Vicki Cochran, a teacher at English High School of Boston, was very interested in visiting EMW bookstore when she heard about the Culturalizing Science Exhibition that was on display April through June: “I am always looking for new and interesting science programming for my students to explore and learn from. The students are aged 19-21 and have a wide range of cognitive and physical challenges but are always ready to explore new topics/experiences." On May 24th, 9 students and 4 teachers of English High School in Boston would come over to visit EMW.

It was quickly decided that the Culturalizing Science Exhibition would provide the perfect back-drop to teach students about bacteria! One of the pieces on display was Biota Beats, which offered a great connection to bacteria, their role in our lives, and how to grow them. The EMW team designed a program for the students, including an introduction video on the human microbiome, an introduction to specific bacteria (listeria, salmonella, E. Coli, and staph) using giant plush bacteria toys, and a crafting session where the students created their own bacteria form paper (drawing and cutting the different bacterial shapes) and wool (to create pili and flagella!).

Also - the story of Biota Beats was told: how do we grow the bacteria that live on our body, and how do we create music out of them. This was followed by a bacteria-swab-activity: each student got a petri dish and could swab their mouths or nose, or the table and (wheel)chairs!