Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria. Often called "phages," they are incredibly tiny and abundant in nature. When a phage encounters a bacterium, it attaches itself and injects its genetic material into the bacterial cell. This essentially "hijacks" the bacteria, forcing it to produce new phage particles. Eventually, the bacteria bursts open, releasing the new phages to infect more bacteria. This process makes phages potential tools to combat bacterial infections, especially those resistant to antibiotics.

My Kit Card is designed to facilitate a comprehensive understanding of bacteriophage structure and function among biology students. I envision its widespread adoption in classrooms globally to enhance learning through engaging and interactive methods. By deconstructing the complex components of this virus, my project aims to provide a clear and accessible visual representation of bacteriophage morphology.

What makes my project so unique?

• The Kit Card is easy to print with a relatively short print time.
• My Bacteriophage model is fully deconstructable so specific parts can be studied during lessons.
• Students assemble the model themselves which leads to a higher memory retention of the structure of the bacteriophage while also making learning about it more interesting and fun!
• Filament purge/poop is used in my model to cleverly represent the nucleic acid (DNA) in the capsid head.
• The model can be pushed down to show how the virus injects its DNA into bacteria.
• Bacteriophages inject bacteria with their own DNA. My model allows an unwound piece of filament purge/poop to pass through the sheath and out of the virus to show students how the DNA is acually ejected out of the virus!
• The Kit Card contains easy to understand information about the structure of the Bacteriophage.
• It is the perfect tool to help facilitate the learning of our microscopic world!

The Kit Card is pretty easy to assemble (assembly pictures are shown in the assembly guide document below). Here are some pictures to guide your assembly:

I really hope you enjoy my Kit Card! Dont forget to keep on learning!