In science we were given the chance to create a project with ISS. In our groups we each had to think of an experiment that we could conduct in micro gravity. Here’s what our group chose to do:
In our group, we decided to take bacteria and bad bacteria to see how it would react in micro gravity. We then specifically chose to use Bacteria Vibrio Chlorae with Pili. We chose to do this experiment to see if they would produce faster, or slower to help us determine more the difference of how they react in micro gravity to being in gravity, to help get a better understanding of the bacteria itself. This understanding could help us with many things, not only in science 9, 10… But in life as well if one of us becomes a scientist, or for many scientists who may have this question now, or even other students.
To find a great experiment, we thought more about our question, with lots of research from multiple sources on how we could conduct the experiment, count the Pili, and how we could benefit from this experiment. We then got contact with Miguel Gutierrez, – a SFU graduate in molecular science – who we determined would help supply us with the bacteria that we needed. We also attended the SSEP program at Heritage Woods Secondary School to open up new ideas and to understand the concepts that we planned to do our experiment on.
SSEP 2016 http://ncesse.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/slider-3-1-SSEP-P2-1.jpg%5B/caption%5D
This problem could be solved by our experiment idea of having two different types of bacteria sent up into micro gravity to see how they react together, like the two that we choose, Bacteria Vibrio Cholerae and Pili. We want to see how these two different bacteria’s will react together in micro gravity. To help solve our problem, like it was mentioned in the previous. This will also help achieve a better general understanding of how bacteria works, and reacts in not only micro gravity, but also in gravity itself, and to see how much of the Bcteria Vibrio Cholerae was gone, and how much the Pili has grown.
To create the best proposal we could, we wrote up our draft for the first deadline, each taking different parts that we felt best suit each of us – to get the best possible result – and handed that in to be reviewed. We then went to Susan Henderson, to help us review our proposal, and to show us how to properly use Microsoft Word in order to create proper citations. We then re-reviewed our proposal, adding in all the proper citations. Then, that then went on to Claudia Durand to review once again our current proposal, and to give us more corrections on places in our proposal where she thought that we could improve.
The process of creating our proposal went well. I think that our group could have worked more on our communication skills, to make the work load that we had more even. But, we did come out with a strong idea, and well made proposal in the end. I feel that our group did well on going to spend the extra time out of our lunches, or even on pro d days, to get in that extra effort to really try to make our proposal as good as it can be. I feel that our group also did well in reaching out to outside sources to really get an even better sense of what we were doing. With copious amounts of support from everyone whom I mentioned, and lots of encouragement from our science 9 teacher – making this all possible – Mr. Robinson, I feel that this project went very smoothly. In the end I think that we have a very good proposal, and that now we know how to really work well together.
Mis understanding a concept in science can be really tough, and not having the opportunity to get help for the subject that you are having trouble with is even worse. Being able to ask questions, while having, easy access to every topic that you could want to better comprehend in science, are key things for the app to have to better help your comprehension.
Creating an app that is easy to access and use, has in depth explanation to help your further understanding, and going into a more one on one feel, with videos, drawings, and easy to understand explanations.
An app that would attempt to solve this problem would be Khan Academy. It goes over every subject, has in depth explanation videos, practice quiz’s, drawings, and much more. This app not only provides what feels like a one on one explanation for science, but covers every topic in science for every grade, so anything you want to know or would have questions about, it would be in that app.
This app was very good for help. It shows everything in a order from the beginning of a lesson to the end of one, going from the beginning of what we learned to what we finished on and more. It shows atoms, models, the periodic table, compounds and so much more. This app showed a flawless program that ran very smoothly, although you do need wifi to run it since there are videos. And for each video there is, there is also a quiz, to see if you understood what went on in the video. In the app, there is also a point system where as you watch videos and take quiz’s, you can gain more points as you use the app, if you make an account, although you can still fully use the website without an account as creating, an account is no cost.
When you first open the app, you come to a page with many different subjects, and you can pick whichever one you want help with, and it will take you to a page of different categories within that subject. You can pick whichever one you want (for me it was chemistry), and then that page will take you to the page of everything in that category in every grade, in the order that you would learn it in, in school, so it will still make sense. Under every category, you can start wherever you want, and then start from clicking a video that you want to have help with and go on as you need help.
The students designing thier project.
http://ssep.ncesse.org/communities/experiments-selected-for-flight/selected-experiments-on-ssep-mission-1-to-iss/%5B/caption%5D
“Describe the experiment (who, what, from where, when, why)?”
Alhan: A: The creators of the project were from Claminade college preparatory who were in grade 9 and 10. Max Holden and Paige D’Andrea were the creators of the project. Their idea was to create Microgravity wine, and this experiment was to test the speed of fermentation of wine when exposed to microgravity. They created it in West Hills, California on December 13 and 14, 2011. They chose this experiment because when something is in microgravity its at a constant free fall so it will constantly move the grape juice and yeast. When the sugar in the grape juice is mixed with the yeast it will ferment and produce ethyl alcohol and carbon dioxide. They wanted to see if it will speed up the process or slow it down.
“Retell the team’s background research.”
Kaleb: B: They had to research: the average ratio of grape juice to yeast and d how long it has to ferment. They also had to find how much formalin was needed for the top stop the experiment. To find d that they had to have enough formalin compared to the amount of liquid they had. After 5 days of testing and research they found the perfect amount. Other than that they just did a lot of testing.
“Explain what the experimental and control groups were and what the difference was.”
Olivia: C: The control groups were the ratio of grape juice and yeast, and the amount of formalin that was needed to stop the experiment. The experimental groups were the amounts of carbon dioxide (with Titration Kit), and weighing the sediment to test the ethyl levels of the alcohol. The difference between the experimental group and the control group is that with the experimental group, you have to test how much you need, and try it before coming to a one hundred percent conclusive result of the measurements and amounts of what you need. Control is something that you can know the exact measurements of, and not having to try to figure it out on your own. So this substance can be weighed without question.
“Is there any other extra information on this project?”
Olivia: D: Their idea works by using microgravity and the lack of oxygen to their advantage. The lack of oxygen will create ethyl alcohol. Microgravity is used to create a constant freefall for the substances to keep moving together because of microgravity. They used this to find out weather the wine would be created faster or slower. To find this out, they used the experiment in microgravity and the one on earth to find out which one creates more carbon dioxide. The yeast, sugar, and grape juice will create the ethyl alcohol and carbon dioxide.
“Why do you think the group won?”
Olivia: I think that the students won, because the experiment is a different idea, and that the idea of using microgravity as a constant freefall moving the cells constantly, can be used to our advantage. If the wine was created faster in microgravity, then we could be able to create new substances, and produce more substances, faster rather than on earth.
Alhan: I feel like the students won a place because their experiment was about something not many people think about and that is fermentation of grapes and the process of wine. The idea that the process of the fermentation can change to a different speed when exposed to microgravity seems very interesting.
Kaleb: I think they won because they had a interesting and well researched topic that was intriguing so maybe the judges thought it was as good as I think it is.
SSEP 2016 http://ncesse.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/slider-3-1-SSEP-P2-1.jpg%5B/caption%5D
