Infectious Disease: Evolving Challenges to Human Health
Medical Mysteries on the Web
 Overview of Activity
An interactive game where students take on the role of medical mystery detectives on a mission to keep deadly diseases from spreading.
Activity Type: Online Video Game
URLs: http://medmyst.rice.edu/index.html or http://reconstructors.rice.edu/
Grade Level: 9-12
Level of Difficulty: Intermediate and Advanced
Amount of Time Required for Activity: One 40-minute Class Period for Each Mission, Including Discussion Time
Recommended Uses:
Prior to attending exhibit, mission one may be used as an activity to familiarize students with different types of pathogens
After visiting the exhibit, missions two and three may be used to reinforce the concepts introduced through the exhibit and further student understanding of epidemiology and how different pathogens take over the body and respond to treatments.
Description
During mission one of this online activity, students take on the role of a "reconstructor," a medical mystery detective who is undergoing training to learn about the different types of microbes and mechanisms the body uses to fight disease. After s/he completes mission one, the reconstructor is engaged in actively discovering roots of diseases and finding solutions for controlling and curing the disease in missions two and three by answering series of questions based on the knowledge s/he has gained during the training. By the end of all three missions, students will be familiar with different disease causing agents, vaccines, ways the immune system responds to pathogens, and ways epidemiologists study and control the spread of disease.
This activity is designed by Rice University as an educational supplement on disease detection and prevention.
Relation to the Science Standards
High School
Content Standard A - Abilities Necessary to Do Scientific Inquiry
Content Standard C - The Cell
Content Standard C - Behavior of Organisms
Content Standard E - Abilities of Technological Design
Content Standard F - Personal and Community Health
Content Standard F - Population Growth
Content Standard F - Science and Technology in Local, National, and Global Challenges
Content Standard G - Science as a Human Endeavor
Related Part of the Exhibit
Where Are They?
Vaccines and Human Immunity
Additional Related Links
Mission 1: http://medmyst.rice.edu/lessons/MM-TM1-13.pdf
Mission 2: http://medmyst.rice.edu/lessons/MM-TM1-18.pdf
Mission 3: http://medmyst.rice.edu/lessons/MM-TM1-29.pdf
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