Microbiology Project Ideas

This project uses liquid cultures and agar plates to investigate the effects of different concentrations of a food preservative on microbial growth.   Read more...

Crown gall is a plant disease caused by the soil bacterium Agrobacterium tumefaciens. This project uses tomato plants to investigate whether garlic extract can prevent crown gall infection.   Read more...

Have you heard that garlic powder is supposed to inhibit the growth of bacteria? Which do you think would make a better disinfectant: a solution of garlic powder or a solution of bleach? This project shows you a straightforward way to compare the effectiveness of different disinfectants (or other antimicrobial agents), by measuring zones of inhibition on a culture plate.   Read more...

Microbes are everywhere in our environment, but for the most part they escape our notice. This project shows you how to safely culture and study common bacteria from your everyday surroundings.   Read more...

There's nothing quite like the smell of fresh-baked bread to make your mouth water! As any baker can tell you, you can't bake bread without yeast. This project makes clever use of bread dough to measure yeast reproduction three different ways, and investigates how well yeast grow with sugar substitutes as a food source. Pass the butter, please!   Read more...

Have you ever wondered where acne comes from and how you can treat it? One major cause of acne is the colonization and infection of clogged pores with bacteria. In this science project, you'll test different acne medications and treatments to determine their effectiveness at killing bacteria.   Read more...

Have you ever thought about how fortunate you are to have safe and clean water coming out of your faucet? Many people in undeveloped nations don't have this luxury. But does that mean they can't have clean water at all? Is there an inexpensive way they could use to make their own clean water? In this microbiology science fair project, you will investigate whether or not sunlight can disinfect contaminated water.   Read more...

Have you ever wondered if a piece of jewelry is real gold or if it's just some ordinary metal alloy? It turns out that some metals have a unique property; even in small amounts, they can be toxic to some organisms, including algae, molds, fungi, and bacteria, although it often takes many hours to see an effect. Can this phenomena, called the oligodynamic effect be used to tell whether or not the gold or silver in a piece of jewelry is real? Do bacteria react differently to pure, plated, and non-gold jewelry? Find out for yourself in this unique treasure-testing science fair project!   Read more...

Disinfectants are products that kill harmful bacteria that inhabit surfaces. Disinfectants can be in household and personal cleaning products. Which products work best? Compare different household...   Read more...

Ultraviolet light can damage DNA molecules. If a cell's DNA repair mechanisms can't keep up with the damage, mutations are the result. As harmful mutations accumulate, the cell eventually dies. How much ultraviolet light is too much for a bacterial cell?   Read more...

 

Science Buddies gratefully acknowledges its Presenting Sponsor

It's free! As a member you will be the first to receive our new and innovative project ideas, news about upcoming science competitions, science fair tips, and information on other science related initiatives.

Science Fair Project Home      Our Sponsors      Partners      About Us      Volunteer      Donate      Contact Us      Research Grants & Outreach      Site Map

Science Fair Project Ideas      Science Fair Project Guide      Ask an Expert      Blog      Teacher Resources      Parent Resources      Student Resources      Science Careers     



Copyright © 2002-2009 Kenneth Lafferty Hess Family Charitable Foundation. All rights reserved.
Reproduction of material from this website without written permission is strictly prohibited.
Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms and Conditions of Fair Use.