Mohannad Al Saghir
Ohio University, USA
Title: Risk Awareness of Disease and Infection Undergraduate Study (RADIUS) Combining Teaching, Research and Community Service
Biography
Biography: Mohannad Al Saghir
Abstract
RADIUS (Risk Awareness of Disease and Infection Undergraduate Study) is a multipurpose project aimed at using modern
biotechnology to investigate the presence of parasitic and microbial contaminants in public parks, playgrounds and public
swimming pools in Zanesville, Ohio and provide Ohio University students with a superior learning experience through a
field-based, hands-on and problem-based curriculum centered on scientific and critical thinking. Launched in the Fall-2007,
RADIUS involved over 100 OUZ undergraduate students who collected swab and soil samples from public places and analyzed
them in the lab using both biochemical and molecular approaches. Many bacterial and fungal pathogens have been identified.
The project exposes students to modern biotechnology and its application to identify the potential environmental and
epidemiological risk factors and the dynamics of infectious agents in the local community. The RADIUS activities represent a
pilot model for incorporating biotechnology in teaching and learning, foster student-faculty research while providing service
to the community. Initial feedback and outcomes indicated the value of this form of improved undergraduate learning and
community service.