Abstract
Purpose
Undergraduate microbiology or biology students are not likely to be acquainted with the deterioration of cultural heritage. However, the topic provides an excellent opportunity for students to bring their existing ‘non-scientific’ skills and knowledge (such as history, geography, art, photography, and textiles) together with applied microbiology in order to develop their learning.
Methods
A lecture on microbiology and art was given to first-year undergraduate students, who were then set an assignment to investigate a topic of their choice linking the two subjects, illustrated by a creative output.
Results
The assignment enabled students to demonstrate their creativity, use their different talents, and engage in new learning. It proved very successful as a tool for engaging and inspiring the students to study microbiology and be more explorative in subsequent years. Indeed, for final year studies, some students continued to work on their ‘art project’.
Interdisciplinary collaborations and new learning for the author have been additional benefits of this education project, with many varied outputs, including an ‘Atlas of Biodeterioration’, produced by researchers in the field.
Conclusion
Biodeterioration of cultural heritage provides a rich focus for the development of informative and innovative activities in an educational setting.
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Acknowledgements
The author would like to thank the students who engaged so enthusiastically in these projects, as well as the sponsors who supported some of the activities.
Funding
Funding supported some of the activities described in this short communication. Funders were the Microbiology Society (one art exhibition and PhD studentship on algae), Society for Applied Microbiology (support for an event associated with artwork display), International Biodeterioration and Biodegradation Society summer studentship (Norton Priory project), EPSRC-funded Bridging the Gaps Nano-Info-Bio project Grant Reference EP/H000291/1 (partial support of cinefilm deterioration project), Leica UK and Yakult UK (student prizes for art exhibitions).
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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the faculty research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
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Verran, J. Mixed culture: encouraging cross-disciplinary collaboration and communication to enhance learning. Ann Microbiol 69, 1107–1111 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13213-019-01481-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13213-019-01481-8