Science Fair Project

Atiya Groomes
Maurice Wise December 19, 2007
Science Project
Topic- Germs

Title- Who gets all the Germs?

Question- Which doorknob leading in or out the biology room, has the most germs?

Hypothesis- The right outside doorknob will have the most germs, because this is only door everyone touches.

Materials-
1. Cotton swabs (4)
2. Toothpicks (4)
3. Microscope
4. Microscope slides (4) (labled with each doorknob location)
5. Cover slips (4)
6. Lugols aqueous solution
7. Agar plates (4) ( labled with each doorknob location)
8. dye

Procedure-
1. Swab a doorknob.
2. Rub that exact same swab into the correct labled agar plate.
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 using different doorknob and different agar plate.
4. Let samples sit in an incubator for 60 hours at 40 degrees Celsius, to allow germs to grow.
5. Take samples out of the incubator.
6. Using a different toothpick for each agar plate take a small sample out of each agar plate and rub on the correctly labled slide.(place a drop of dye where bacteria sample was rubed)
7. Place cover slip over each slide. (where the sample was rub)
8. Place a slide on the microscope.
9. Look at the slide through the microscope
10. Make observation.
11. Record observation

Observations-

Outside Biology Room (right)-
There are many tiny bacteria and about 4 larger bacteria.

Inside Biology Room (right)-
Lots of tiny bacteria about 2 larger bacteria

Outside Biology Room (left)-
Some tiny bacteria and about 4 bigger bacteria

Inside Biology Room (left)-
Some tiny particle about 3 larger particles

Analysis of Results-
The results were surprising I did not find what I thought I would find, but I did notice that the hypothesis was right.

Conclusion-
The hypothesis was correct the door that everyone uses to enter the biology room had the most bacteria.