Choose your fighter! The immune system, pathogens, and their fascinating, never-ending battle.

Course Description

It's hard to think of the sheer amount of invisible threats our bodies face every single day. The bit of dust blown in your face, the person who sneezed next to you on the bus, the slightly undercooked meat from last night’s dinner … You may not think much of these mundane events, but they represent the start of an incredible battle that happens between your immune system and all it perceives as a threat. This mini-course program will teach you all about your immune cells and how they fight to keep you safe. Here’s a basic layout of our week:

Day 1 - Meet your champions: What is the immune system? What kind of cells make up our body’s intricate defense system? Let’s explore the strange history of immunology and learn all about T cells, B cells, natural killer cells and all the other unsung heroes of your body!

Day 2 - Meet the antagonists: Bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites, prions … These nasty guys are all vying for the chance to invade your body. Let’s learn about what makes them tick, and how the immune system fights them off.

Day 3 - Immune diseases: Allergies, autoimmune diseases and cancer all happen when your immune system stumbles and doesn't work as it should. We’ll learn how, sometimes, your greatest enemy might be yourself.

Day 4 - Immune therapies and vaccines: Sometimes, heroes need a bit of support. We’ll learn how science evolved to boost the immune system, and we’ll explore vaccine mis- and disinformation. This day may include a visit from a guest speaker from the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute’s Cancer Centre research team.

Day 5 - Time to show what you got! Students will use their knowledge from the mini-course program and their hands-on skills to build a bounty-hunting plan against a given pathogen, and will present their work to their class through a fun stage play.