could be carried out in a laboratory or even at home You will create the hypothesis, the method (design) for the experiment, a plan for data collection, potential outcomes, and conclusions. In other words, you will create everything required for an experiment without actually testing it.

Please read the rubric at the end of this document carefully. It will assist you in understanding how you will be graded and what is expected of you in this assignment.

Because this is likely to be one of your first experiences designing experiments that aren’t just “cookbook” exercises, I’ve compiled a list of suggestions and guidelines to help you complete this project successfully. Please take the time to carefully read the following guidelines and plan your experiment accordingly.

The more focused your investigation, the more likely it is that you will be successful in devising clear-cut experiments. For example, if you focus your experiments on the question “Do bacteria survive longer on cutting boards made of wood as opposed to plastic?” you should be able to design simple experiments that clearly answer this question “yes” or “no.” If you focus on a broader question, such as “How do bacteria survive?” you will have a more difficult time deciding what experiments to conduct and how to conduct them.

Research Project Concepts

The following list is purposefully vague. I’ve suggested a few possible projects, each of which can be tailored to your specific interests and ideas. This is by no means an exhaustive list; you may have other project ideas that do not appear here.

Experiments in Quantitative Form. What is the number of bacteria in (a kitchen sponge)? a freshly washed hand? sand on the road? a gram of ground beef? and so on.) This is one of the simplest, yet surprisingly interesting, experimental questions in microbiology. The fundamental procedures are straightforward: dilution series and viable count assays. For preliminary screening, these assays can be simplified to “semi-quantitative” assays.

Here are some examples of possible applications:

* comparing the amount of bacteria in various water samples This can be expanded by looking for the presence of fecal contamination indicator organisms such as E. coli and Enterococcus faecalis.

* comparing the amount of bacteria found in eggs, meat, poultry, fish, or other foods. Samples are weighed first, then mixed with enough water to make a 1 percent solution (1 gm/100 ml) and thoroughly mixed in a blender. Total count is determined by analyzing dilutions. It is also possible to screen for the presence of pathogens (for example, Salmonella) or fecal indicator organisms.

* comparing the survival of a pathogenic indicator organism (such as E. coli, an enteric bacterium with survival abilities similar to pathogenic enterics like Salmonella) on wood vs. plastic cutting boards. Plastic cutting boards are required in food preparation by the FDA because they are easier to clean. However, recent research indicates that bacteria vanish much faster from wood surfaces.

* investigating “microbiology in the home.” Where are the most bacteria found in abundance? How contaminated is a sponge that is used to clean food preparation surfaces several times per day?

* Investigating the variation in the number of bacteria in different habitats. You can look into the spread of S. aureus on different parts of the same person.

* investigating variation over time For example, we know that hand washing reduces the number of bacteria on our hands. But how quickly and to what extent does it recover? A careful study in which the same skin area was swabbed at various times and then total counted could be very revealing.

Project Specifications:

Write a typed, well-constructed lab report of your experiment (complete sentences, proper grammar / spelling).

Creativity is valued.
Include a reference section (as an extra page) with at least four citations, one of which is a published (journal or textbook) reference.

To answer these questions, consult microbiology textbooks, encyclopedias, HCC Library databases (e.g., Pro Quest Biology, Pro Quest Nursing), journals, and online medical sites. Indicate the information’s source in either ACS or MLA format. Remember to include in-text citations whenever you borrow someone else’s idea, even if you paraphrased it. Make sure to include the date of publication.
Under each reference, comment on the reliability of the source (why you believe this source is reliable… “because it is on the internet” is NOT a good answer).
All references must be cited, and direct quotations from the references must be marked with quotation marks. Direct quotes, on the other hand, are rarely used in scientific writing. Rather, paraphrase the information in the reference and provide the citation.
If plagiarism is discovered, all students involved will receive a “0” on this assignment. Following that, plagiarism will be dealt with in accordance with the Academic Honesty Policy of the College.
Please use CANVAS to submit your individual Theoretical Experiment. The deadline is listed on the Canvas calendar. Your work will be checked for plagiarism using VeriCite.