• It is hypothesized that the most germiest site swabbed at 48h will be the water spigot, the bathroom faucet, items from the gym, and the classroom garbage can
• it is hypothesized that the least germiest sites at 48h will be the lockers, classroom items, and desks

• Dr. Mike has been an inspiration for me. He has made education about health fun. He has educated me about the importance of hygiene and safety.
• Children in public schools are at high risk of encountering bacterial microorganisms, possibly leading to infection (El Kased, & Gamaleldin, 2020).
• Studies similar to mine have been done in other elementary schools (NSF).
• According to research the most colony forming sample came from the classroom water fountain spigot. This was followed by the cafeteria water fountain spigot, cafeteria trays, cold water faucet handle, hot water faucet handle, cafeteria plate, keyboards in the classroom, toilet seats, students hand, and an animal cage.
• It is important to learn this information about our school, because knowing what we touch can affect our health.
• Do students know where bacteria is in their school?

Deciding what to swab:

• Swab locations have been identified by other researchers who have studied bacteria in schools
• Some of the locations identified by researchers did not makes sense for my school
• Students in Grade 6 at my school took a survey to say where they thought would have the most and least bacteria
• Fifty students were given a survey and 100% filled out the survey
• The results were used to determine the areas that were swabbed, second to results from studies found

Agar Plates: To prepare base media for the cultivation and counting of bacteria. Materials purchased from ScienceIS.

• Run an air filter for 30 minutes before making agar plates. Clean workspace with a bleach solution (4 tsp to litre, CDC recommendation).
• Apply safety wear- gloves, eyewear, mask.
• Measure 250mls of distilled water. Add Nutrient Agar II and stir with sterile stick.
• Boil the distilled water and agar powder in the microwave for until the solution is clear.
• Slightly lift the lid of the petri dish, shielding the inner surface from possible bacteria in the air. Pour approximately 10 mls of solution in petri dish, or a thin layer that can be spread by tilting the petri dish as needed.
• Chill the petri dishes with agar solution in the fridge, inverted.

Prior to the activity:

• Label and organize petri dishes. Use the label/sharpie to describe the spot tested along the bottom edge of the plate — example: bathroom sink. Record this in your table in your notebook (example: #1 — bathroom sink).
• Using a permanent marker, divide the Petri dish into two sections by marking a line on the outside of the bottom of the dish.
• Label one side of the lid with “E” for experimental. – Label the other side with “C” for control.

Swabbing procedure

To prevent accidental contamination it’s important to avoid touching the tips of the swabs that will contact surfaces and the inside of the agar plates.

• Mask and glove.
• To swab (or sample) the surfaces, open the bottle of sterilezed distilled water. Unwrap a swab and get the cotton part wet in the water.
• Rub the surface with the wet swab for 10 seconds. Swab an area that is approximately 10 x 10 cm, unless object is smaller.
• Being careful to avoid contamination, open a petri dish like a clam shell and streak the swab over the plate 10 times. When finished, put the lid back on the dish.
• Tape the lid shut, as the petri dishes will not be opened at any time.
• Turn the petri dish upside down. All the plates will be stored upside down so moisture doesn’t accumulate on the media.
• Repeat for each location tested.
• Positive control. Use a positive control by touching a petri dish with your hand, cough or air to make sure the plates are growing bacteria.
• Negative control. Hold one petri dish back (no swab) as a negative control. We don’t want to see anything growing on this plate.
• Place your petri dishes upside down inside a box and close the lid to transport them home.
• Repeat this experiment the following week.

Incubate bacterial colonies

• Test and regulate incubator temperature to approximately 35 degrees
• Set up incubator by placing a heating pad and a baking rack in the plastic bin
• Once petri dishes are in the incubator check temperature hourly on the first day and regularly after
• Remove the petri dish from the box and observe and photograph each day
• Leave the plate to incubate for 2-3 days, read at 48h
• Important: Do not open the sealed petri dish
• To dispose of your growth plates, put entire bag containing the dish in the trash

Count colonies

• Counting colonies on agar plates is a widely used method in microbiologY
• OpenCFU is a free software that facilitates the counting of colony forming unit (CFU)Automatically
• You can run the program on your computer and input pictures of plated bacterial colonies (or other cells) to count the colonies
• this data was put into a MS office table to make a graph

https://www.canva.com/design/DAGhYX3wIrI/1lFhe7d4oko3l7WpffNe_g/view?utm_content=DAGhYX3wIrI&utm_campaign=share_your_design&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=shareyourdesignpanel

Survey Data Avi Giesbrecht.pptx

• From other studies, we thought that the water fountain spigot would be the most germiest, and this was not true
• We were right that the sink and the bathroom facuct handle were the germiest, but wrong that the gym item would be the germiest.
• We were also wrong that the lockers were the least germiest
• Students were divided about the germiness of doors and sinks. The data shows that they are among the most germiest.
• Also, it may be true that the classroom has more bacteria than people realize

Which bacteria pose the greatest threat?

• Identifying colony numbers or morphology doesn’t allow us to determine the type of bacteria growing (tests in a lab)
• So, we cannot determine the threat to humans exactly
• Other researchers have identified bacteria growing in schools
• From these studies we can use deduction to identify what bacteria might be in our school

*sometimes these bacteria are hard to treat with antibiotics* El-Kased*and Noha M. Gamaleldin

Who can use the information?

• In Experiment A, the control side grew bacteria so I made changes
• I found that maybe bacteria grew faster at 30 than 37 or the distilled water was contaminated
• Because there were so many colonies, I used an APP to help me count them and there may be some error there

• Prevalence of Bacteria in Primary Schools Reham F. El-Kased* and Noha M. Gamaleldin file:///C:/Users/uptur/Downloads/JPAM_Vol_14_Issue4_p_2627-2636.pdf
• El Kased, & Gamaleldin, 2020 Germiest Places at Schools
• https://www.cysf.org/videos/
• https://www.nsf.org/consumer-resources/articles/germiest-places-schools
• Science Fair Project: What’s the germiest place in school? https://stemium.com/science-fair-project-germiest-place/
• Try This at Home Science: Bacteria Growth Plates Bacteria-Growth-Plates.pdf
• Exploring Germs and Bacteria at Home (DIY Agar Petri Dishes) Experiment https://www.astrazeneca.com/content/dam/az/media-centre-docs/article_files/articles-2020/11229%20-%20AZ-USASEF-Agar-Experiment-v7-STEM-Day-Version-GY-FH.pdf
• Mission X: Train Like an Astronaut: What's in your Petri BUGS IN SPACE PART 2 https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/microbeactivitypart2-petri.pdf
• Cleaning and Disinfecting with Bleach https://www.cdc.gov/hygiene/about/cleaning-and-disinfecting-with-bleach.html#:~:text=Follow%20the%0directions%20on%20the,quart%20of%20room%20temperature%20water
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279387/?report=printable
• OpenCFU. Don't waste time counting your colonies. https://opencfu.sourceforge.net/
• https://www.hamiltonhealthsciences.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Sepsis-Education-Package.pdf
• Canva templates
• How to create a Tri-fold STEM Fair Poster. MIke Morrison. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kLnQ1OEnE4

• Mr Downey
• Grade 6 Classes 6-4 & 6-2
• Griffith Woods School
• Dr Mikhail Varshavski
• Dr. Doug Yeung
• Mrs Winter
• Ms. McCann
• Mrs. Bailie
• My Mom & Gaia