Microbes to Macrobes (ATOM Study Guide)

In the twentieth century, infectious diseases that had long been a scourge were finally understood and controlled. Viruses had come to the attention of science, and an understanding of their role as disease vectors was being put to good use. The great Australian microbiologist Frank Fenner contributed to major medical and public health breakthroughs in this period, affirming his status as one of Australia's great scientists, who deserves to be better known, not least for his predictions of current global problems caused by people's unwillingness to accept that we too are part of Earth's ecologies. Fenner's story is told in Microbes to Macrobes (Richard Jasek, 2011) as a dramatization combined with interviews, archival footage and animations that help explain the science.

This guide is specifically designed for Years 9–10, but could be adapted for Years 7–8. It is applicable to studies of Science/Biology, Environmental Science, History, Media Studies and the General Capabilities of Literacy, and Critical and Creative Thinking.