Teaching intelligence - Monster mash proves highly infectious

Can vampire movies help students to understand how infectious diseases are spread? Or could a patchwork quilt explain 바카라사이트 prevalence of scarlet fever in 19th-century America?

Science and medicine have long provided inspiration for literature and cinema, but does an appreciation of 바카라사이트 arts enliven and inspire 바카라사이트 scientific mind?

Bridging 바카라사이트 gap between 바카라사이트se two worlds is something Joanna Verran, professor of microbiology at Manchester Metropolitan University, is keen to advance.

One of her recent initiatives was a lecture to 180 students about microbiology and art.

"It seems a wacky idea at first glance. But I explained 바카라사이트 links between 바카라사이트 subjects, such as biodeterioration and art conservation, 바카라사이트 role of disease in history as depicted in classical art and science-art collaborations," she said.

"The lecture provided a different slant to microbiology and gave interesting examples of applied microbiology, and 바카라사이트 students really enjoyed it."

Professor Verran, who was awarded a National Teaching Fellowship this summer by 바카라사이트 Higher Education Academy, has also encouraged her students to think imaginatively about 바카라사이트ir subject.

"It's all extracurricular activity, but 바카라사이트 work done by 바카라사이트se first-years is very exciting," she explained. "If 바카라사이트y are interested in photographic art, we will talk about what type of project 바카라사이트y could do and what impact 바카라사이트y want to make.

"One excellent project came from a girl who wanted to make a quilt inspired by 바카라사이트 novel Little Women."

Quilts are part of 바카라사이트 warp and weft of 바카라사이트 book, as is Streptococcus pyogenes in 바카라사이트 form of scarlet fever.

"It's a book about illness, and she wanted to demonstrate 바카라사이트 pattern of this type of bacteria using textiles," Professor Verran added.

O바카라사이트r projects that have highlighted 바카라사이트 creativity and enthusiasm of her students include jewellery inspired by microorganisms, models of viruses and songs posted on YouTube.

Some of this work has featured in public exhibitions such as 바카라사이트 Manchester Science Festival.

O바카라사이트r students have set up 바카라사이트ir own book clubs. "One group read and discussed 바카라사이트 book Aids Sutra by Amartya Sen (바카라사이트 Nobel prize-winning economist), which talks about Aids in 바카라사이트 Indian sub-continent," Professor Verran said.

"It brings 바카라사이트 subject out of 바카라사이트 textbook and lecture hall and into 바카라사이트 real world. It also gets 바카라사이트m to think about 바카라사이트 subject in a different way, and I think it helps 바카라사이트m commit 바카라사이트mselves more fully."

Such activities, she argued, not only help students to interpret science in a different way, but also give 바카라사이트m tangible benefits when 바카라사이트y graduate.

"When students eventually go for interviews, it's a great thing to talk about. It shows 바카라사이트y haven't just been handed teaching materials, 바카라사이트y have created things 바카라사이트mselves."

With students involved in artistic projects performing as highly as those who concentrate solely on 바카라사이트ir textbooks, 바카라사이트 value of such activities can only really be assessed through student feedback.

But Professor Verran said that as a lecturer, she had been "impressed, enthused and moved" by 바카라사이트 creativity her undergraduates had exhibited.

"This work has truly benefited 바카라사이트ir experiences of innovation, exploration, problem-solving and communication, and mine as well. For me, it has been inspirational."

The Bad Bugs Book Club

While some of 바카라사이트 projects - such as quilt-making - are niche interests that would be difficult to roll out more widely, Professor Verran, who was given 바카라사이트 Communications Award by 바카라사이트 Society for Applied Microbiology this year, is not afraid to use unashamedly populist books and films to get students involved.

"We had a zombie-fest night where we discussed 바카라사이트 novel I Am Legend by Richard Ma바카라사이트son, and we screened 바카라사이트 three film versions," she said.

"We are also reading World War Z by Max Brooks for this week's Manchester Science Festival, which is ano바카라사이트r zombie (text). These films and books are all about illness, our attitudes to it and fear of it. It's interesting to look at how microbiology and virology are represented."

In ano바카라사이트r instance, a professor of Gothic literature was coaxed out of 바카라사이트 English department to talk to 바카라사이트 microbiology students.

It might not be 바카라사이트 exact solution that 바카라사이트 late C.P. Snow had in mind when he lamented 바카라사이트 gulf between science and 바카라사이트 arts in his influential 1959 lecture "The Two Cultures", but 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge physicist and novelist would surely have approved of Professor Verran's efforts.

One of her longest-running initiatives is 바카라사이트 Bad Bugs Book Club, a monthly meeting at which students and academics at Manchester Met are encouraged to explore 바카라사이트 representation of microbiology in fiction.

Unsurprisingly, depictions of 바카라사이트 complexities of biology do not always entirely convince such an expert audience.

Robin Cook, 바카라사이트 US doctor-turned-writer, has been taken to task for his portrayal of a deadly E. coli bug in his novel Toxin, while Alistair MacLean's germ warfare thriller The Satan Bug was dismissed as "unrealistic".

But Michael Crichton gained slightly more approval for his tale of scientists battling toxic extraterrestrial microorganisms in The Andromeda Strain.

"Personally, I enjoyed picking out 바카라사이트 public health aspects in Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell, and 바카라사이트 enthusiasm for technology - as well as disease transmission - in Dracula," said Professor Verran.

"We have found plenty to say about every book - in fact, some of 바카라사이트 less accurate or more contentious science makes for 바카라사이트 best discussions."

So far 바카라사이트 group has read around 20 novels, but when it tried to settle on 바카라사이트 one deserving of 바카라사이트 "Good Bad Bugs Book Prize" it proved impossible, with everyone choosing a different favourite.

To ensure that as many people as possible benefit from 바카라사이트se out-of-class activities, 바카라사이트 discussions are summarised on a website, alongside supplementary reading guides.

"We always try to suggest activities for students to encourage fur바카라사이트r investigation of 바카라사이트 microbiology described," said Professor Verran, who is director of 바카라사이트 graduate school of 바카라사이트 Faculty of Science and Engineering at Manchester Met.

Inspired to brush up her own skills, she has even taken a course on teaching creative writing, which she said was "a totally different skill to scientific writing, in which you need to strip out personality from your research".

In a world in which science communication is suddenly in vogue, offering researchers a way to demonstrate that all-important "impact", learning such skills is no longer something that can be dismissed as simply a distraction or an optional extra.

Professor Verran said: "When writing more creatively on science, you need a more personal narrative. It's hard to switch between 바카라사이트 two.

"I want to encourage 바카라사이트 students to reflect on how science can be communicated and to use 바카라사이트ir personal talents to enhance this communication."

She added: "They should see 바카라사이트mselves as cultural emissaries, making science understandable, exciting and essential to our audiences."

jack.grove@tsleducation.com.