Co-IMMUNICATE: A project communicating immunity to the community

We are a group of researchers and teachers in Glasgow working together to help our local communities understand more about viruses and how our immune cells defend us against them. Each spring we work with the P6/7 class at Anderston primary school to design activities that help explain what happens when people are infected with a respiratory virus. 2020 was the first year of the project and focused on describing what viruses are and what happens when we get infected. We ran various fun activities aimed to increase the pupil’s knowledge on how flu spreads and the immune response against it. In 2021, we ran an online version of the project due to COVID-19. The theme was communication between cells infected with a virus and immune cells. Each session had a display of information via slides before exciting interactive activities aimed to help the pupils understand various steps involved in the immune response. The co-IMMUNICATE App was planned as another informative tool that uses a tablet to help the pupils and the broader community understand what happens after a respiratory virus infection. The app is designed by our collaborators at the Glasgow school of Art with illustrations and voice overs by the pupils. This app has been fundamental in us engaging with the public at events. In 2023, we will ask the pupils themselves to design their own activities to help younger children understand about viruses. These displays will be presented at the Glasgow Science festival allowing the pupils the opportunity to directly engage with the community