Integrated Science – Monday

Today was the first day of the Integrated Science Residential Program. In the morning, the students explored polarity in a lab setting. They determined if 6 different solutions were polar or nonpolar by seeing if the solution was attracted to a charged rod. They created posters with their conclusions, and created posters about the field of science.  Then the students ate lunch and tie-dyed name tags. After lunch, they began to research their topic for their week-long project on water and ecosystems. Finally, they did a lab to compare dissolving and reacting by combining different solutions in test tubes and recording their observations.

 

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Micro STEM @ Aurora – Monday: Bacteria Among Us

Students began a two day project today, investigating bacteria that surrounds us. Each student will test their own fingers, and each group of 4 students could pick up to 8 different surfaces to see what kinds of bacteria live there. Alternatively, the students could choose to see what happened to the bacteria from the same surface with some sort of treatment (applying hand sanitizer, soap, etc.). Students were given the chance to make a hypothesis about what they expect to see on their plates. Later on this week, the students will use a microscope to look at the results of their samples, and test their hypotheses.

Ask your student:

If bacteria surrounds us, why don’t we get sick more often? (Not all bacteria are pathogenic (disease causing))

What are some examples of places where good bacteria are found? (Almost anywhere has some amount of good bacteria, some examples would be in our intestines and mouth)

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BioSleuths @ Aurora – Monday: Soil Life

Whether you can see them or not there are many things living in the soil. This is one of the concepts your student learned today. Students set up two experiments today to learn not only about where life comes from but also what kinds of organisms live in the soil. Students worked in groups to prepare their first experiment. They placed pieces of chicken in cans with different coverings; they will come back to these cans later in the week to observe what is new. After this experiment they collected soil samples to learn about all the living things inside of it. Many of the students found worms or other critters while they were on this mission.

These curious biosleuths shined light directly over the Burlese-Tullgren funnel to help them understand what organisms live in the ground. “I think I’m going to find more worms in my soil.” hypothesized one of the sleuthers.

Ask your student:

How did the light help you find organisms in the Burlese-Tullgren funnel set up? (organisms will tend to move away from the light/heat source, which is downward into the alcohol)