Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Hello, bioluminescence has always been a fascinating topic to me and I really want to do the Bioluminescence: Investigating Glow-in-the-Dark Dinoflagellates project for my school's science fair. The only problem is I was told I need quantitative data and I'm not sure how I would this. So how might I measure the dinoflagellates or what kind of measurements would it be best for me to use?

Hi,

Bioluminescence is a great topic for a science fair project! In the experimental procedure for “Bioluminescence: Investigating Glow-in-the-Dark Dinoflagellates” , you are measuring the brightness of the bioluminescence produced by dinoflagellates under varying light and dark conditions. The experimental procedure suggests creating a scales, e.g. from 1 to 4, with 4 being the highest, to rank the different brightnesses. Using these numbers would make it quantitative data. Alternatively, you could purchase a light intensity meter to actually measure the brightness of the bioluminescence.

Good luck and hope this helps!
~Catherine