Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

My experiment requires the testing of household bacteria grown in nutrient agar petri dishes. To count and photograph the bacterial colonies we must unseal the petri dishes. My question is twofold: Does this experiment need to be performed in a certified laboratory with ventilation hood or can we perform this in the house and will unsealing the petri dishes to photograph disqualify me from California regional or state science fair participation. Thank you for your guidance

-Travellap

Hi!
I am not a native of California, but I do know that if you are looking to qualify to higher fairs like Intel ISEF, they will also require the California regional fairs to follow the same rules. For instance, running your experiment through the ISEF rules wizard will tell you the list of forms that you need as well as the approval that is necessary for your type of project.
http://apps.societyforscience.org/isef/ ... /index.asp

And from my knowledge, any bacterial studies MUST be conducted with adult supervision and cannot be done at home due to obvious safety reasons.

I hope this helps, best of luck!

Hi!

Bacterial work can be very interesting. We have posted the safety precautions for you to review before you get started. https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... fety.shtml

I'll see if we have someone who knows the state rules to answer your question more definatively.

Hi - I wanted to add some additional URLs that may help answer your questions or give you additional information.

The California State Science Fair rules don't really address bacteria, but here is the link: http://www.usc.edu/CSSF/Info_Genl/Research_Regs.html

While it is important to check with your local fair for their specific rules, most regional fairs do follow ISEF rules.

We have a summarization of ISEF rules posted on the Science Buddies website: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... _src.shtml
And you can see more about working with microbiology projects here: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... ents.shtml

Also, Sunmoonstars (an Expert) gave you a link to the safety guide posted on the Science Buddies site. That's an important document to read through as well.

I hope that helps!

Amy
Science Buddies