Spread-of-Disease Modeling in a Microbiology Course

Microbiology is the study of microorganisms. Most college courses in microbiology emphasize the biology of bacteria and viruses, including those that are human pathogens. One challenging aspect of the course is to introduce students to epidemiology, which considers the causes, dispersal, and control of disease. Although disease transmission models have helped develop successful strategies for managing epidemics, most science students are unaware of their advantages and complexities. To address this challenge, the microbiology course at Wofford College has incorporated a sequence of three or four laboratories on modeling the spread of disease. Emphasis in Computational Science students who have studied modeling and simulation in depth serve as laboratory assistants and mentors. Evidence from test scores and self-assessment support the hypothesis that the sequence of laboratories has improved student understanding of human disease dynamics and demonstrated the utility of computational models.