Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

I know I need 1) a qualified scientist and 2) a lab...I was wondering if my teacher from last year, who has a master's in chemistry would suffice. Also, would the lab in my school work? It's pretty well-equipped.
I'm also wondering where I can order bacteria, a gram stain kit, and antibiotic discs for a reasonable price.
Help with any of my questions would be greatly appreciated.

It really depends on your school and since I've never been to your school I wouldn't know. The best thing to do would be to ask your chemistry teacher if you would be allowed to work with bacteria in your school. If your teacher has experience in culturing and working with bacteria then he or she would know if your school can work with bacteria. I think the best thing to do would be to contact professors at your local college or hospital who work with bacteria. You can explain to them your interest and that you would like to work in their lab. But if you want to work in your school you definietely would have to get approval from your school. Also, most companies that sell bacteria will only sell their products to labs and possibly schools, so you would probably have to order the bacteria through your school or lab. The other products necessary for your experiements may also have to be purchased through your school or lab, unless you can find it online (ex. amazon.com). You should try searching for your products online and see what comes up.

let me know if need any more help. I've worked with bacteria in the past.

good luck,
scienceexpert123

Hi,

Science Expert has given you some really good advice for a microbiology project. The science buddies website also has background information that will be helpful for your project. Here is the index page for the science fair guide:

http://sciencebuddies.com/science-fair- ... ndex.shtml

You should read all of the sections on microbiology to learn about the techniques and safety tips for working with bacteria. And, the supplies and materials section includes a list of suppliers that can help provide you with materials. Next, go through the steps on “How to do a Science Fair Project.” You need to formulate a question that can be answered with a carefully controlled experiment.

Please let us know what you are thinking about doing for your project if you need more help.

Donna Hardy

Hi,

It mostly depends on the bacteria that you are planning to work with. Well, I guess I'll start with your first question. I don't think it matters too much how qualified your advisor is in terms of academic background so long as he/she has had lab/research experience working with bacteria of that particular type (eg, he/she knows how to deal with biohazardous spills that might occur).

In terms of your school, most high schools that I know are only qualified to house biosafety level 1 organisms. Essentially, this means that, if the bacteria were to escape into the environment, it could not possible cause a substantial amount of damage either to people or the environment. More information on biosafety levels can be found here - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biosafety_level and http://www.cdc.gov/OD/ohs/symp5/jyrtext.htm. Most forms of non-pathogenic E. coli purchased by high schools for lab purposes would fall into this category.

So to recap, both really depend on what type of bacteria you are planning on using.

Hope this helps!
Aaron Lin