Spotlight on San Gabriel Valley’s New Unique Interactive Educational Experience, “Journey of the Germ”
In 2021, San Gabriel Valley Mosquito & Vector Control District unveiled a new interactive educational experience titled, “Journey of the Germ.” The project was funded through the Entomological Society of America’s Chrysalis Grant, “to bring students closer to the backyard intersection of entomology and virology.”
As the interactive experience begins, a narrative serves as both foundation and guide through the storylines to instill a message that motivates the students who participate in the storylines to learn and develop solutions. The narration takes the students through the pathway West Nile virus follows as it cycles through the suburban Southern California landscape.
Through the interactive narrative, the students, then enter a suburban backyard as a female mosquito emerges from the water of a garden rain barrel. The storyline then splits when the mosquito picks up West Nile virus while feeding on an infected house sparrow.
A second narrative unfolds as students toggle between a spring and a summer temperature-driven timeline. Students follow the spread of the virus on a cellular level while the mosquitoes move within their environments as they feed on nectar, ovipositing, and blood feeding.
The interactive experience includes:
- A calendar indicating the number of days into the mosquito’s life
- Daily average high and low temperatures are displayed for both the spring and summer regime
- A viral race that illustrates how temperature affects viral activity and the speed of viral spread in the environment
- There’s a pathway at the bottom of the screen that allows users to track and compare the transmission progress and speed of viral activity in each temperature regime.
- Relationships and interactions between vector, host, and pathogen are illustrated as the mosquitoes move about the backyard scene
- Mosquito structures are also highlighted using zoom-ins that illustrate the viral activity occurring inside the mosquito’s body on a microscopic scale.
Embedded in the video are assessment questions that direct participant attention. Preliminary results show a positive gain in knowledge even in younger, non-target age groups.
Journey of the Germ is available in a web-format or for Android or Apple mobile devices. The District worked with Robot Sea Monster, a game creation company with more than ten years of experience in interactive educational materials. Head to www.JourneyoftheGerm.org or use the QR code to check it out:
Many thanks to Carol Anne Hagele, Education Specialist; Kriztian Luna, Education Specialist; and Levy Sun, Communications Director for sharing th
Interested in being showcased in the Spotlight On? Click here to download the application!
Past Spotlight On articles can be found here.