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The Wolbachia Project
Discover the Microbes Within

Resource Library

Introductory Activities

Teachers and collaborators have designed the following activities to accompany the project. They serve as great introductory material to the lab series.

  • Pipetting 101: This lab introduces students to the proper use and care of micropipettes.  Pipetting Lab (4/16)
  • Insects and Their Relatives: This activity introduces students to the characteristics that distinguish insects from their closest relatives and the similarities common to Arthropods.  Insects and Relatives Activity
  • Wolbachia Project Activity: This simulation of the different labs protocols can be used as an introduction for students or as an overview at professional development workshops.  Activity Description; Insect Order Guide

 

Supplemental Resources

The numbers in parentheses refer to the date (month/year) of the uploaded document.

Lab 1: Insect Identification

Lab 2: DNA Extraction

Lab 3: Polymerase Chain Reaction (Molecular Biology)

Lab 4: Gel Electrophoresis (Molecular Biology)

Lab 5: Bioinformatics

 

Digital Resources

Wolbachia In the Encyclopedia of Life

The Encyclopedia of Life (EOL) is a free, online collaborative encyclopedia intended to document all of the 1.8 million living species known to science. It is compiled from existing databases and from contributions by experts and non-experts throughout the world. It aims to build one “infinitely expandable” page for each species, including video, sound, images, graphics, as well as text.

Encyclopedia of Life’s Wolbachia Page

The Microbes Within WebQuest

The Microbes Within leads students on a guided exploration of the alpha-proteobacterium Wolbachia and challenges them to consider the relevance of this obligate, intracellular symbiont with respect to the evolution of species, insect reproduction and human health.

Students are presented with an issue of medical concern and must take advantage of modern-day research to provide persuasive advice to you, the Director of the CDC, through delivery of either a written or oral report. The activity builds upon understanding of basic biology and highlights the impact that one microbe might have on the health of millions worldwide.

The Microbes Within WebQuest

 

Wolbachia In the Classroom

Are you looking for ways to incorporate The Wolbachia Project into your existing curriculum? Would you like to feature the experience as a Summer Course?

Academy of Science Teacher’s Guide

Discover the Microbes Within! faculty member George Wolfe developed this guide to assist teachers in incorporating the Wolbachia labs into the Biology curriculum at the Loudon Co. Academy of Science. It includes connections with other material, relevant background and assessment points.

Acton-Boxborough Regional High School Teaching Materials

Brian Dempsey, assisted by Yuan Kang, taught a summer course based on the Wolbachia lab series at Acton-Boxborough Regional High School, Acton, MA. The syllabus is attached, along with a molecular biology glossary, BioEdit tutorial, powerpoint slides, and assessment questions on DNA extraction, PCR and bioinformatics.