Science Fair - Biofluorescence

Ask questions about projects relating to: biology, biochemistry, genomics, microbiology, molecular biology, pharmacology/toxicology, zoology, human behavior, archeology, anthropology, political science, sociology, geology, environmental science, oceanography, seismology, weather, or atmosphere.

Moderators: AmyCowen, kgudger, bfinio, MadelineB, Moderators

Post Reply
SpectarE4O
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Oct 09, 2022 9:27 pm
Occupation: Student

Science Fair - Biofluorescence

Post by SpectarE4O »

Hi,

I am currently starting my journey down the rabbit hole of science fair! :) I am in 8th grade, and doing the Carnegie Science fair. I am going to use ISEF guidelines, so I'll do research paper following my experiment. I have till January 24th to complete this project. I plan to put forward a lot of dedication to this, I will not be sloppy and unprepared. I want to prepare for the big 9th-12th grade science fair. I don't expect to win this year or the next, but I hope I can gain experience, and I have a passion for research. My topic is Biofluorescence, and since I just started I haven't found a more specific category. My project is in such elementary stages, so I haven't formed a hypothesis. I am thinking of investing types of fluorescent proteins, or something related to dna. I have already started reading ( I am currently reading Aglow In the Dark). I plan do computational biology work, so I don't require a lab set up. I know how to start,mostly, read scientific articles and understand the concepts. The computational biology part is something I need a little guidance on. I know some of python, and have had some basic/intermediate experience with coding in general. Would you recommend completing the Codecademy Data Science course, or learning through Youtube. I found this introductory book on computational biology which might be good to start with:https://www.google.com/url?q=https://op ... uapATmNCrn

Thank you!
SciB
Expert
Posts: 2066
Joined: Fri Feb 01, 2013 7:00 am
Occupation: Retired molecular biologist, university researcher and teacher
Project Question: I wish to join Scibuddies to be able to help students achieve the best science project possible and to understand the science behind it.
Project Due Date: n/a
Project Status: Not applicable

Re: Science Fair - Biofluorescence

Post by SciB »

Hello and welcome to Scibuddies.

I will be happy to help guide you into a great project. First off, though, I want to make sure that I understand what your interests are because many online sites are not as careful as they should be in using the terms fluorescence, luminescence and phosphorescence.

A fluorescent molecule glows when it absorbs light of a particular wavelength. We use green fluorescent protein in the lab as a visual indicator under a fluorescence microscope. Biofluorescence simply refers to the light given off by an organism that contains a fluorescent molecule in response to an external light source.

In contrast, bioluminescence is a glow produced chemically--the classic example being a firefly. The key difference between biofluorescence and bioluminescence is that in the second type, the organism controls the glow, usually through an enzyme reaction.

So, after that long-winded introduction--my question: Are you specifically interested in biofluorescence or bioluminescence?

From your message I understand that you are considering the fluorescent type of light-emitting molecules. Then, my second question has to be: for what purpose? You also mentioned using computational methods for research rather than doing physical experiments. I would recommend a combination of the two as being most interesting and useful for learning the scientific method.

I can give you some guidance in choosing a project, but you will have to give me some more specific ideas about what you see as the goal of your study. Post another message with some suggestions for why you want to study fluorescent proteins and maybe some other experts can join the conversation with their suggestions.

Best wishes,
Sybee
SpectarE4O
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Oct 09, 2022 9:27 pm
Occupation: Student

Re: Science Fair - Biofluorescence

Post by SpectarE4O »

I am interest in Biofluorescence, but I don't have topic. Thank you for taking the time to answer my question!
SpectarE4O
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Oct 09, 2022 9:27 pm
Occupation: Student

Re: Science Fair - Biofluorescence

Post by SpectarE4O »

I also don't know calculus so maybe I should focus my time into learning calculus this year and try to qualify for ISEF the next?
SciB
Expert
Posts: 2066
Joined: Fri Feb 01, 2013 7:00 am
Occupation: Retired molecular biologist, university researcher and teacher
Project Question: I wish to join Scibuddies to be able to help students achieve the best science project possible and to understand the science behind it.
Project Due Date: n/a
Project Status: Not applicable

Re: Science Fair - Biofluorescence

Post by SciB »

Hello again,

I don't think that you really need to master calculus to do a project in biofluorescence. Any math you need can be learned from knowledgeable youtube lecturers or by asking the Scibuddies experts. If you want advice on choosing a topic for a project let me know.

Sybee
Post Reply

Return to “Grades 6-8: Life, Earth, and Social Sciences”