Which microbes eat what?

1 February 2019 1 min read

Teacher Ruth was hoping to refresh her skills by spending time working with a scientist in an area that was new to her, and hoped to establish links to the classroom.

The project: Which microbes eat what?

Ruth participated on a project investigating microbes and what they eat. The project involved microbes from the deep subsurface that interact with fuels to understand how they alter fuel properties (e.g. making more methane from coal, or reducing H2S production).

The impact

Ruth has a renewed appreciation for laboratory science the need to remain a life-long learner. The experience provided meaningful content and a fresh approach to her delivery of science content to high school students.

Following the experience Ruth developed resources and an inquiry project where students research microbes (fungi) and generate their own questions. Students learn about micro-organisms and the role they can play in solving real world problems, such as enhancing coal seam methane.

Teacher developed resource

A range of STEM resources developed by our Teacher Researcher in Partnership Program alumni are available for free download. You can download Shane's student inquiry based lesson in our Education Resource Library.