ISEN-ASTC-L Archives

Informal Science Education Network

ISEN-ASTC-L@COMMUNITY.LSOFT.COM

Options: Use Forum View

Use Monospaced Font
Show Text Part by Default
Show All Mail Headers

Message: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Topic: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Author: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]

Print Reply
Subject:
From:
Martin Weiss <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informal Science Education Network <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Thu, 6 Mar 2008 21:52:30 -0500
Content-Type:
text/plain
Parts/Attachments:
text/plain (69 lines)
ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
*****************************************************************************

Alissa;

	When we were prototyping Hidden Kingdoms in the early '90's I 
had children wash their hands after pressing their hands on petri 
dishes with nutrient agar and repressing them on fresh agar plates . 
As I recall we were hard pressed to see any differences between the 
pre and post washed hands much to the dismay of parent.s They felt we 
were undermining their demands that children wash their hands. 
Surgeons clean their hands-using antimicrobial soaps and vigorous 
brushing-and then they wear gloves. Ordinary and washing does clean 
hands but because there are so many bacteria on hands that the 
differences will not be that apparent. Ordinary soap is not 
bacteriocidal. But you should try it and see. A call to your local 
health department might be a good idea.


Some maybe bacteria on hands of children maybe pathogenic but I 
suspect not that there may not be many different pathogens. I have a 
book in my office, that I will look at tomorrow, that catalogues the 
range of bacteria found on normal skin.  Autoclaving or soaking the 
petri dishes in bleach is prudent before disposal.

Let us know what you find. I'd be interested to know if my 
recollection of our results is reproducible.

Best,

Martin
>
>
>So we're doing a program on handwashing, and I'd like to try growing 
>out some petri dishes with samples from pre and post-washed hands. I 
>don't have a proper incubator and am not willing/able to buy one, 
>and am looking for alternatives--a warm window, a toaster oven, the 
>top of a toaster oven.... Anything else that will give me some 
>measure of success.
>
>Any other tips or suggestions are also welcome, as I haven't done 
>this since my freshman year of college (ie, a while ago) when we ran 
>around with Q-tips and swabbed bathrooms, keyboards and anything 
>else we could get at...
>
>thanks,
>AD
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>Alissa Daniels, Science Program Manager
>Boston Children's Museum
>617-426-6500 x342
>www.BostonChildrensMuseum.org
>The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds 
>new discoveries, is not "Eureka!" (I found it!) but "That's 
>funny..."   --Isaac Asimov

***********************************************************************
For information about the Association of Science-Technology Centers and the Informal Science Education Network please visit www.astc.org.

Check out the latest case studies and reviews on ExhibitFiles at www.exhibitfiles.org.

The ISEN-ASTC-L email list is powered by LISTSERVR software from L-Soft. To learn more, visit
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html.

To remove your e-mail address from the ISEN-ASTC-L list, send the
message  SIGNOFF ISEN-ASTC-L in the BODY of a message to
[log in to unmask]

ATOM RSS1 RSS2