Grade 9 student Areebah becomes an infectious disease detective

Areebah Armin Ahsan, a Grade 9 student at the Aga Khan Academy Dhaka recently participated in a three-day programme at the Child Health Research Foundation (CHRF) to explore the cause of infectious diseases with local scientists.

The ‘Infectious Disease Detective’ programme, an initiative by the Building Scientists for Bangladesh, offers a unique opportunity for young scholars. Under Stream 2: Bringing People to Science, students from grades 7-12 are invited to step into the shoes of scientists and do microbiological investigations. Areebah joined the beginner-level programme tailored for Grades 9-10 to investigate the case of a patient named Kabir.

Throughout the programme, participants collaborated with local scientists, visited diagnostic labs and safely performed hands-on experiments. Using state-of-the-art equipment with the guidance and supervision of the scientists, Areebah identified that the root cause of Kabir's illness was the bacterium Klebsiella Pneumoniae.

“Being an infectious disease detective at CHRF was a wild bacteria bonanza,” Areebah said. “For three days, I chased around bacteria like Sherlock Holmes, but in a lab coat and gloves instead of a dressing gown.”

After the programme, Areebah and her peers were awarded a certificate and had the privilege to meet and interact with the renowned Bangladeshi scientist, Ms Senjuti Saha. This session allowed the participants to exchange their learnings and gain further insights into the world of scientific research.

Middle Years Programme Coordinator at the Academy Ms Ira Shrivastav praised the students’ curious nature.

“Every day, we witness the innate curiosity of our students,” Ms Ira said. “Areebah's venture into the microscopic world exemplifies the boundless potential our students possess when their curiosity is kindled.”