Welcome to the Becker Elementary School Garden, where every student has their own special space to grow delicious vegetables, herbs, and edible plants for themselves and their families!
With the help of microBIOMETER®’s cutting-edge technology, students are exploring the amazing world of living soil and its secret inhabitants – microorganisms!
These tiny superheroes work together to create a thriving ecosystem, breaking down nutrients and making them available to plants. In the Becker Green Classroom, students are diving deeper into microbiology with miniature microscopes, examining soil, pond water, and compost up close to discover the diverse community of microorganisms living beneath our feet.
“With microBIOMETER®, we can easily test and analyze our garden soils. By making soil science fun and accessible, we’re empowering our students to become the next generation of environmental stewards, conscious of the microscopic world that shapes our planet’s health. Join us on this exciting journey, as we cultivate a love for learning, sustainability, and the incredible world of soil microbiology!”
Emil Racelis, a 6th grader in McAllen, Texas, utilized microBIOMETER® in his science fair project at IMAS (International Museum of Art & Science) and was awarded 3rd Place in the middle school division!
As a control, Emil tested three different store bought bagged soils with microBIOMETER®; top soil, organic potting soil and commercial potting soil. The top soil had a very low levels of microbes while the organic and commercial potting soils had a high level of microbes. Emil then collected soil samples in his community garden from areas with high plant diversity (five or more species in the sample plot) and areas of low plant diversity (areas with two or less species per sample plot).
His hypothesis was that areas with higher plant diversity would have more microbes, but that is not what he found. There were low/medium levels of microbes in all the plots sampled, therefore, no solid conclusion could be made. Emil believes the results stemmed from drought conditions they were currently experiencing in Texas. The garden was watered sometimes, but not that much. Emil would like to do more microBIOMETER® soil testing in the future during a season with more rain.
“I had a lot of fun using the tests and I got some pretty cool results even though they were not what I expected. I found the process really interesting and the test easy to perform. I hope I get to use microBIOMETER® again some day.” -Emil Racelis
“Emil really got into this project, and was fascinated by what he found, which only leads to more questions! Now he really wants to do more experimenting to see what helps the soil microbes. We have a garden, and he is talking about testing the results of compost tea, and other organic additives, as well as looking at the affect of drought vs rainy season. We may have to save up for more tests! You got us hooked! It was so cool to see him using the tests independently. I love how user-friendly your system is.” – Alison, Emil’s mom
Please click here to view more science fair projects using microBIOMETER®. If you would like to include microBIOMETER® in your next school or science fair project, contact us for details!
Informal science education is a key for community engagement and healthy gardening. Community gardening brings numerous benefits such as fresh produce, therapy, physical exercise, reduction in grocery bills, improvement of mood among many others.
“Last weekend I had the privilege to teach community gardeners on the importance of soil testing side by side with my very first student at NYBG Adult Education program (class 2015). Dr. Joan Basile is a clinical psychologist who has developed her own horticulture therapy program incorporating soil knowledge brining therapy & soil science & gardening together.” – Dr. Anna Paltseva, soil_expert.
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“While the microBIOMETER® results showed there is room for improvement, the result from last year’s beds also proved that composting and mulching practices are paying off in increased soil life. This means that sandy soil will gradually be able to hold nutrients better and better!” – Dr. Basile
