Child wearing safety goggles and a purple glove uses a pipette at a hands-on science demonstration while an adult assists from behind.

Jose Lajom, 8, Emilio Lajom, 9, and Emily Lajom, 3, play “Guardians of the Gut,” a science-themed cornhole game about the beneficial microbes that inhabit the gastrointestinal tract. (photo by Erin O. Smith)

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By: Bill Snyder and Erin O. Smith

MEGAMicrobe, a free community event held Oct. 24 at Nashville’s Tom Joy Elementary School, introduced young students and their families to the wonderful world of microbes.

Hosted annually by the Vanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology and Inflammation (VI4), this year’s theme was “Power Up!”

Researchers from Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt Health led several fun activities to demonstrate how the “power” of science can reveal the important roles microscopic organisms play in the environment and human health.