TY - JOUR T1 - Biofilms with a dash of color: A hands-on activity for school students to build a biofilm model, and use it to understand antibiotic tolerance in biofilms JF - bioRxiv DO - 10.1101/2022.06.27.497701 SP - 2022.06.27.497701 AU - Snehal Kadam AU - Kashish Methwani AU - Karishma S Kaushik Y1 - 2022/01/01 UR - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2022/06/29/2022.06.27.497701.abstract N2 - It is increasingly recognized that microbes, such as bacteria, exist in communities or biofilms, both in the environment and human body. However, school biology curriculum continues to focus on the free-floating form of bacterial life, with minimal descriptions of biofilms. Consequently, there is a need to introduce biofilms to school students, to not only to develop a fundamental understanding of microbial life, but to also highlight the challenges posed by biofilm infections to antibiotic treatment. We have developed a hands-on activity in which students build a biofilm model, and use it to understand the role of the extracellular matrix in the antibiotic tolerance of biofilms. The activity uses simple, easy to obtain supplies, and can be conducted in an in-person or virtual format, with students participating from school or home. We conducted the activity in virtual mode for a group of 59 school students across India, and present feedback and learnings that could be used to execute and adapt this accessible and engaging science experience.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest. ER -