Middle school students complete mosquito surveillance, citizen science program

West Covina, Calif. (June 13, 2023) — The San Gabriel Valley Mosquito & Vector Control District (SGVMVCD/District) proudly awarded 44 Vector Inspectors of the Year (VIY) from the cities of Sierra Madre, West Covina, and Monrovia for their participation in a mosquito surveillance program. Through Operation Mosquito G.R.I.D., students use the same tools as vector ecologists to determine the presence or absence of invasive Aedes mosquitoes.

Aedes mosquitoes are vectors for dengue, yellow fever, Zika, and chikungunya which can circulate in San Gabriel Valley communities if mosquitoes remain unchecked. The students’ actions on their properties, during, and beyond the conclusion of the surveillance project, protect their entire neighborhood.

SGVMVCD Education Specialist Kriztian Luna Corona stated, “Operation Mosquito G.R.I.D. exposes students to real-life public health work. Their investigative efforts at home and exposure to data analysis build 21st century S.T.E.A.M. skills and prepare students to be public health heroes of tomorrow.

VIY recipients committed to the program for the length of the school year. Operation Mosquito G.R.I.D requires them to sign up for the program, prepare their property for mosquito surveillance, and submit two types of surveillance data within the first six weeks. Additionally, students submitted stagnant water samples to look for evidence of aquatic stages of mosquitoes and lure papers for evidence of egg-laying Aedes mosquitoes. The VIY award recipients didn’t stop there, they continued to report findings through their 1-, 3-, and 6-months check-in surveys. The program is designed to make positive contributions to reducing public health risk in their communities.

“My students benefited greatly from Operation Mosquito G.R.I.D.!” said Danny Woo, a teacher from San Jose Charter Academy. “We are always looking for ways to increase their scientific agency and the fact that they were able to apply the scientific process to a task that was helpful to their community was extremely meaningful.”

Teachers interested in bringing Operation Mosquito G.R.I.D. sample analysis into their classrooms can visit www.vectoreducation.org/professionaldevelopment. Registration is now open for fall 2023 Operation Mosquito G.R.I.D. at www.vectoreducation.org.

For more information, residents can contact the San Gabriel Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District at 626-814-9466, online at SGVmosquito.org, or on social media: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

###

MEDIA CONTACT

Anais Medina Diaz, Director of Communications 

amedinadiaz@SGVmosquito.org | 626-814-9466