Disease Detective

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This activity (on pages 35-43) lets learners analyze a "herd of elk" to detect the spread of a bacterial disease called brucellosis. The activity simulates how wildilfe veterinarians study elk in the wild by sampling only a subset of the animals. Based on a brucellosis problem with elk in Yellowstone National Park, learners cut out representations for two herds and then pick some at random to "test" for disease (denoted as a plus sign on a diseased animal). The results indicate that elk fed in Wyoming over the winter have more disease than the wild elk that go north to Montana

Quick Guide

Preparation Time:
10 to 30 minutes
Learning Time:
45 to 60 minutes
Estimated Materials Cost:
1 cent - $1 per group of students
Age Range:
Ages 8 - 14
Resource Types:
Activity, Simulation
Language:
English, Spanish

Materials List (per group of students)

  • pencil or pen
  • colored pencils or crayons
  • scissors
  • tape
  • Printouts of the map (p. 36), range area (p. 38), southern herd (p. 39), and northern herd (p. 42)

Keywords

Subjects

  • Life Sciences
    • Diversity of Life
      • Animals
      • Viruses and Bacteria
    • Ecology
      • Human Impact
  • Mathematics
    • Data Analysis and Probability
      • Data Analysis
      • Data Collection
      • Probability
  • The Nature of Science
    • The Scientific Process
      • Conducting Investigations
      • Gathering Data
      • Formulating Explanations

Informal Categories

  • Animals
  • Nature and Environment

Audience

To use this activity, learners need to:

  • see

Learning styles supported:

  • Involves teamwork and communication skills
  • Uses STEM to solve real-world problems
  • Involves hands-on or lab activities

Designed specifically for

  • Rural dweller

Culture, ethnicity, and gender

  • Girls

    • Explicity developed for this group

Other

Foreign language versions of this resource:

Components that are part of this resource:

Includes alignment to state and/or national standards:

This resource is part of:

Access Rights:

  • Free access

By:

Source Collection

  • Science After School Consumer's Guide

Rights:

  • All rights reserved, University of Nebraska State Museum and Nebraska 4-H, 2002

Funding Sources:

  • National Science Foundation Informal Science Education Program, 9909496
  • Howard Hughes Medical Institute