4-Hers conduct Germ Scene Investigation at annual 4-H conference held at Iowa State

On June 30, Iowa 4-Hers, attending the Iowa 4-H Youth Conference on Iowa State University’s campus, investigated a “Norovirus” outbreak in the Student Innovation Center. This Germ Scene Investigation (GSI) was led by assistant teaching professor in apparel, events, and hospitality management, Kathrine Ginapp; associate professors in apparel, events and hospitality management, Anirudh Naig and Eunha Jeong; and apparel, events, and hospitality management doctoral student, David Johnson. Students worked in teams to listen to an initial briefing based on the situation of “Norovirus” outbreak, then collected data based on clues to potential locations of contamination. After debriefing, participants presented their findings on how the virus was spread. Students watched a video with information about “Norovirus” and a second video about when, why, and how hands should be washed. The workshop highlighted how quickly germs spread, and the importance of proper hand washing.