© 2007-2010 Tim Peters and Company, Inc. BRISTOL-MYERS SQUIBB. A young woman learns more about HIV after she discovers that her sister is dying of the disease.

©2006 by the National Science Teachers Association. University of Nebraska State Museum. After being introduced to viruses, students do three activities to gain a better understanding of HIV: 1) meet HIV and make a flip book to watch the action of a virus attack; 2) investigate how HIV from a mother can evolve into new strains when it is passed on to her baby; 3) after reading HIV fact cards, create an educational poster about the virus. Used with permission: NSTA Press.

© 2007 Northwest Association for Biomedical Research. This unit explores the scientific and ethical issues involved in clinical HIV vaccine trials using human research participants. Students explore the life cycle, structure, and transmission of HIV. They become familiar with different types of vaccines and the challenges related to developing an HIV vaccine. Finally, students create their own hypothetical clinical trial for an HIV vaccine.

© 2002 Trustees of Boston University. Regional Biotech, The University of Texas-Pan American. Using a simulated viral extract, students perform an Enzyme-Linked-Immunosorbent-Assay (ELISA) to screen a hypothetical patient for HIV.

© 2008-2012 The Regents of the University of California. All Rights Reserved. Science & Health Education Partnership. Using a potassium hydroxide solution (KOH) in one vial and water in the others, students simulate the exchange of body fluids to discover how infectious diseases spread. Using the acid-base indicator, phenolphthalein, students discover who has been infected and try to predict the number of infections that would occur after more interactions. Students identify behaviors that increase or decrease the risk of infection.

© 2011 National Academy of Sciences. Marian Koshland Science Museum of the National Academy of Sciences. Students study the HIV viral infection pathway in a human cell and try to determine different points where the pathway could be inhibited to prevent the spread of the infection.

SAFER·HEALTHIER·PEOPLE™, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and Human Services. Excellence in Curriculum Innovation through Teaching Epidemiology and the Science of Public Health (EXCITE). Using identified Web resources, students investigate several viruses, gaining an understanding of the distinction between a virus and a disease. Then, using paper and envelopes, they simulate the spread of viruses. A discussion helps to correct misinformation about HIV/AIDS.

SAFER·HEALTHIER·PEOPLE™, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and Human Services. Excellence in Curriculum Innovation through Teaching Epidemiology and the Science of Public Health (EXCITE). Working in teams, students search identified Web sites for basic information on HIV, the history of the virus, and misconceptions surrounding the virus. Students work together to answer questions on a review sheet that is passed from student to student. After discussing the answers, students check the back of their sheets for an X that was pre-marked on one of the sheets. This person is the carrier of a virus. Those students who wrote answers on that paper are also infected. Students draw conclusions about the spread of HIV through this simulation.

© 2011 National Academy of Sciences. Marian Koshland Science Museum of the National Academy of Sciences. Students examine source data from the World Health Organization (WHO) and analyze the state of the HIV pandemic in several hard-hit countries. They develop an understanding of how infectious diseases can be controlled in different regions of the world given certain socio-political and economic realities.

© 2010 Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Students simulate taking HIV antiretroviral drugs by using mints and Kool-Aid. They will experience how easy or difficult it is to fully adhere to a treatment program.