 NASA has asked me
whether Earth bacteria could grow on Mars, with little
or no water. Design and conduct an experiment to select
mutant bacteria that grow with little/no water.
The environment contains "some small amount of
water vapor in the atmosphere."
Antibiotic resistance. Own a pet? The hot topic in medicine
is antibiotic resistance. Do household pets carry antibiotic-resistant
bacteria?
Triclosan resistance. Hundreds of household products contain
triclosan. Can bacteria develop resistance to this antimicrobial?
Discover a new antibiotic.
Be on the cutting-edge of biomedical research: look
for antibiotics in lichens or California native plants.
Air quality analyses. This
is a unique opportunity because very few schools have air
samplers. By designing an experiment to test air in Skyline's
buildings, you can provide important baseline environmental
data and locate any potential health problems. Select one
building to study.
Evaluate the effect of wavelength
on organisms in a Winogradsky
enrichment.
Water quality analyses. This
provides important public health information if your experiment
includes weekly sampling of a body of water that is subject
to sewage contamination. Count coliforms
or biochemical oxygen demand at
Sharp Park (Pacific Ocean)
Linda Mar (Pacific Ocean)
Find the source of coliforms in Pedro
Creek, Pacifica.
Determine the growth rate of cariogenic
bacteria on different dietary carbohydrates.
Investigate the use of acetic acid
or juglone for post-harvest decay. This refers to keeping
produce after picking until you eat it, without using chemicals
that are toxic to the consumer.
Identify and develop a key to
lichens on campus.
Remember the fatal case of shigellosis
due to salsa in a Redwood City restaurant? How did that
happen. Determine the survival rate of bacteria in vegetables
with respect to storage temperature and surface area. Read
about bacterial
numbers.
Determine what component of beer
attracts snails?
Will depletion of the ozone layer
affect primary productivity in aquatic ecosystems? Design
an experiment to determine the effect of UV light on photosynthesis.
On BOD. On Paramecium. On bacteria.*
How does wavelength affect Euglena's
growth? Visible light, UV? Length of day? Sample protocol.
Use the Ames
test to discover antimutagens.
Discover a new herbicide.*
Can plants be watered with seawater?
Use Wisconsin Fast Plants.
Look for osmotic-stress proteins
in plants.*
How much osmotic stress will the
plants tolerate?
Determine the effect of [chemicals]
on Paramecium growth.
Determine the effect of Lactococcus
bacteriocins against E. coli or Salmonella.
Develop, implement, and evaluate
a middle school teaching lab.
Can decomposition of those Monterey
Pine stumps around campus be sped up?
Photograph cells used in Cell Structure
lab.
*Print
references in 7301.
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