Grade 8 biology students at SHSID began cultivating bacteria after learning the basic scientific knowledge about them. Each student was given a petri dish with bacteria's “favorite food”, which was a nutrient rich LB medium. With temperature and humidity fixed at a specific number, the bacteria could quickly multiply on the surface of the petri dish. After opening the petri dishes, students inoculated them with the bacteria on their fingers. The petri dish was split into four sections. Three sections received a small drop of 3 different brands of hand soap, while the remaining section received a drop of water to serve as the control group. Petri dishes were sealed, and the bacteria grew on them for a few days.

Students observed results on November 15th. The results showed that these disinfectants had varying ability to inhibit bacterial growth. From this experiment, our students learned that bacteria is everywhere, and we need to take good care of our health.

Written by Lucas 8(7)    

Supervised by Michael Martin      

Pictures by Ming Liu     

Edited by Serene Yang, Niall Keenan