Schoolchildren Explored the Fascinating World of Microbes During an Online Biology Lesson of the Science Around Project

Schoolchildren were introduced to the fascinating world of microbes during an online biology lesson as part of the Science Around project. The topic, "Earth - A Planet of Microbes," constituted the fourth installment in the series of open lessons offered by the Science Around initiative at Adyghe State University. Participants included schoolchildren from 14 regions across the country: Adygea, Bashkortostan, Dagestan, the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, Kalmykia, Karelia, Chuvashia, Tuva, as well as the Krasnodar and Stavropol Territories, and the Penza, Kursk, and Tula Regions.

Dana Mamiy, a biology teacher at the Republican School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, serves as a jury member for the All-Russian Olympiad of Schoolchildren in biology. She also teaches specialized shifts at the Sirius Educational Center and is currently a master's student at the Faculty of Biology, Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov. In her presentation, she shared insights with schoolchildren on the unique characteristics of microbes and their significant role in various ecosystems.

During the biology lesson, students immersed themselves in the fascinating world of microbes, exploring their unique characteristics and their roles in various ecosystems. They examined three ecological groups of microbes: psychrophiles, mesophiles, and thermophiles, each inhabiting diverse climatic conditions across different regions of the planet. Additionally, they studied methanogenic bacteria that reside in the stomachs of cows, contributing to the formation of methane, a greenhouse gas with significant implications for climate change.

The children exhibited a keen interest in the narrative surrounding the Black Sea ecosystem, as well as the innovative technologies developed for mitigating environmental pollution resulting from oil and plastic waste, utilizing the metabolic potential of microorganisms. 

The video of the lesson is also available as a recording on the VK platform at the link . 

The upcoming online lesson titled "What a Twist!" is scheduled for October 17 at 12:00 and will focus on geometry. The session will be led by Maxim Koval, a mathematics teacher and founder of one of Russia's largest online schools, "Shkolkovo." Mr. Koval is a distinguished winner of the All-Russian School Olympiad in Mathematics and the "Conquer Vorobyovy Gory" Olympiad. You can join the lesson using the provided link.

Online lessons in natural sciences and mathematics are conducted as part of the Science Around project at Adyghe State University. This initiative is supported by a grant from the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia, within the framework of the federal project for the Popularization of Science and Technology. The lectures are delivered by faculty members from ASU, along with experts from leading scientific and educational institutions across the country, including Lomonosov Moscow State University, the Institute for System Programming of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Institute for Nuclear Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Letovo School, and the online educational project Shkolkovo.