Week #5 2/22-2/28

They're baaaaaaack; the microbes that is, and so am I, in full effect. Last week, I left you with unfinished results on ginger because the incubator had been unplugged so this week I repeated the experiment. Unfortunately, and as you can see below, repeating the experiment and letting the culture incubate for 24 hours at 37°C did not yield better results. In fact the results were the same. In this case, my spice did not perform so "gingerly" against the microbes. The zones of inhibition were the similar, with little to no effect on Escherichia coli and about 1/2 mm on Staphylococcus auerus. With these results, we have decided to move on to the next victim.

Señores y Señoras, Damas y Caballeros, I present to you the Jalapeño or Capsicum annum Jalapeño. Below, you will see my preparation of the cultures and tomorrow, I will be able to check for zones of inhibition. With each week, I am learning more about procedures in the lab, anomalies in the lab (I will address a little bit later), and I am getting a better feel for the direction of my project; thanks to Amanda, Josh, and Matt. 

Ideally, after I have tested a variety of plants and recorded their zones of inhibition, I would be able to do a chemical analysis on the particular plant with the best results and then isolate chemicals and retest them for their anti-microbial agents. I would then be able to construct a more precise protocol for the experiment (e.g. weighing the  chemicals applied to the microbes). However, due to laboratory limitations, I will only be able to apply the plants, in crushed and pure form, and discs soaked in the plants juices, and even dried plants mixed with water to make a tea. I will then be able to construct a list of zones of inhibition to determine which plant has the most anti-microbial agents. So, without the chemical analysis, the scope of my project is limited; nevertheless, this being my first science project over the course of 16 weeks, I am pleased that I will have a basic protocol put together and a list of my results by the end of the semester.

In reference to the anomalies, ehem, PLEASE BEWARE, there is a black hole in the lab somewhere (location to be determined), as things keep coming up missing. When I started this experiment, I made 58 MH plates. The other day, I noticed that a bag of 20 had vanished (I suspect the horseradish thief), so I decided to pour more plates. With the help of Kimberly, one of our lab technicians, we poured 40 additional plates yesterday. Today, when I walked in, 20 more had vanished. So, out of the 100 I have made, I am back to the original 60. Josh couldn't hold back his laughter, and hey, for me, this is a learning experience, so I am just going with the flow. 

I have decided to change up my schedule a bit; however, after talking with Matt. I have been visiting the lab 2 or 3 times a week which makes a project like mine more difficult due to incubation times. Starting next week and after break, I am going to try to be in the lab 4 to 5 times a week, at shorter intervals. This will allow me to test more plants in a week and make more progress with my project.

Stay tuned for more results...P.S. I can't wait to go to the Botanical Gardens, what about you? Thanks Amanda, Dijana et al. for making that possible. Also, I have been keeping my eye on the robots. I am impressed. Good luck in your competition!