Directions for Small-group Microbiology (BIOL 150) Research Projects
In the Microbiology laboratory this semester, you will be working in groups of two to complete an independent research project. For your project, your group should design an experiment to answer a specific question related to microbiology. You may use an idea from the list provided by your instructor, or you may generate your own idea. Be sure, however, to keep your project realistic: you must be able to complete it by the end of the semester, and the supplies must be easily obtainable.
All group projects must be completed no later than June 17, 2008, so that the results of your project can be shared with your classmates. Each group will submit a formal lab write-up, in addition to preparing a poster. The poster presentation will be open to all members of the class on June 17, 2008. Part of your grade for this project will also be dependent on evaluations by your classmates, which will be completed when you submit the poster. After the due date for the formal lab report, late papers will lose ten (10) percentage points per calendar day from the total grade of the lab write-up. This applies to all group members. All final drafts must be submitted in hard copy, and via Turnitin. The final draft of the lab report will not be graded until the originality report from Turnitin is received.
Due dates for your project will follow the tentative schedule outlined below.
Project Schedule:
Topic Proposal: May 20, 2008
Materials and Methods: May 27, 2008
Rough Draft: June 10, 2008
Final Draft: June 17, 2008
Poster Presentations – June 17, 2008
Proposal:
Each group must first submit a topic proposal: what is your scientific question? What do you expect to learn from this experiment? If this topic is approved, your group must then submit a detailed proposal, which will include the following items:
- Full names of all group members.
- Title of project.
- Your hypothesis (the scientific question that you will be attempting to answer).
- Rationale (background information on the project: why have you chosen this topic, why is this topic important, what is already known regarding this topic, etc.).
- Material that will be needed to complete your project. This list should be as complete as possible to prevent any future delays in your project.
- Methods: what microbiological techniques will you be using during your project? This should include a list of all techniques. If you will be using a technique that we have not previously covered in lab, you should also include detailed instructions for this technique in this section.
- Expected results.
During the project, you will be responsible for submitting a weekly report that details the following information: the group members present/absent, the activities that were completed during that group session, the amount of time spent per activity, and any results obtained.
Lab Report:
The formal lab report will follow a basic journal article format: Introduction/Objective, Materials and Methods, Results and Discussion. The lab report must be typed, double-spaced, with page numbers in the upper right corner (excluding the cover page), and one-inch margins. Include citations where appropriate.
Hints:
- Keep a notebook in which you can keep lab protocols, notes from lab (dated), raw data, and returned, graded lab reports.
- Take notes during lab time to remind yourself of the day’s activities. This will aid you when you actually write the lab report.
- Verb tense: Use past tense when reporting your own current findings, and the present tense when discussing the published work of others. Therefore, the Introduction will be written in the present tense, while the Materials and Methods, and Results and Discussion sections will be written in the past tense. This is in keeping with scientific tradition where published data is considered to be part of the existing theoretical framework, while new data (your experiments) are not yet considered established knowledge.
Report Format:
- Introduction/Objective: This section should provide a general background, so that the reader can understand the question being addressed in the experiment. This is the time to orient the reader to the problem with a short review of the current literature, and then explain the reasons for the particular experiment. This should lead the reader to the objective or purpose of the experiment being conducted. This section should end with a clear statement of your hypothesis.
- Materials and Methods: In this section, you should describe how the experiment was performed, including equipment and supplies used. Be specific. Include names of materials, equipment, and reagents, along with equipment settings or reagent doses used in each portion of the experiment. Include any other information which is necessary for successful completion of the experiment. For example, include incubation times and temperatures, descriptions of controls, etc.
If you are using a procedure or protocol that has been previously used and described by another investigator, it is common practice to briefly describe the procedure or setup, and then reference the previously published work. This is particularly important if you are adding to, or changing, the previous protocol.
- Results and Discussion: This section should include a description of your results and any data obtained during your experiment, as well as a brief discussion of why these results are important. Begin with a descriptive text of the results from each experiment. This should be in paragraph form. As you proceed through your data, include figures, tables, or drawings of your data, referring to each diagram in the text.
After presenting the data from each experiment, briefly address why these results are important. This is where you should interpret your results, and provide an explanation of how they integrate with the theoretical aspects of the experiment. Do your results support your original hypothesis (objective)? Why or why not? How do these results fit with the broader picture that you began with in the Introduction? Address any technical issues that may have affected your results. Also, describe any unexpected results, and how they modify your original hypothesis.
After presenting all your data in this manner, you should end with a short summary paragraph. Restate the significant findings from your experiments, and briefly state how this data fits into the overall picture. This is where you want to relate your research, in one or two sentences, to the big questions in medicine and science.
Notes on figures and tables: Place each figure or table as close as possible to where you refer to it in the text. Do not put all your figures and tables at the end of the report. Be specific in the results text. In general, the reader should be able to read through the results text and be able to understand the main findings. Do not show calculations in the text or figure legends—only show final results. Include calculations in a Calculations subsection at the end of the paper. Make sure to include units in all calculations, and in values given in the text.
For each figure, include a figure legend that includes the figure number, title, and a short description. Figures should be sequentially numbered using Arabic numbers, and the title should be a sentence, ending with a period. Figure legends are placed below the figure, while table legends are place above the figure. Table legends should also be numbered using Arabic numbers. Following the figure or table title, include a brief description of how the data was obtained. Also point out any unique features that you specifically want the reader to notice. If several figures use the same procedure, you may refer back to the previous figure, rather than repeat the protocol information. Be sure to include labels for each figure (axis, etc.), and include any relevant units for data in figures or tables. Whenever possible, data in figures and tables should be prepared using a computer; pen and pencil drawings are to be avoided.
- References: When referencing, you may use the “number” method (Vancouver method) for references, as demonstrated in the sample journal article, or you may use the “name-year” style. Be CONSISTENT with your referencing method. (For referencing questions, see McMillan VE. 2006. "Writing Papers in the Biological Sciences" (4th ed). Bedford/St. Martin’s. This book is available in the library.)
References should be no more than 5 years old. Place the references on a separate page, with the heading “Literature Cited” (centered, and in bold text).
- Cover page: The cover page must include the following:
Title
Full names of each group member
Date
Class name
Professor’s name
See the sample cover page on Desire2Learn for exact formatting of the cover page.
Poster:
Your poster should provide a visual summary of your experiment. It should include a brief Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, and Summary. The Introduction, and Materials and Methods sections should be no longer than one panel/page each. The Results should include any figures or tables that were generated during your experiment, along with a short description of the conditions under which the data in each figure were collected. The Summary should include 2-3 specific bullet statements that summarize the findings of your experiment.
Further instructions regarding the posters will be presented in class. See also the “Contents” section of Desire2Learn for further assistance when planning your poster.
Hint: Keep in mind that posters are designed to be read from a distance – keep your font LARGE enough to be easily read from several feet away.
Topic Ideas:
Here are some topic ideas to get you started. Feel free to add your own ideas to the list, but keep in mind that you must obtain approval from the instructor prior to beginning your experiment.
- Isolate an antibiotic-producing microbe from soil, and characterize the antibiotic.
- Make a Winogradsky column and ID bacteria from each level (aerobic, microaerophilic, facultative anaerobic, obligate anaerobic). Alternatively, test the effects of varying environmental conditions (salt, temperature, light) on the number and types of bacteria in the column.
- Test the effects of varying environmental conditions on biofilm formation and maintenance.
- Test protective effects of various uv blockers (sunglasses, milk plastic, etc.) on bacterial survival.
- Test carbon recycling by bacteria under various conditions (bioremediation).
- Generate, and present, an appropriate microbiology lab for middle/high school students.
- Test for presence of bacteria on money; ID predominate bacteria found.
- Test grocery store shopping carts for bacteria; ID predominate bacteria found.
- Make a “microbiology” meal; prepare microbiology-related foods (e.g. sauerkraut) and bring samples for your classmates to taste-test; ID the bacteria/mechanism responsible for each food.
- Test the efficacy of contact lens cleaners or other surface disinfectants and soaps.
- Test the survival of microorganisms on wooden vs synthetic cutting boards.
- Examine food samples for the presence of Escherichia coli.
- Verify that a cleaning agent kills 99.9% of bacteria.
- Isolate and ID magnetotactic bacteria.
- Examine the types & distribution of microorganisms in salad-bar foods.
- Test the survival of microbes on washcloths or towels.
- Examine the effects of “natural remedies” (e.g. garlic) on microorganisms.
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To see pictures of student presentations, click here.