Ten Connecticut middle and high school science school teachers slogged through area woodlands and wetlands earlier this year in search of tiny quarry: mosquito larvae.
The educators were part of a weeklong summer institute studying insect-borne diseases that are expanding into the United States, including dengue fever, Chagas disease and leishmaniasis, and how their ranges are being affected by climate variables, particularly temperature and precipitation.
Drawing upon their experiences in the field and the lab, the teachers are now collaborating on the development of a science curriculum that immerses students in the dynamics of disease transmission and generates interest in the biological sciences.
The program is funded by a five-year National Institutes of Health Science Education Partnership Award. Leonard E. Munstermann, a senior research scientist at the Yale School of Public Health, is leading the project.
“The main goal is to translate ongoing and current research discoveries directly into middle and high school biological science instruction. The NIH-related theme is the impact of climate and climate change on the development, transmission and spread of insect-borne diseases,” said Munstermann. “With this program, we hope to create a curriculum that will be more attuned to interactions of a changing environment with insects and the diseases they transmit.”
The larvae were collected in vernal pools, from water in discarded tires and in tree holes. In some cases hoses were used to siphon larvae from hard to reach crevices. Specimens were transported to the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in New Haven for identification and rearing.
Even slight elevations in temperature can increase mosquito numbers as well as speed up the mosquito life cycle. This year’s combination of an unusually mild winter followed by a wet spring and scorching summer intensified the spread of West Nile virus in Connecticut, Texas and other parts of the U.S. In addition, southern states have reported outbreaks of “neglected tropical diseases” such as dengue fever and Chagas disease, which many people think of as being confined to developing countries.
Dengue fever is transmitted by several species of mosquitoes and in endemic in more than 100 countries, including the southeast of the United States. Chagas disease, meanwhile, is transmitted to humans through the bite of a Reduviid bug, also known as a “kissing” or “assassin” bug. Its range extends throughout much of Latin America, including large parts of Mexico. People are infected with leishmaniasis through the bite of a phlebotomine sand fly. The disease is present in dozens of countries around the world, including southern Texas.
The curriculum resources for the summer institute will be expanded in coming years to include teachers beyond Connecticut. Organizers anticipate that the program will reach 18,000 students by 2016.
In addition to Munstermann, other School of Public Health researchers involved in the project include Diane McMahon-Pratt, Maria Diuk-Wasser and Peter Krause. Faculty from the Yale School of Medicine and other Yale departments are also involved. The program is based at the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History.
“After field testing and refining the curriculum in Connecticut classrooms over the next two years, we will distribute the curriculum through on-site teacher workshops at several national dissemination sites,” said Laura Fawcett, the program’s project manager at the Peabody.