Hands-on Workshop: Behind the Scenes of the Gram Stain Virtual Lab

During this short workshop, you’ll use a biology lab simulation, taking the same journey your students take to learn how to differentiate bacterial species using the Gram stain technique. Wondering why instructors are teaching with simulations when students are back to learning in person? Get your questions answered by a simulation designer while you join her in playing Gram Stain: how stains and counterstains work.

Here’s what’s in store: you’ll explore how the four reagents of the Gram stain interact with structural components of the cell wall to color the bacteria. Now able to tell the difference, you’ll be trained to use a light microscope to interpret the results of a given Gram stain. Still, inside the virtual world, you can view the microscopic image on the screen, and even apply immersion oil to increase the magnification! Confused? You can repeat the process until you’ve mastered the technique. Better yet, you can keep using this simulation after the workshop is over. We’ll leave it open for a short time so you can assign it to your students and get their feedback!