Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

I want to do a science project where I measure the amount of bacteria on a birthday cake after it is blown on and see if that can make you sick. My question: is this a good science project for someone my age or in my grade level?
Yours, therebelutionary

Hello,
Good to know you are trying to be creative when thinking about a science fair project. Thanks for thinking of us as a sounding board for your science fair research ideas.
I think the project you propose is out of scope for your level of training as a scientist and availability of resources. At the same time, you can use the basic science concepts behind your idea and come up with an alternate science fair project. I describe some thoughts below-
We definitely have microorganisms in our mouths. One way to see/test this is to prepare petri dishes with solidified (using agar) nutrients- agar plates. I think these plates are available for purchase. Consult with your science teacher for alternatives. Using your breath, blow air onto its surface and allow the plate to incubate at room temperature for several days. If present, microorganism colonies should start appearing. Make note of amount and morphology of the different types of colonies that appear. That is one idea. You can think about different types of "breath" or "air" you would want to test. Hope this helps.
Veronica

Hi,

I also suggest that you look at the Science Buddies Project Guide for project ideas and background info:

https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... g77bgclmby