Development of a Community-Driven Mosquito Surveillance Program for Vectors of La Crosse Virus to Educate, Inform, and Empower a Community

SIMPLE SUMMARY: A pilot program was designed using innovative STEM education programming to create a community-driven surveillance network for mosquitoes that transmit La Crosse virus (LACV). This East Tennessee program is called MEGA:BITESS (Medical Entomology and Geospatial Analyses: Bringing Innovation to Teacher Education and Surveillance Studies). MEGA:BITESS uses student-driven inquiries and classroom learning to engage 6th–12th graders directly with the science of mosquito biology and behaviors and public health science surrounding infectious diseases. As part of the program, the students test hypotheses by collecting surveillance data on mosquitoes carrying LACV, which causes La Crosse encephalitis (LACE), and analyzing their data with an open online platform. Program participants enhance awareness of LACE and help to identify mosquito populations for management, with our long-term goal of reducing LACE cases in children and other vulnerable populations in the region. ABSTRACT: The fields of entomology, geospatial science, and science communication are understaffed in many areas, resulting in poor community awareness and heightened risks of vector-borne diseases. This is especially true in East Tennessee, where La Crosse encephalitis (LACE) causes pediatric illness each year. In response to these problems, we created a community engagement program that includes a yearlong academy for secondary STEM educators in the 6–12 grade classroom. The objectives of this program were to support inquiry-driven classroom learning to foster student interest in STEM fields, produce community-driven mosquito surveillance, and enhance community awareness of LACE. We trained educators in medical entomology, geospatial science, and science communication, and they incorporated those skills into lesson plans for a mosquito oviposition experiment that tested hypotheses developed in the classroom. Here, we share results from the first two years of the MEGA:BITESS academy, tailored for our community by having students ask questions directly related to Aedes mosquito oviposition biology and La Crosse encephalitis. In year one, we recruited 17 educators to participate in the project, and 15 of those educators returned in year two. All participating educators completed the academy, conducted the oviposition experiment, and informed over 400 students about a variety of careers and disciplines for their students. Here, we present a community-based program that helps to address the problems associated with long-term mosquito surveillance, health and science education and communication, career opportunities, and the community needs of Appalachia, as well as the initial data on the effectiveness of two years of an educator-targeted professional-development program.