Scouting Out Public Health: Epidemiological Alumnus Brings Disease Investigation to Oklahoma Cub Scouts

Michael Clark, an epidemiology alumnus of the Hudson College of Public Health and senior evaluation project coordinator with the college’s Behavioral and Community Health Division, recently brought a spark of scientific curiosity to a group of young Oklahomans through a series of hands-on public health presentations.

At the Eagle and Scissortail district's summer day camp, Clark introduced dozens of young scouts to the world of disease investigation, transforming campers into junior epidemiologists for the day. The goal: to make public health engaging, memorable, and fun for kids, while teaching them valuable lessons about how germs spread and how we protect ourselves.

Creating a simulated outbreak of "daycampitis", a fictional infectious disease only found at day camp, each scout received a cup of water—three of which were secretly “infected” with a solution of sodium carbonate (washing soda). To demonstrate potential exposures such as coughing, sneezing, and close contact scouts mixed the liquid in the cups with one another three times, creating an invisible chain of transmission. When a pH indicator (phenolphthalein) was added, the "infected" cups turned bright pink while the "uninfected" remained clear. The scouts were then tasked with working backward from who they exchanged water with to determine who the original "patient zero" was—just like real-world disease detectives.

The exercise also highlights the challenges that field epidemiologists face when performing contact tracing during active outbreaks and working with the public.

Clark has also done "Germ's Alive" demonstrations with Cub scouts within an indoor setting. Using a special glow-in-the-dark powder to demonstrate how easily germs spread by physical contact with other scouts or on surfaces. After shaking hands and playing games, the kids examined themselves under UV light to see how the "germs" had transferred. The activity highlighted the power of handwashing and the invisible nature of contagion.

Other "Germs Alive" activities included:

• Simulated sneezes, using glitter and powder filled balloons, scouts burst their balloon to demonstrate the just how far pathogens can travel, and the importance of covering one's sneeze and coughs. The glitter used to represent droplet spread pathogens and the powder to demonstrate how airborne viruses are able to linger in the air.
• Slime-as-mucus demos, showing how our bodies trap and expel germs, with slime as a substitute for snot. While the kids play with the slime it picks up the glitter particles from surfaces (conveniently the same surfaces they used to make the sneeze balloons).

These creative, tactile activities leave a strong impression on the scouts—many of whom had never considered how easily illnesses can spread or how simple behaviors like handwashing can make a big difference.

Clark’s outreach reflects the Hudson College of Public Health’s commitment to community education and workforce development and shows how even our youngest Oklahomans can be empowered with public health knowledge.

As Clark put it: “They may not remember the word 'epidemiology,' but they’ll remember glowing hands, sneezing glitter, and what it means to protect themselves and others.”