining how the public can join in the Small World Initiative in mid-2015.
Image: iStock/Thinkstock.
