Educational-divulgative project
MicroMundo, born from the American initiative Small World Initiative (SWI), is an educational-informative Service-Learning project, which has been carried out in several countries around the world, including more than 20 Spanish universities since 2016 (https://micromundo .blogs.uv.es/); endorsed by the SEM (Spanish Society of Microbiology) and by the PRAN (National Plan against Antibiotic Resistance). It was implemented at the University of Zaragoza (MicroMundo@UniZar) by the GGM group in 2018 and is coordinated by Dr. Ainhoa Lucía.
Objetive
Its main objective is to bring scientific culture and biomedical research closer to young students to promote their research vocation. To do this, we carry out a citizen science experience aimed at discovering new antibiotics. Work teams, made up of undergraduate or master’s degree university students, give several experimental sessions in schools and institutes, to secondary and high school students. In these sessions, the problem of antibiotic resistance and the importance of its correct use are deepened, thus disseminating the message of the WHO. At an experimental level, the approach is identical to the famous discovery of penicillin by Alexander Fleming, although in a targeted manner: soil samples are analyzed with the aim of discovering new antibiotics produced by environmental bacteria.
From its beginning until today, we have reached (despite COVID) more than 170 pre-university students, and more than 100 university students, analyzed more than 2000 microorganisms, and obtained more than 200 producers of a substance that inhibits bacterial growth. We have also appeared on numerous occasions on radio and in the press, and we have been nominated for the 2019 Third Millennium Award for Disclosure.
Schools
The schools that have participated so far are: Colegio Madre María Rosa Molas, Salesianos, Colegio Alemán, IES Valdespartera, IES Goya, IES Biello Aragón, Colegio Romareda, and others whose participation has been suspended due to the COVID pandemic.
We are currently carrying out the DIWOKS Science in Etopia workshops for the 2020/2021 academic year (https://www.etopiakids.es/)