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Thank you all so much for your suggestions! I'm sure I'll be able to try some version of my experiment.
I've said it before, but I love museum folk because everyone shares. Other industries keep secrets or are generally close-mouthed, and I really enjoy that we crazy museum people are so willing to share successes, failures and general useful advice.
thanks all,
AD
-----Original Message-----
From: Informal Science Education Network
[mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Martin Weiss
Sent: Friday, March 07, 2008 3:11 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: petri dish fun
ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
*****************************************************************************
Alissa;
Some more thoughts;
you can build an incubator using an inexpensive styrofoam
food container by inserting a small light bulb-25 or 40 watts. You
don't need very high temperature not over 98 F but at room
temperature microbes (especially bacteria) will grow very slowly.
the child who presses their hands on the agar will not see
their results unless they return. It takes at least over night for
microbes to grow. They can see the results from pervious days. we
exhibit them backlighted.
we have a display called Microbes on Your Hands. We have a
non touched, sterile petri dish and three other plates touched by
different children 3 , 6 and 10 days prior. We draw the outline of a
hand on the undersurface of the petri dish. That gives reference to
the pattern of growth.
there really is no danger involved to anyone especially
visitors if the petri dishes are handled properly. Our visitors are
amazed that they have any microbes on their hands. Of course we only
grow a small percentage of them as we use a very general nutrient
agar that grows a limited number of different kinds of microbes.
If you'd like more information about how we do all of this contact me off line.
Martin
>
>
>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
>
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--
Martin Weiss, PhD
Science Interpretation
Consultant,
New York Hall of Science
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Check out the latest case studies and reviews on ExhibitFiles at www.exhibitfiles.org.
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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.
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