Zahra Boudidah (MIC190702)
Reflective Text (GIG1005:
Social Engagement) Zahra
Boudidah (MIC190702)
03 May 2020
Reflective
Text
As part of the
Social Engagement course, it is important to raise general awareness concerning
public health and personal hygiene in order to maintain safe wellbeing
boundaries. Such exercises must be observed through a person’s life and must be
continuously enforced and encouraged. The most appropriate time to cement such
knowledge, and fully appreciate it, however, is between the ages of middle
school and first years of college. Therefore, our main audience is in fact of
age and most activities and actions undergone have this age group foremost in
mind. This process of raising awareness is best described in about three parts;
preparation, execution and feedback (both personal and general).
Initially it is important to
have an initial organizing meeting during which roles are assigned and groups
are set. In addition, this internal workshop is also an opportunity to plan for
the day, as well as replicate the tests and activities that would be explored
during the actual outing. Such preparations would ensure every member has a
clear image of their roles in this mission going in, as well as allowing the
different group members to get used to each other and assimilate to the group
spirit. Another aspect to the internal workshop is the importance to replicate
the activities, so this can easily be repeated in the day. In our internal
workshop, we experimented successfully with four main activities, designing a
balloon replication of various bacterium main shapes, microscope building,
sneezing distance test and the handshake tracer test.
To begin with, there was the
balloon models that replicated various common pathogens such as E. coli, and Typhoid.
The basic shape of these bacteria’s bodies was copied using different sized
balloons then any additional features such as flagella were added in the ends.
In addition to actually building the model, each group receives cards with the
basic information of each bacterium. This enables an efficient means of
knowledge through play that ensures the information is sealed in one’s mind.
Later, we explored and replicated the construction of a pocket microscope with a maximum magnification of x40. The device was basically a foldable microscope that can be used with a pocket light to observe various slide of microorganisms, although there wasn’t an option to alter lenses strength, light intensity could be meddled with and the stage constructed was quite easy to maintain and easy to use. There were multiple steps and the activity was considerable complex, which is why it was deemed appropriate to save an entire day for the construction and use of this device. Despite the complex construction process, it was quite a fun activity and the result was most satisfying and worth the mild frustration felt when constructing. That being said, it was important to follow instructions, or the task was doubled, and isn’t it embracing to make mistakes in an activity meant for middle pupils? Once the microscopes were built, we were able to check out various samples ranging from ants to various lake microorganisms to frogs’ eggs. Unfortunately, my group’s personal experience struggled to find any organism unless they are bright red, but those were rewarding enough to observe.
The two final activities
explored the unexpected movement and transfer of bacteria between people and
the efficiency of different modes of protection and cleansing. The first
involved using a colored water sample that was sprayed across a paper covered
distance in order to replicate the trajectory of a sneeze. We were to observe
and measure the natural trajectory with no barriers then we were to add
different kinds of barriers and record the difference. Different tissue paper
thickness and a hand like obstacle was used. I found that this exercise really
helped us visualize just how transmitting a simple sneeze is. As well as how
important is to contain it. However contain it (which often requires the hand)
would contaminate our hand, and this leads us to the next activity and final
one. We spread along a line and the first member’s hand was laved in a powder
that glowed under LED light. This member then shook hands with the person next
to him and the one next to him did the same and so on and so forth. We were
then given a water bucket from which to rinse our hand as we usually typically
would, and an LED torch was shined on each of our hands. Even I was shocked by
how ineffective my own cleansing technique was and by how easily and how much
of the powder was stuck into my own hand...
By the end of the multi-hour
session I was both confident and excited. I was sure that despite my language
barrier as an international student that I would do quite well to get my point
across. In addition, I felt that I was quite assimilated to my team and that we
had our roles and characters quite figured out. I was very excited to try my
new skills in the selected middle schools.
Unfortunately, and due to the serious pandemic spread of SARS-COV-2 or COVID-19, the country shutdown has denied us any chance to replicate our internal workshop with our target schools. Although I was disappointed, I understood the need for such an unfortunate turn of events, and found a new purpose and a new means to usefulness through Dr. Puah’s alternative Social Engagement Project. Our group was to split into three main groups that both created an informative poster on COVID-19 and hand wash, another group made a hand wash video. Finally, my group made a survey detailing the circumstances of various spread and means to avoid it.
Feedback for this work can be
observed two-fold, firstly the effect it likely has on the general targeted
population second, at a personal level, the effects the work had on me and the
challenges felt. I believe these activities and projects would influence
different people of the targeted age group and be a positive educator, enabling
the message to be correctly transmitted. And I believe that the comical and
entertaining means we have attempted to convey this issue has been even more
beneficial in this quest. Most likely the consumers of these works would be
both satisfied and informed, and in a time like this, knowledge and information
are main tools for spread prevention.
This activity has been
eye-opening and invaluable in the many lessons it has tough us both at a
scientific level, group and community level. It has tough us the importance of
community hygiene as well as personal. In addition, it could not come at a
better time, today, we must willingly isolate ourselves in order to preserve
each other’s good health. There is no better example of community
responsibility than this in my opinion. Furthermore, this activity was made
especially fun due to the continued support and help of our instructor, Dr.
Puah, who has foreseen to our learning, fun and experience unerringly, building
our confidence in our work along the way.
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