How can you tell if harmful bacteria are in your food or water that might make you sick? What you eat or drink can be contaminated with bacteria, viruses, parasites and toxins—pathogens that can be harmful or even fatal. Students learn which contaminants have the greatest health risks and how they enter the food supply. While food supply contaminants can be identified from cultures grown in labs, bioengineers are creating technologies to make the detection of contaminated food quicker, easier and more effective.

Exploring “renewal” and “regeneration” through a holistic perspective, this project presents these concepts through the lens of sustainability. Students make connections to these concepts in the classroom and on the land. Whether they are exploring the impact of fires and controlled burns on the ecosystem or considering ways to regenerate and heal from trauma, students will have the opportunity to consider the many ways that people and the environment can rejuvenate in the wake of real or perceived destruction.In this folder, you will find:1. Teacher Overview2. Science Unit Plan3. Art Extension Unit4. ELA Extention Unit5. Outdoor Education Extension Unit6. Health Extension Unit7. Indigenous Perspectives Extension Unit

How can you tell if harmful bacteria are growing in your food? Students learn to culture bacteria in order to examine ground meat and bagged salad samples, looking for common foodborne bacteria such as E. coli or salmonella. After 2-7 days of incubation, they observe and identify the resulting bacteria. Based on their first-hand experiences conducting this conventional biological culturing process, they consider its suitability in meeting society's need for ongoing detection of harmful bacteria in its food supply, leading them to see the need for bioengineering inventions for rapid response bio-detection systems.