Tackling climate change with gas-guzzling microbes

Suitable for 14-19-year olds (secondary and high schools, and college), this article and accompanying activity sheet can be used in the classroom, STEM clubs and at home.

This resource links to KS4 and KS5/Grade 9-10 and Grade 11-12 Economics and PSHE.

It can also be used as a careers resource and links to Gatsby Benchmarks (UK):
Gatsby Benchmark 2: Learning from career and labour market information
Gatsby Benchmark 4: Linking curriculum learning to careers

• This teaching resource explains the work of Professor Esteban Marcellin from the University of Queensland and Professor Chris Greening and Dr Leonie van ‘t Hag from Monash University in Australia. They work together at the ARC Research Hub for Carbon Utilisation and Recycling (RECARB Hub), where they are using microbes to convert gases into protein through the process of bioconversion.

• This resource also contains interviews with Esteban, Chris and Leonie, and offers an insight into careers in bioconversion. If your students have questions for the researchers, they can send them through the Futurum Careers website.

• The activity sheet provides ‘talking points’ (based on Bloom’s Taxonomy) to prompt students to reflect on the team’s research and challenges them to design a pitch that showcases the team’s bioconversion techniques.

This resource was first published by Futurum Careers, a free online resource and magazine aimed at encouraging 14-19-year-olds worldwide to pursue careers in science, tech, engineering, maths, medicine (STEM) and social sciences, humanities and the arts for people and the economy (SHAPE).

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