Bacterial Diversity in NYC: Supporting Underrepresented Science Research
Help me give my students the opportunity to conduct authentic science experiments from home by providing each student with the necessary equipment to grow their own bacterial samples!
My students are engaged and eager to solve problems in their own communities. They come from a broad range of backgrounds and exposure to STEM, and most of them are very excited to learn about computer science and applied technologies.
Our school is on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, but pulls students from all 5 boroughs.
The majority of students are Black or Latino, and come from Washington Heights, Harlem, or the Bronx.
The students in my class love to collaborate on projects, but have had limited access to hands-on science experiments. They are very excited to get started with our new project to discover the bacterial diversity of their neighborhoods!
My Project
This is an AMAZING project that we are excited to use with students remotely this year. The project kicks off with an introduction to some fantastic bacterial scientists from underrepresented backgrounds in STEM (including several from the IF/THEN campaign and our partners at Columbia University), and then gets students thinking about bacterial diversity questions in their own life.
Some great projects in the past have asked questions like:
"Does a Dog's Mouth Actually Have Less Bacteria Than A Human's?"
"What Has More Bacteria: Staff or Student Bathrooms?"
"Subway Poles vs. Taxi Doors: Which Is Cleaner?"
"Does Hot Water Clean Better Than Cold When Washing Hands?"
Students develop their own questions, and we'll help them develop experimental designs, and then show them how to swab using these supplies. They'll grow the bacteria (either at home, or in our schools' incubators), and track the growth along with their classmates every day.
We've also teamed up with out Algebra I teacher, who will be using the bacterial colony measurements to teach students about linear, exponential, and logistic growth. It is a truly amazing educational opportunity for the students, and I hope you can help support it!
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