Virtually everything you do has inherent risks and dangers.Touching a door knob can transfer disease causing microbes to your body.Computer keyboards are notorious for heavy microbial contamination.Doing chemistry experiments can involve handling hazardous materials which can be ingested or penetrate the skin, as well as the possibility of chemical burns or heater burns.The food you eat and the water you drink contain microbes, as does the air you breathe. In other words, you cannot live without encountering potentially harmful things.
Having stated the unavoidable hazard of living, we survive either by learning from sad experiences, or we become educated through controlled study and experimentation.The latter is the job of our parents and professional educators.To try to avoid dangers and hope for “dumb good luck” is just that—DUMB!!Some Administrators, School Boards, and Teachers try to legislate safety by making rules that certain things cannot be taught or done in the classroom.While the intents are admirable, it is impossible to eliminate all possible hazards.
The subject of microbiology seems to be particularly scary to many people.It involves working with GERMS, and they cause disease!This is quite true, and students (and teachers and administrators) should learn how to deal with GERMS.It seems to be common “knowledge” that doorknobs, drinking fountains and toilet seats are “covered with germs”!What doesn’t seem to be comprehended is “What is the source(s) of these germs?” How do they get on the doorknobs, drinking fountains or toilet seats?Why is there a huge scare and concern that there will be an epidemic of swine flu this year in the schools?And what can be done to keep this from happening?If teachers and students understood the principles of disease transmission and the importance of good sanitation practices (clean hands is at the top of the list) many problems could be avoided or lessened.
NOTHING impresses students more than actually seeing what is on their fingers.Having a “Health” class where a book is read and the teacher lectures about cleanliness is fine, but do the students really believe that their hands are “dirty” and that they need to wash them frequently (especially after visiting the toilet)?Does dusting their hands with a fluorescent powder or lotion, then washing them and observing the results, really impress them that their hands are dirty?Both of these approaches are better than nothing, but their overall effectiveness is questionable.But swabbing their fingers before and after washing, and comparing the actual number of bacterial colonies from each, is a dramatic and impressive lesson.This is simple to do with Easygel® from Micrology Labs and is guaranteed to generate interest with impressive results.
There is nothing better than prevention.Introducing students to microbiology is an effective and exciting way to prevent disease transmission and epidemic situations in our schools and homes. The problem with this is that growing “germs” in a petri dish is very scary to many people.They are afraid that the “germs” will escape the dish and contaminate everything.These are the fears of inexperience and ignorance.Experienced microbiologists are unafraid of working with microbes.They know that simple safeguards are effective protectants, but they also maintain an attitude and practice of respect and care in their work.Microbes are not playthings to be handled carelessly, and petri dishes containing live microbes should not be opened and the contents touched with bare hands, or eaten or thrown around .This would be stupidity, and we all realize that sometimes stupid actions occur in the classroom and the home.Therefore, we do all that we can to provide adequate warnings and instructions that instill care and respect when we work with potentially hazardous things.I taught microbiology to inexperienced college students for 41 years, and (as far as I know) never had an accident that resulted in illness or infection to one of my students.That is the result of caution, but not paranoia, when working with living organisms.(This is the same principle that I learned as a young farm boy when I was told never to turn my back to a bull in the barnyard.Don’t tempt fate.)There is a difference between fear and respect.
Micrology Laboratories has been producing and supplying microbiological media to schools since 1980, and has invented and developed easy and simple ways of microbiological testing that involve minimal hazards.
Our Easygel® media do not require heating (no burn risk) and are ready to use without any weighing, stirring or mixing by teacher or students.We offer our media in several forms.The most popular uses petri dishes where the medium is poured into the sterile petri dish and the microbes are allowed to grow in the closed dish.Unless the lid is taped shut, it is easy (meant to be convenient for the microbiologist) to lift the lid and expose the medium with its growing microbes.Contrary to popular belief, bacteria do not fly out of an opened petri dish But if there are molds growing on the surface of the medium, it is possible that their spores may become airborne and escape if disturbed.
For those who are worried about the negative possibilities of using petri dishes to culture samples, the QUANTITUBE® method was invented.With the Quantitube®, the microorganisms are grown in a closed tube which makes it virtually impossible to accidentally open and be exposed to the contents.Instructions are included which state how to very easily and properly dispose of the materials when the project is finished.If you have been worried about the safety of doing microbiology, this is the answer.For those who are on limited budgets (and who isn’t, these days?), Micrology provides very inexpensive solutions.
One last word should be said about microorganisms and their presence in our world.The number and types of microbes growing in a petri dish or Quantitube® is miniscule in comparison to many of the things that most people work with casually every day.For example, a dish rag or kitchen sink sponge commonly contains billions of living microbes of many varieties, including many disease causing types.Tooth bushes and wash clothes are reservoirs for many types of microbes, as are combs and brushes.The rotten orange or other fruit covered with blue mold or which is softened, or the spoiled fruit or veggies or old leftovers in your refrigerator commonly contain huge numbers of microbes.Dirty diapers which are routinely disposed of in the trash contain unimaginable numbers of living microbes.
The more you know about microbes and how to deal with them, the happier and healthier you will be!I have always maintained that everyone should have experience in microbiology, meaning that a unit should be included in the required courses in every school. Read on for more details and how to acquire our products and do successful studies.
HOW TO DESIGN AND EXECUTE A SCIENCE PROJECT
This paper is written to assist in the thinking and procedures necessary for choosing a project, determining and outlining the steps in executing the project (Protocol), and choosing a reasonable time-line and doing the work of the project. Also, how to record and analyze data, and finally how to present your work.
1 CHOOSING A PROJECT
When choosing a project, it is important to consider the purpose of the project? That is, what do you wish to accomplish as a primary result of the project?
Is it primarily meant to give experience in how to do a scientific study? If this is the purpose, then you want to find information and materials that are relatively easy to obtain and easy to execute which will give the desired experience. There are many Educational Kits available which will meet this goal adequately. Some are well designed and thorough in their presentations, requiring minimal additional materials or equipment. When shopping for kits, look for completeness, how many tests it provides (not just the maker’s statement of class size), and cost (including shipping and handling).
Is it intended to represent an original scientific investigation of a specific problem? If this is the purpose, you want to design a project that will reflect original and novel ideas and planning, and avoid just repeating things that others have done. This does not mean that you cannot study the same or similar subjects, just that you want to make your project unique so that it addresses the topic in a fresh way. For example, you might want to study the water quality of your local river or lake based upon the presence of fecal bacteria (E. coli). It will not impress judges if you just choose 3 locations and take one or two samples randomly at each location and do no replications of each sample (in other words, do a total of 6 individual tests). You need to do repeated samples perhaps under different conditions (such as before and after heavy rains) and do at least 2 replications of each sample. The point is that you cannot scrimp and cheap out on work and materials and expect to produce a quality result! If your goal is just to do a project to satisfy extra credit for a class and you do not really care about quality and good results, then do the minimum to meet that requirement, but if you want to be competitive with other projects at a science fair and are really interested in doing good science, the extra work will be worth it.
2 WRITING A PROTOCOL
If you are using a complete kit purchased from a supplier, there will be complete instructions (a protocol) provided with the kit. However, if you are not using such a kit, but making or purchasing the materials for the project, you will need to write a protocol. The protocol will ensure that you have all the materials needed and that you know exactly how you will proceed with the project. A typical protocol will include the following:
A description of the project including its purpose and goals.
A summary of the method used in the project, including how the method works to achieve proper results.
Definitions of special terms that are used, such as "fecal coliform", "Escherichia coli", "coliform", "total coliform", "non-coliform", etc. that might not be obvious to the reader or judge of the project.
A list of Equipment and Supplies needed for the project.
Sample Collection procedures, including any special requirements.
Quality Control procedures followed.
Outline of Procedure from beginning to completion. This should include listing and explaining the test procedure step by step as well as interpretation of results instructions. It should also include a schedule of how long the project will take and what will be completed each day you are working on the project.
Waste management and disposal of materials.
References that were used should be listed.
3 COLLECTING NECESSARY MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT
You need to be sure that you have in hand all the materials and equipment that will be needed to complete the work of the project before you begin the actual work of the project. Nothing is so upsetting and discouraging as getting halfway through the work and discovering that you do not have enough materials to complete the work and that you cannot obtain them in time to meet your deadline for the project.
4 DOING THE WORK
Be sure that you follow the predetermined schedule for completing the project. Time management can be critical to success and good results. Once the project is started, it should be completed according to the protocol or results may not be valid.
5 COLLECTING AND ANALYZING THE DATA
Doing the work can be the most enjoyable part of the project, but you must be meticulous in collecting data accurately and keeping good records and observations of your results. You must label and date every sample and keep a clear record of the results in a bound notebook. Be sure that dates, numbers and observations are clear and easy to read! Doing the work and losing your data makes it worthless. Photographs of your set-up and results can also be invaluable. Today’s digital cameras make this very easy. Take care to do close-up, uncluttered photos that show only the details relevant to the work. Be sure that the photos are dated and labeled properly.
You must record exactly what you see and not embellish or change data to try to make your results look better or more impressive. Such activity would be dishonest and constitute scientific fraud. Such activities, if discovered, lead to discrediting not only the actual work, but also discredit the person responsible. Such dishonesty is not tolerated by the scientific community and anyone involved in such fraud will lose all credibility as a scientist
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6 CONCLUSIONS AND PRESENTATION
Once you have gone to all the work of doing a well designed and executed project, it is very important that you present it well. Writing in the form of a formal paper is the generally accepted way of presentation. The format for a scientific paper generally follows specific guidelines. Most papers begin with a Title, followed by the name(s) of the author(s). This is followed by an abstract, which is a condensed account of the paper with its most obvious results and conclusions. Then, there is a section listing and explaining the "Methods and Materials" of the project which may also include tables and figures listing data. Following this is a section devoted to the "Discussion" of the work that was done, which may include your interpretations and observations. Finally a brief set of "Conclusions" followed by a list of "References" may be presented.
Many times, the authors of papers will also present their work in the form of posters for special "Poster Sessions" at scientific meetings. This is what is commonly done for Science Fair projects. A neat, well done set of posters that present the basic project concisely and clearly is most impressive. Also, many authors create a Power Point presentation on the computer which can be used in formal presentations.
Regardless of how impressive the paper, the poster or the computer presentation is, it is imperative that the author know his/her material and work thoroughly. A beautiful presentation can lose credibility if the author cannot discuss his/her work in detail and answer questions about it. The inability to respond to such inquiry will make the inquirer wonder who really did the work. (Sometimes science fair judges wonder if certain projects were done by parents or teachers instead of the student.)
Following are examples of projects that can be done at any grade or experience level using the very inexpensive Quantitube® system.
Water Testing with the Quantitube® Water Test Kit ($14.50 shipping included. Call for other kits and quantity prices.)
Materials included in the kit: (all materials are sterile, so care must be exercised not to contaminate them when containers are opened)
17X100 mm tube/cap ---- (10 tubes)
liquid growth medium ---- (one bottle)
carrier pieces ---- (10 in a bag)
diluent ---- (2 bottles)
individually packed 3 mL calibrated droppers (11)
full instructions
Procedure:
Decide how many tests you wish to run and remove that many sterile tubes from the pack and line them up in a test tube rack. (If you do not have a test tube rack, make a row of cups or mugs and stand one tube in each cup.)
Number each tube using a fine tip felt pen (Sharpie permanent ink marker is excellent) Record the number in a notebook along with the date and information about the material you are testing (sample type, sample size) At this time it will also be helpful to make a mark at the 5 mL and the 13 mL levels of the tube so that it is easier to see them when you are working later adding the sample and the growth medium.
Decide what you are going to test and the size of your test sample. (For example, if you are testing pond water, you may have a sample size of from 0.1 mL – 5.0 mL. (One teaspoon = 5 mL) If you are using a swab to collect a sample from fingers, count the sample size as 0 mL.
For WATER testing, proceed as follows:
a. Remove the cap from the first tube, being careful not to touch the inside of the cap or the tube to avoid contaminating it.
b. Add your water test sample (any volume up to 5 mL) by pouring it into the tube until it reaches the proper level according to the measurements on the side of the tube (or more precisely use a calibrated dropper or pipette to dispense the sample).
c. If your sample size was less than 5 mL, add additional diluent (2 bottles in your kit) to bring the volume up to 5 mL in the tube. The diluent is sterile, so be careful not to contaminate it or the inside of the cap or bottle when you open and close it.
d. Remove the cap from the Liquid Growth Medium (be careful not to touch the inside of the cap or bottle) and pour into the tube containing the sample until the liquid comes up to the 13 mL mark on the side of the tube. Reclose the Liquid Growth Medium bottle. Push the cap onto the tube containing the sample-medium mix and snap it shut with solid pressure so it is sealed. Then invert the tube 3 times to mix the sample and growth medium. (DO NOT SHAKE)
e. Remove the cap and (using a clean tweezers to grasp a Carrier piece by the colored end and remove it from the bag of Carrier Piece strips ) drop a Carrier Piece into the liquid sample-growth medium mix. Replace the cap on the tube and snap it shut. Be sure that the Carrier Piece goes all the way to the bottom of the tube. (tap the tube if necessary)
f. Allow the tube to stand upright in the test tube rack or other holder and put it into an incubator or in a warm place (80º-100ºF) and check it at 24 hour intervals.
g. If the sample contained bacteria, you should see red colored dots (colonies) appearing in the solid medium in the tube in 24-48 hours. Count the red colonies. Each one represents one CFU (colony forming unit) which grew from one original bacterial cell.
h. When you are through counting, observing, photographing, etc your tube, dispose of it by one of the following procedures.
Perhaps the easiest and quickest means of sterilizing the materials and their contents is to place them in a microwave steaming bag and heat in a microwave for 4-5 minutes. (Glad® Simply CookingTM or Ziploc® Zip'nSteamTM bags are available and work very well. After use, the contents can be dumped and the bags re-used if desired.)
If you have an autoclave, put the tubes into a container and heat at 15lb pressure for 15 minutes.
Also, you can drop them into a pan of boiling water and cook for 30 minutes, or place them in an ovenproof container and heat in an oven at 400º F for 45 minutes.
Any one of these procedures will kill any potentially dangerous bacteria and then the sterilized materials can be disposed of in the garbage or washed and recycled. (The truth is that they contain very few bacteria compared to many things that are disposed of by routinely dumping in the trash without any treatment, such as diapers and spoiled food.)
Swab Testing of Hands or Fingers Quantitube® Basic Test Kit -- $12.95
a. Prepare your materials the same as described for the WATER TESTING project. The only additional materials you will need to supply are sterile swabs and the most inexpensive, easiest source of these is to buy a box of Q-tips at the drug store. They are sterile in the box.
b. Remove the cap from a sterile tube and pour 5 mL of sterile diluent (described above) into the tube.
c. Remove one sterile swab from the package, being careful not to touch the end you are going to use. Dip the swab into the diluent in the tube and remove it (wring out the excess on the inside of the tube as you pull it out of the tube so that it is just moist and not sloppy wet).
d. Rub the moist swab over a finger-tip or a measured area of skin on the hand to pick up the microbes that may be on the skin.
e. Insert the loaded swab into the tube and twirl it around against the inside of the tube to break loose any microbes you have collected into the diluent. Remove the swab and discard it.
f. Add sterile Growth Medium up to the 13 mL level in the tube, snap the cap on tightly and invert 3 times to mix.
g. Remove the cap and insert a Carrier Piece (as previously described). Replace the cap and tap to sink the Carrier Piece to the tube bottom.
h. Incubate, observe and discard as previously described.
i. The Swab Test is most informative if an un-cleaned finger is used for one test and then the subject washes his/her hands with hot soapy water and dries on a clean paper towel and a second swab is done on the clean skin. (One can try the effects of different soaps (germicidal vs regular, disinfectant wipes, etc.)
It is possible that there may be so many bacteria in the material from the un-cleaned skin that the whole tube just turns pink and no individual colonies can be distinguished because there are so many.
