The British Science Association (BSA) is calling on schools across the UK to participate in a national flu tracker. The BSA has teamed up with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, who run the UK’s annual Flusurvey, to monitor flu in schools at a national scale providing critical insight into the spread of flu and engaging young people first-hand in science.
Schools across the country are being encouraged to register by the end of the year, to participate in the project which will bring real scientific data into the classroom during National Science & Engineering Week in March 2014. Students will be able to analyse anonymised data showing the volume of flu cases and factors affecting flu transmission. Where sufficient responses are available, schools will be able to access and analyse data relating to their local area or even their own school.
Teachers will be supported with classroom materials including a lesson plan, activity ideas and student handouts to help educate pupils on the survey, encourage participation and support them in discussing the findings.
Flusurvey is an online system for measuring influenza trends and uniquely collects data directly from the public. This flu season, researchers will be looking at how exercise, diet and the number of hours spent studying impact on flu risk.
Visit www.britishscienceassociation.org/flusurvey to sign-up.
