A grade-school microbiology curriculum, built for the age of AI
Navivera is a certified curriculum, lab kit, assessment and support system that takes students from their first look through a microscope to running a real virology experiment — the same reasoning skills that colleges look for and standardized science assessments actually measure. Built for schools, museums, and home learners, anywhere.
Certified by
Independently reviewed and certified by the Viral Information Institute (VII) — so the science behind every lesson has been checked by virologists outside Navivera, not just approved by us.
Why now
The skill that actually sets students apart now is creative and critical thinking — the parts of science AI can't do for them: designing a real experiment, reading messy real-world data, and defending a conclusion with evidence. That habit doesn't stay in the lab — it's the same reasoning standardized science assessments are built to measure, and it's what shows up later as stronger test scores and better academic and career outcomes.
Why grade school, not high school? By the time most students reach high school, science class has usually narrowed into test-prep. Grade 5 through grade 9 is the window where curiosity is still being formed — so that's where we build the habit of real scientific reasoning, year over year, before it has to compete with AP exams and college applications. Students who want to go further can apply to Navivera's selective, advanced Capstone research placement afterward — but the five years before it are built for every student.
In Navivera's selective, advanced Capstone research placement, students who go further carry a real environmental sample through DNA extraction, MinION sequencing, and guided bioinformatics analysis — using AI-assisted tools to interpret data that's actually theirs, unexpected results included.
Every lesson closes with a claim–evidence–reasoning routine. Students practice building an argument from evidence — the habit that transfers to any standardized assessment and any future lab.
One certified curriculum spans the full grade 5–9 journey, so the reasoning compounds year over year instead of resetting with every new supplemental unit — with a selective Capstone research placement open to students who want to go further.
Our mission
Give every student, anywhere, hands-on access to real scientific research — not a simulation of it — years before they'd otherwise get the chance.
Our vision
A world where the next generation of scientists don't wait until graduate school to run their first real experiment — where a curious 11-year-old and a future researcher can be the same person, starting now.
Why people pay for it
Not just a curriculum — a certified pathway, the proprietary kit that makes it safe and repeatable, the assessments that prove it's working, and the people behind it.
A single certified curriculum spanning five-plus years, with built-in entrance and exit assessments so you can show measurable learning gains — not just seat time — to your board and your accreditors.
The scientific reasoning that standardized assessments test and that college admissions and research programs actually value — built through real lab work, not more multiple choice.
You run the real experiment and read your own data — building the creative and critical thinking AI can't do for you, the kind that shows up later as stronger test scores and better academic and career outcomes. Want to go further? Navivera's selective Capstone research placement carries a real sample through DNA extraction, sequencing, and bioinformatics analysis for students who apply.
What you get
The curriculum is one piece. What you're actually paying for is the whole system behind it — designed, tested, and supported so it works the same way in any classroom.
A structured, standards-mapped pathway across grade 5–9, reviewed and certified by an international virology research institute — with a selective, advanced Capstone research placement beyond it for students who want to go further.
Purpose-built materials and protocols, safety-designed for a BSL-1 classroom. The formulation, quality control, and safety testing are part of the IP — this isn't something you assemble yourself.
Entrance and exit exams with cognitive-level weighting, plus a claim–evidence–reasoning routine in every lesson, so learning gains are measured, not assumed — the Capstone's first cohort showed measurable improvement between entrance and exit scores.
Onboarding, lab-role training, and a data platform for tracking student progress and lab results — currently rolling out to partner sites.
Why an outside institute reviews this
Navivera could review its own curriculum in-house. Instead, the Viral Information Institute (VII) checks it from outside — and that turns out to matter in three concrete ways.
VII's researchers are still working at the bench. Their review keeps the curriculum's content aligned with the latest published findings, instead of quietly going stale after a lesson is first written.
The review comes from virologists with no stake in whether the curriculum sells. That's what makes it worth something — a school, museum, or family isn't just taking Navivera's word for the science.
VII's own researchers mentor students in their university labs, where they keep seeing the same basic concepts those students should already know, but don't. That observation shapes the curriculum directly, so today's students build those foundations early — instead of reaching a research lab years from now with the same gaps.
The full pathway
The curriculum is built around the scientists who first uncovered the invisible world. Each year retraces one of their breakthroughs with the students' own hands — building toward a real research project.
Discover
Antonie van Leeuwenhoek
Builds a working microscope and starts a living soil column — the first look at a hidden world.
Discover
Louis Pasteur
Catches microbes with a portable microscope and runs a first series of controlled dilutions.
Investigate
Robert Koch
Masters cell staining, the hanging-drop technique, and separating samples by density.
Isolate
Fleming, Twort & d'Hérelle
Measures antibiotic activity and isolates a living virus from an environmental sample — a real plaque assay, with Milo as the guide.
The isolation unit traces back to 1896, when a scientist first observed viruses attacking bacteria in contaminated river water — nearly twenty years before anyone had a name for what a virus was. Every student retraces that discovery themselves by the end of Year 5.
Students who want to go further can apply to Navivera's Capstone — a four-week research placement, not a guaranteed next step, in the same spirit as competitive college research programs. Selected students extract DNA from an isolated sample, run real MinION sequencing, and analyze the data with guided, AI-assisted bioinformatics — a genuine research process, not a simulation.
For the students selected into it, the Capstone follows the same rhythm as every other stage: an entrance and exit knowledge test brackets the placement, so the learning gain is measured, not assumed — in the program's first cohort, exit scores improved across the group. Students also keep a lab notebook, film a short weekly learning video, and close with a science-communication project explaining their work to a general audience.
Geo · bioinformatics
Vibi · phage prepInside every lesson
Consistent structure means educators learn the rhythm once, then run any lesson with confidence — in a classroom, a museum hall, or a family's home.
Each lesson opens with a real discovery — a scientist, a puzzle, a breakthrough — to give the science a why.
Using the Navivera kit, students run the actual protocol and get real results — not a demo.
Materials manager, setup scientist, observation leader, recorder, presenter — everyone has a job. Solo or with one sibling at home? One learner rotates through all five roles across the lesson instead of splitting them with a group.
Claim, evidence, reasoning in the science notebook — the habit that builds real scientific thinking.
Pre- and post-lesson checks bracket every unit, so learning gains are measured, not assumed.
A face for every lesson
Every lesson opens with a character, not a wall of text — each one built around the concept they teach.
Heroes of the Microbial World
Sample Collection
Serial Dilutions & Plaque Assays
Biosafety & Aseptic Technique
Code Crackers · Bioinformatics
Phage Lysate Prep
Slants & Inoculation
Winogradsky Columns & Fuel Cells
mRNA & Protein Synthesis
See it for yourself
Not a summary — an actual lesson from the pathway, exactly as an educator receives it. This one is from Year 1, Discover stage, hosted by Ingy.
This lesson introduces microbial ecosystems using the classic Winogradsky column. Unlike short experiments, this activity unfolds over several weeks, helping students understand that microbial life develops slowly and in layers. It reinforces decomposition, nutrient cycling, and ecological balance, while encouraging patience, observation, and curiosity.
A quick true/false warm-up ("All microbes are harmful" — false; "Some microbes help us make food" — true), followed by a short discussion of how microbes can be both helpful and harmful.
Students sketch their own imagined microbe — shapes, colors, tentacles, eyes, patterns — then share a drawing or two voluntarily.
Materials per group: a transparent bottle or jar, a soil sample, water, pond water (optional), egg yolk (sulfur source), shredded paper or dry leaves (carbon source), crushed chalk or eggshell (calcium carbonate), plastic wrap and rubber bands, gloves, an observation notebook, and a nutrient-agar stick from the kit.
Sample locations: garden soil, an agricultural field, a cow shed, a kitchen backyard, a compost area, or pond water — each group's column turns out a little different.
Safety: students wear gloves and avoid direct contact with pond water throughout collection and setup.
In groups of five or fewer, students mix soil with shredded paper, egg yolk, chalk, and water to a milkshake-like consistency, fill half the jar, then top it with plain soil, leaving a small column of water and air at the top. Some classes run a light-vs-dark comparison side by side.
Students track their column weekly across five weeks, recording color and changes in the top, middle, and bottom layers, along with smell and any other notes — building the same observation-and-recording habit used throughout the pathway.
Where it fits
The pathway is built in stages — Discover, Investigate, Isolate — not locked to a single classroom format. That's what lets the same certified content work as a full-year class, a museum program, or a self-paced family track.
The full five-year adoption: one grade band at a time, or the whole grade 5–9 pathway — with Navivera's selective Capstone available afterward for students who want to go further.
Adapted into a research-fellows format for informal science settings — real lab stations tied to a museum's own exhibits, run by your own museum educators after a guided onboarding, not by staff sent from Navivera. No fume hood, plumbing, or special electrical work needed — the same footprint as a standard classroom setup.
The same stages, self-paced: Beginner (new to the material), Intermediate (some experience), or Advanced (ready to isolate viruses) — for a single student, siblings, or a homeschool co-op. Each lesson runs about two 45-minute sessions, on your own schedule.
How it reaches you
Navivera builds, tests, and certifies the curriculum, kit, and assessments. Getting them into your hands is a partnership: regional distributors and implementation partners handle in-country logistics, training, and day-to-day support, with Navivera standing behind every partner on the science, the kit, and the certification.
Curriculum design, kit engineering, VII certification, and the assessment framework — the science stays consistent everywhere it's taught.
Distribution, educator training, and first-line support in their own market — the same reseller model established science-kit companies use to reach schools at scale. In India, that partner is Nanritam, currently running pilots in three grade schools.
Works with a local partner where one exists, or directly with Navivera — either way, the same certified pathway and the same support standing behind it.
Interested in becoming a Navivera distribution or implementation partner in your region? Get in touch.
Find your starting point
Schools license one grade at a time — 12 lessons each — or add the full five-year pathway. Homeschool families pick a self-paced tier instead. Exact pricing depends on your country; request a quote to get yours.
Discover
12 lessons
Discover
12 lessons
Investigate
12 lessons
Isolate
12 lessons
Isolate
12 lessons
Every grade includes the curriculum, the reusable lab kit, and entrance & exit assessments — 60 lessons in all across the five years.
60 lessons · one certified pathway
Exhibit & program format
One learner, siblings, or a co-op
Who's behind Navivera
Founder & CEO, Navivera Learning
Scientist, teacher, and mentor bringing real science into classrooms everywhere.
Andres is an environmental microbiologist and educator with a PhD in Marine Sciences and an MSc in Medical Microbiology. With 10+ years of experience in research, teaching, and science communication, he spent 5 years as a Postdoctoral Research Scientist at San Diego State University, where he conducted environmental microbiology research and taught Molecular Biology Lab (BIOL 567L) for four consecutive years. He has mentored 100+ university students and authored 10+ peer-reviewed publications.
"Why wait until university to show children real science?"
Commercial & Partnerships Lead, Navivera Learning
Building the commercial engine behind Navivera's global reach.
Jon brings 17 years of commercial leadership in biotechnology at Bio-Rad, Illumina, and Bionano Genomics. He drove a 205% increase in regional product sales in 3 years for his FAS team, earned President's Club recognition five times, and built channel partner programs for service and support. His work in customer support helped improve customer satisfaction from 67% to 87%. He has led departmental ISO, FDA, and MDSAP audit preparations to zero findings. Jon has also founded two companies of his own — a science consultancy and a lab supplies business — giving him direct experience building commercial operations from zero. He holds a PhD in Molecular Biology from UC San Diego and San Diego State University and a BS in Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology from the University of Colorado, Boulder.
Day-to-day support in your region comes from Navivera's regional delivery partners (see "How it reaches you" above) — you're never relying on one person alone.
What educators are already saying
Early feedback from the classrooms already running the pathway.
"I could lead the experiments with complete confidence from day one."
— Debosmita Kar, Filix School
"Critical thinking and maturity I usually only see at the university level."
— Shreya Chakraborty, Filix School
"They weren't just learning definitions; they were actively exploring."
— Sushrita Das Modak, Filix School
No commitment — just find your starting point
Answer a few questions and we'll shape a rough starting point — then let's talk it through and customize it to your needs. This is where the conversation begins, not a checkout.
Your starting point
Grade 5 · School
Curriculum + kit · Pilot class
This shapes your quote — pricing depends on setting, size, and timing.
Common questions
Pricing is quoted per program — per grade for schools, or per level for a homeschool student — and varies by country, since costs like shipping and local materials differ. Most kit components are reusable across cohorts and years; a smaller set of consumable supplies (growth media, sampling materials, and similar) may need periodic reordering, and that recurring cost is spelled out in your quote up front. A standards-alignment summary comes with every quote. Reach out and we'll put together a specific number for your setting.
Both, depending on where you are. Navivera builds and certifies the curriculum, kit, and assessments; in most regions, a local distribution or implementation partner handles delivery, training, and support, the same way established science-kit companies reach schools through regional resellers. Where no partner exists yet, Navivera works with you directly. Either way, the certification and the guarantee are Navivera's.
No. The kit and protocols are purpose-built for a standard classroom, museum hall, or home setting — no fume hood or dedicated lab required. This holds for the full Curriculum (grade 5 through grade 9) and the Capstone alike: every organism used throughout the pathway is a bacteriophage, a virus that infects only bacteria and is harmless to people, animals, and plants. Standard hygiene — gloves during sample collection, handwashing after, no ingestion of materials, adult supervision for younger grades — is all the safety practice required. We're happy to share our full written safety overview before you commit.
Every partner gets a guided onboarding (live or self-paced video, depending on your region) plus a written guide for every lesson. Because all sixty lessons follow the same five-part structure, most educators — classroom teachers and museum staff alike — are comfortable running lessons on their own after the first one.
Kits typically ship and arrive within about a month of purchase. Exact timing and any customs or import costs can vary by country, and we'll confirm specifics when we send your quote.
No — the Capstone is a selective, advanced research placement for students who apply and are accepted, similar in spirit to competitive undergraduate research programs. The five-year grade 5–9 pathway is the part built for every student; the Capstone is an optional next step for those who want to go further, not a promise made to everyone who starts the pathway.
Yes. The optional data-tracking software records only measurements and lab results — no student names or other personally identifying information are ever collected or stored. It's built around that same data-minimization principle FERPA and COPPA are meant to protect, so there's no student-identifiable record for your IT or legal team to worry about in the first place.
The pathway is mapped to core grade-school science frameworks and built to adapt to local standards in any country, so it slots alongside what you already teach rather than replacing it.
Each lesson follows the same five-part structure, scripted and timed. Once an educator has run one lesson, they've effectively learned the rhythm for all of them.
Every new partner starts under the Navivera Pilot Guarantee: begin with a single pilot class, a single museum cohort, or a single homeschool learner — no multi-year contract required to get started. If it's not the right fit by the end of your pilot term, you walk away with no further obligation. Use the starting-point tool below, or just reach out and we'll scope your pilot together.
We onboard new partners year-round. Schools typically start at the beginning of a term, museums whenever exhibit space is ready, and homeschool families whenever they like — tell us your timing when you request a quote, and we'll work backward from it.
An independent one. Navivera could review its own curriculum internally, but that just means taking our word for it — instead, the content is reviewed and certified by the Viral Information Institute (VII), an international virology research institute with no stake in whether you buy the curriculum. That's the point of certification: it's a check from outside, not a badge we gave ourselves.
No two schools, museums, or families are the same — tell us what you're working with, and we'll build a quote around it. Low-stakes, no full rollout required.
✓ Backed by the Navivera Pilot Guarantee — start with one pilot, no multi-year contract required.