Encouraging scientific debate: comics written and reviewed by young learners

BBSRC Public Engagement Awards 2009/10

Students produced material that was assessed by peers (referees) from another school. The material was in the format of a comic exploring the specific topic of how variation, inheritance and evolution impact in modern life. The students were guided to topics related to our ongoing research such as the development of resistance to antibiotics and pesticides, the selection of modern varieties of crops, mathematical modelling for evolution or the co-existence of different species of plants in communities in different environments. These topics are related to Darwin's ideas and introduced in the context of the bicentenary of Charles Darwin's birth. The articles produced provided valuable insights into the students own preferred means of communication, as well as their perception and understanding of Darwin's ideas.

www.bbsrc.ac.uk/society/funding/public_engagement_awards.html

Download the comics
Anthoxanthum odoratum	Back to the future
Fascinating Facts of Biodiversity	Fearless Farmer Fights Field of Fungi

Documents

A letter for the students
General Guidelines
Instructions for authors
Instructions for referees
Comic template
Template for the referees
Comic abstract
Making sense of science stories (a guide to peer review)

Topics and mentors

Using maths in the fight against the superbugs
Mentors: Dr Stephen Parnell and Dr Giovanni Lo Iaconno
Evolution of resistance to fungicides
Mentor: Dr Hans Cools
The Mystery of Biodiversity
Mentor: Dr Igor Emelianov
Park Grass: testing new ideas on an old experiment
Mentor: Dr Jonathan Storkey
Insects fight back!
Mentors: Dr Inez Demon and Dr Kevin Gorman

Schools involved

Challney High School for Girls in Luton - www.challneygirls.luton.sch.uk
Clapton Girls Technology College in Hackney - www.clapton.hackney.sch.uk

External links

Peer Review (Sense About Science)
Science Communication Unir - Science Comics (University of the West of England)