A group of students from the Graduate Program in Agricultural Microbiology (PPGMBA) and undergraduates linked to the program’s laboratories are dedicating an entire week to promoting microbiology to the Viçosa community and visitors. Coordinated by the UFV Center for Studies in Agricultural Microbiology (NEMA), they are responsible for the microbiology stand at the 93rd edition of Semana do Fazendeiro, which ends this Friday with the theme “Inclusive and sustainable economic growth: a new look at agriculture”.

In 12 hours of daily activities, the students share information about the diversity of microorganisms with the public present at the event, arousing the community’s interest in science. The group estimates that more than a thousand people will visit the stand during the seven days of the event.

“We bring samples of our daily lives, in a very simple way. Most of the public are children. We bring a microscope so that they can see two fungi, and we also have some plates to demonstrate the presence of microorganisms in different environments,” explains student Thamylles Lima, NEMA’s secretary. The activities also include a sample of the presence of microorganisms on the tips of pencils used by the children, as well as tests to detect them in various other places. “We take some little plates and visitors put the sample they want, to see if there are any microorganisms. They just leave it for a minute, then we take it to the laboratory and make the results available online.”

As well as publicizing the activities carried out in the laboratories linked to the PPGMBA, participation in Semana do Fazendeiro is a way of raising awareness and teaching about the world of microorganisms. “People go there with misconceptions that microorganisms are always bad and always cause disease. Especially after the coronavirus, it’s important to show that yes, some microorganisms are pathogenic, but others contribute to various processes, such as food production, for example.”

The group coordinated by NEMA includes around 20 students, as well as teachers José Guilherme Prado Martin and Marliane de Cássia. This is the second time they have taken their stand to Semana do Fazendeiro, representing the Biological Sciences Center (CCB) as well as the PPG.