Discussion

Until recently, little parasitology has been taught in schools. However, with the introduction of the Curriculum for Excellence, and more recently, the introduction of a new Advanced Higher Biology syllabus in Scotland, there have been increasing opportunities to engage pupils and teachers and to enhance the school curriculum with parasitology-related activities. For over a decade, I have coordinated and run an extensive schools public engagement (PE) programme in infection biology, which has reached thousands of children aged 2-17 and their teachers, and has involved hundreds of University of Glasgow volunteers, including many PhD students. More recently, I have incorporated various aspects of PE into my undergraduate teaching, which has led to a number of undergraduates also volunteering in our PE programme and enhancing their communication skills. Here, I will give an overview of the hands-on parasitology-related activities and experiments I have developed for schools, the resources we have available to share with any interested parties, and my recent work to involve more students in PE