When Sylvia Lachmayr Winmill started Trinity Preschool at age 3, the COVID-19 pandemic was far from over, and everyone was wearing masks. What did these 3-year-olds make of the situation? What was their understanding of a virus? 

As a microbiologist, Sylvia’s mom, Dr. Karen Lachmayr, realized these children could benefit from a microbiology lesson early on in their schooling and learn the background information they needed to put these unique life events into context.

Before Trinity Preschool went on summer break, Karen returned to her alma mater to teach these now 5-year-olds about microbiology. They learned about the different types of microbes, including bacteria, viruses, and fungi. They learned that, while they may have heard more about bad microbes (e.g. the SARS virus that causes COVID-19), the vast majority of microbes are good!  

For example, many microbes keep us healthy (e.g., gut bacteria that produce vitamin K), and others play a role in producing the foods we eat (e.g., cheese, yogurt, bread, and even chocolate!).  The students learned about the MANY different environments microbes live in and looked at the microbes in Ipswich River water under the microscope.

Karen credits her amazing teachers for wanting to stay in school for such an extended period! Raised in Topsfield, Karen attended Trinity, Steward, Proctor, and Masconomet, and earned a BS in chemistry from Emory University and a PhD in environmental microbiology from Harvard University. She has worked in biotech, academia (including a decade leading a scientific institute), non-profits, and serves on numerous advisory boards. 

Karen is a published author and regular speaker. Her research on antibiotic resistance in aquatic ecosystems led to the ability to measure levels of the SARS virus in wastewater, which proved to be one of the most effective and important COVID-19 pandemic surveillance approaches.