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!
Kenley Mitchell, a 5th grader at Sargent Elementary School, utilized microBIOMETER® in her science fair project titled “Getting Dirty: Does Soil Affect a Dog’s Microbiome?” Kenley won first prize in her category and received the overall best project award for the San Luis Valley Regional in Alamosa, CO!
Project Abstract:
For my project, I tested a dog’s microbiome and compared it to the health of the dog’s soil. I also looked at the time the dog spends in the soil. I ran two samples. The first sample was a stool sample. The second sample was a soil sample. Both were taken at the same time. I tested dogs that are in the city vs. country dogs. I found out that farm dogs have a healthier microbiome, but city dogs have healthier soil. The farm dogs’ average microbial biomass in the soil is 221.0 ug C/g. The city dogs’ average microbial biomass in the soil is 273.4 ug C/g. Farm dogs average for F% is 20%. City dogs average for F% is 32%. Farm dogs average for B% is 80%. City dogs average for B% is 68%. The farm dogs were outside in the soil for longer periods of time. The farm dogs might be healthier due to spending more time in the soil.
Francis Lawton an 8th grader at St. Timothy School in Los Angeles, CA utilized microBIOMETER® in his science fair project titled “The Effect of Greywater on Plant Growth, Soil Microbial Biomass Carbon, and Soil Fungi to Bacteria Ratio. Francis took first prize at the fair and moved on to the Los Angeles County Science & Engineering Fair where he placed 3rd in his category of Ecology. He also received a special award from USAID (U.S. Agency for International Development). Francis then took part in the California State Science & Engineering Fair in the category of Earth & Environment (Air/Water) and placed 2nd!
Have a science fair project coming up and would like to incorporate microBIOMETER®? Please contact us!
Project Abstract:
This project was designed to find out if greywater and treated greywater can safely hydrate plants, and promote plant growth, just as well as tap water. I live in drought-prone California and it’s important to find different ways of conserving water. My experiment tested the watering of grass pots with three different types of water (independent variable): Tap water, Greywater, and Greywater treated with Activated Charcoal. Over the course of 8 weeks, I measured plant growth, soil Microbial Biomass Carbon (MBC) levels and soil Fungi to Bacteria (F:B) ratio (dependent variables). Many controlled variables ensured a valid experiment. I hypothesized that each of the water types would result in the same growth rate, soil MBC and soil F:B ratio. My hypothesis, however, was incorrect. Greywater resulted in stunted growth and spiked the F:B soil ratio so high that the pot sprouted 13 fungi heads. Tap water and Treated Greywater, however, were equally good in terms of healthy plant growth and both pots had the two best average F:B ratios closest to 1:1 (which is the best ratio for grasses). Neither of these pots produced fungi. Soil carbon levels (MBC) fluctuated for all three plants, however each plant maintained an “Excellent” level. This indicated that each water type was fine for watering grass if you don’t mind stunted grass growth and some fungi in your lawn. My experiment also proved that Activated Charcoal effectively “adsorbs” chemicals in greywater that alter a soil’s F:B ratio.
Ariel White; Post-Wildfire Forest Reboot Kit
Ariel White, a ninth grader at Pretty River Academy in Ontario, Canada, utilized microBIOMETER® in their science fair project titled Post Wildfire Forest Reboot Kit.
The project was awarded first place at their high school and chosen to compete at the Simcoe County Regional Science Fair. At the regional fair, Ariel was awarded a gold medal, Best of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Best of Fair, The Dufferin Simcoe Land Stewardship Network Award, and was one of seven students selected to represent their county in the Canada Wide Science Fair where they won a silver medal!
About the project: Forest fires have increased due to climate change, causing forests to burn down at an unbelievable rate. Now we need forests more than ever, yet they have been taking years if at all to regrow. This project explores the question “how can we boost the speed of forest regrowth after forest fires?”. For phase one of this experiment, each plant was graded for performance using tests such as success-rate, growth-rate, compost-value, and self-propagation. For the second phase, it was seen what effect this plant had on the soil microbiome; which is key to healthy, speedy plant growth and isn’t evident after fires. It was concluded that the morning glory substantially increased the microbiome health from inevident to healthy, and had an almost perfect performance score. These results are very important to our world’s future as they could help to deter climate change and repair our forests and their diverse ecosystems.
