Parents

Encourage your children’s science educators to participate with the Mega:Bitess Academy

Encouraging secondary- and high school students to pursue STEM careers  is Mega:Bitess’ mission. The Mega:Bitess Academy is located at the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture (UTIA) in Knoxville. Educators at secondary and high schools apply to participate in the Academy – taught by UTK faculty and other experts — which teaches them about medical entomology, geospatial analysis, and science communication.

Students touching a sample in the field
Middle school students EXCITED about the eggs on their egg papers.
Identifying a mosquito under the microscope which is then displayed on a tv for educators to see.
Identifying a mosquito under the microscope which is then displayed
on a TV for educators to see.

Mega:Bitess focuses on La Crosse virus, which is spread by Aedes triseriatus (or tree-hole) mosquitoes. The virus can cause La Crosse encephalitis (LACE). LACE predominantly affects adolescents and children. Although LACE can be debilitating or fatal, it is not common (about 68 cases per year, mostly in Appalachia) and – most importantly – it is easily preventable.

Through Mega:Bitess, students get the chance to develop their own class research project using the scientific method, collect data, map their data, and communicate their findings to the community. Educators develop lesson plans throughout the Academy to demonstrate the interrelationships of the concepts to their students. Seventeen teachers in East Tennessee completed the first Academy cohort in May 2020.

Students studying a mosquito sample in a tube.
Middle school students are using a Geo-inquiry Tuberic to help them formulate a question for their mosquito surveillance research.