Group Project BIOS240: Microbiology: Independent Research Project This is a group project which will consist of 2-3 students working together to design and carrying out research on a topic dealing with microbiology, specifically bacteria. apue2/18/2020 Proposal The proposal should be approximately 1-2 pages (+ references) typed. It should include: a brief overview of the topic the hypothesis you will be testing an overview of your experimental design the materials and methods you will use to carry out the experiment hard copies of at least 3 scientifically reliable references (besides the textbook and lab manual) Hypothesis & Experimental Design After gathering information using textbooks, lab manuals, reference books, and reliable web sites, formulate a hypothesis based upon observations and information you have found. A good hypothesis must be testable and in the form of a statement (not a question). Your hypothesis should explain the relationship between the independent variable (what you are testing) and the dependent variable (the expected results). E.g. If Listerine kills more bacteria than Scope, there should be less bacteria in a mouth rinsed with Listerine that in a mouth rinsed with Scope. You may choose to test air samples, bacteria on a body surface, a pet's body, in the water, on food, or an inanimate object. You may make comparisons such as examining different cleaning products or disinfecting techniques. You may not test samples that could contain pathogens. For example, no samples should come from the hospital, nursing home, toilet, a sick animal or person. You should plan now to include a quantitative aspect to your investigation. You will be required to graph the results of the quantitation. Examples of quantitative experiments include: 1. Direct count and comparison of bacteria from different samples 2. Inhibition of bacterial growth by antimicrobial agents Materials & Methods Include a list of the materials necessary to begin testing the hypothesis. In general, you will use a maximum of six TSA plates per group and sterile swabs, loops or pipettes to take samples. Indicate the number of plates you will need. Also, give a detailed description of how you will obtain the samples and how you will incubate them. Explain the exact location of the sample, the area size being sampled and the volume of any liquids being used in metric units. Samples that likely contain a large amount of bacteria, such as those taken from the mouth, will have to be diluted with sterile water. Unless you are specifically testing temperature effects, it is recommended that samples be incubated at 37°C in order to obtain rapid and abundant growth. If you are collecting samples with a sterile swab, you should plan to moisten the swab with sterile water or sterile saline first. References At least three (3) scientifically reliable references (in addition to your text and lab manual) pertaining to the hypothesis must be photocopied (with source indicated) and attached to the proposal. These sources will be returned. These references may come from a text, interlibrary services, journals or websites. The references should include the title, author(s) and date of the text or articles as well as the pages containing your information. Scientifically reliable references include peer-reviewed scientific journals, government sources such as the EPA and CDC, scientific societies (e.g. American Society of Microbiology), and scientific reference manuals (e.g. Bergey's Manual). A tutorial on how to identify scientific articles is available on the NCC library website: http://libguides.northampton.edu/bios240 1 The following are not scientifically reliable and should not be used as sources: . Docun the sar • Pla ter • Websites with "wiki” (e.g. Wikipedia) Self-diagnostic websites (e.g. webMD) Question/answer websites (e.g. ask.com, eHow.com) ( cren • Student projects or papers posted on-line Newspaper articles Encyclopedias • Websites that sell products (e.g. scientific suppliers) See NCC library website for potential references and tips for searching for references (http://www.northampton.edu/Library/Research-Assistance.htm) Each group will also need have a lab notebook. It must be a bound journal with non-removable pages Group journal such as a composition book. You may not use loose leaf or spiral bound books. of You should have this notebook in lab every time your group works on the project starting on the day of the initial inoculations. Space will be available to leave the notebook in the lab during the project. • All methods and results should be recorded in the notebook in permanent ink as they are performed. Do not wait and make entries at the end of the project as this will result in a loss in points. . Do not erase any information in the notebook. If you make a mistake, cross out the error and write dom the correct information. padol golweb . Do not remove any pages from the notebook. • All entries should be dated. Entries should also include the name of the individual(s) that completed each task and the estimated time spent on each task. bio boy • The last entry should summarize the time each individual spent on the project. Include the lab time as well as time spent preparing the paper and oral presentation. Each person should sign the last past verifying the information is correct. nodinti Experimentation Materials tool lobular supplies will be provided: During the first lab day of the project, students will perform the initial inoculations. The following . TSA plates Sterile swabs, loops, pipettes Sterile water or saline to moisten swabs Sterile water for serial dilutions Any products to be tested (e.g. cleaners, mouthwash, etc.) must be provided by the group members. If you are sampling at a different location (e.g. a restaurant, playground, your kitchen, etc.), your instructor will provide you with materials to take with you to collect your samples. Keep the inoculated plates at room temperature or in a sealed bag in the refrigerator until you are able to put them in the incubator. Do not store TSA plates at high temperatures (such as in your car on a hot day) or in freezing conditions Initial inoculations Using aseptic techniques, collect your samples and inoculate them onto the agar. • Be sure to clearly label all of your samples 2 Discuss results, what they mean, sources of error Optional bonus: flow chart to specifically identify your organism An ELMO and computer access will be available for the presentations. A slide presentation (e.g. PowerPoint is recommended. Make sure that the text font on your slides is large enough for the audience to easily read. The presentation should be given by all members of the group, with each member speaking 3-4 minutes. Group members that do not participate in the presentation will forfeit the points designated for that part of the project. A period of no more than five minutes will be reserved after the talk for questions from the instructor and students. This presentation will be graded. Students not prepared to give their presentation on the designated day will receive a zero for the presentation portion of the project grade. Format checklist & grading The grade for the project is based on the points earned from the proposal, the final written report and the oral presentation. Typically one grade will be determined for the group. However, if a group member does not adequately participate in the project as demonstrated by excessive absences or lack of participation documented in the group journal, the grade for that individual may be reduced proportionately. The following checklist will be used to grade the project. Be sure you have all of the elements included in your final report. (100 points + 10 bonus points possible) 1. Proposal (15 points) Hypothesis is testable, creative, and correctly stated Provided a clear overview of the experimental design Copies of at least 3 appropriate references (plus text and lab manual) were included Material and methods were complete including how samples were obtained and incubated 2. Title and abstract (5 points) Title is descriptive and includes the experimental variable Abstract summarized purpose of experiment Abstract included results Abstract did not include citations 3. Introduction (10 points) Provided background information about the topic Clearly stated hypothesis Clearly identified dependent, independent and control variables Explained the purpose of the experiment Provided a general overview of the experimental design Proper parenthetical citation of references for all information that is not common knowledge 8
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