Just wondering what everybody is doing in regards to Microbiology in the current climate.
As we all know every precaution can be taken but kids will be kids and not all teachers manage the same.
Are you going to be using agar plates, incubating etc., with Junior/Senior classes, done as a demonstration or not done at all?
Your thoughts on this matter would be greatly appreciated.
It's the same as it's always been....why would it be different now?
We only sample fomites or water and the plates are not opened after incubation.
Cheers
I feel like I'm constantly asking for reassurance this year.
We have year 10 student research projects being done at home. Our HT has given the okay for microbiology to be done at home students purchasing agar plates from companies etc., some of the disposal methods and techniques are less than favourable.
Should this be bought to W.H. & S and put a stop to next year?
Previously students do a draft of what they want to do before hand and it is given the okay or not. Lower glasses are given a A4 list of ideas to choose from. Any ideas??????
It would be a huge thumbs down from me as well, and Id definitely report to your WHS....BUT if you have a teacher that insists on it, Id insist on a risk assessment that the parents, student and teacher all signed and possibly arrange for them to bring to school the finished product in a sealed bag into school for disposal. MariaQ
We are still doing this as we always do.
I think i am lucky as i have very very good Biology teachers who are strict with all experiments.
I sometimes think that this whole cleaning situation is funny in the sense that what we have to teacher people to wash their hands after going to the toilet. You are expected to clean your hands before you eat, you clean your table with disinfectant, the labs get cleaned daily.
To me these are just things that happen anyway.
Most of our experiments are done with extra care anyway.
So to be honest apart from cleaners coming through more often,not much has changed in my little life.
Firstly we are in stage 3 where I am so no plates atm. I ALWAYS pretend we have grown the plague and act accordingly. A microbiologist came in to talk to our students once and told me human viruses need blood agar to grow. Most of our growths are mould, bacteria, and fungi.
mtg wrote: ↑26 Aug 2020, 10:53
Firstly we are in stage 3 where I am so no plates atm. I ALWAYS pretend we have grown the plague and act accordingly. A microbiologist came in to talk to our students once and told me human viruses need blood agar to grow. Most of our growths are mould, bacteria, and fungi.
Yes we are still going ahead at school, it was the students doing at home which was of concern. It's been reported higher up the ladder, and hopefully something will be said to the teacher concerned. Students are fine to be doing mouldy bread at home. But when you have them doing microbiology in plastic cups sealed with glad wrap and sitting in the middle of your dinning room table, bacteria is a problem we don't have the means too see what type of bacteria and they definately don't at home. The kids PPE and disposal methods were of concern as will.
mtg wrote: ↑26 Aug 2020, 10:53
Firstly we are in stage 3 where I am so no plates atm. I ALWAYS pretend we have grown the plague and act accordingly. A microbiologist came in to talk to our students once and told me human viruses need blood agar to grow. Most of our growths are mould, bacteria, and fungi.
Viruses need living cells to reproduce, whether that is you, me, a lab rat, an egg embryo or a tissue culture. Some viruses can infect living bacteria. Not agar though.
