See You at CASE Palm Springs! 

We're attending the California Association of Science Education Conference (CASE), October 20 - 22. Stop by our booth #405 to get hands-on with our dynamic kits and models. Attend our sessions in room Smoketree D for interactive, collaborative learning with fellow educators.

This year's sessions include:

• Exploring the Properties of Water and Cell Membranes
• Folding and Molding: Hands-On Protein Structure
• Making Sense of Genetic Information Through Modeling: Replication, Transcription & Translation
• DNA with a Twist: Using Multiple Models in the Classroom
• Unraveling Multiple Representations of Chromosomes to Reveal Student Thinking
• Get to Know H2O with Hands-on Models 

Discover how to take lessons off the page and into hands-on learning by integrating modeling into your classroom! Click here for more information about our sessions.

Science Spotlight

To honor Hispanic Heritage Month, we are celebrating Dr. Susana López Charretón, a Mexican virologist specializing in the study of cellular and molecular biology of rotavirus infection. Her lines of research also focus on the functional genomics of the virus-host cell interaction, as well as aspects of epidemiology, diagnosis, and viral metagenomics of emerging diseases. Throughout her career, López has made amazing advancements in our understanding of rotavirus. One of the most important findings from López Charretón research group is related to viral entry into a human body. She also studied how the rotavirus spreads in human populations, the immune response to it, and its replication cycle. This work has contributed to new diagnostic tests, isolation of new strains, and efforts towards a vaccine.

After finishing her doctorate, López Charretón became the principal investigator at the Institute of Biotechnology at UNAM, where she continues to work today. Since the beginning of 2020, her group has redirected part of its work to participate in the diagnostic and characterization efforts of various aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more about Dr. López Charretón's work on rotavirus here. 

“To me science is a way of living, something that fulfills me completely,”
- Dr. Susana López Charretón

Get Your COVID Booster and Flu Vaccine this Fall

Getting your COVID booster and flu shot this season is crucial for protecting both yourself and your community. Boosting your COVID immunity ensures you stay safeguarded against emerging variants and helps curb the spread of the virus. Simultaneously, getting a flu shot reduces the strain on healthcare systems, preventing a dual-threat scenario and allowing resources to be allocated more efficiently.

Find your vaccine location and more information about the latest COVID vaccination here.

Explore Infection and Disease Through Modeling

Help your students visualize and better understand the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus with our 3D printed model. The antibodies on this model allow students to model how any antibody finds and attaches to the receptor-binding domain of the spike protein, preventing it from binding to the ACE2 receptor.

Then, have your students explore antibodies in greater detail with our antibody model. As your students seek to bind the end of the antibody to its corresponding antigen, they will appreciate the importance of specificity. 

With these models, your students will feel confident exploring infection and disease.

Don't forget to review our Classroom Resources for our coronavirus and antibody models, too!