Science Fair Project Ideas:

Gather various drinking water samples from local restaurants, public drinking water fountains, swimming pools, public showers, etc. 
Test each sample for Bacterial Growth Level.

For those samples with high levels of indicated bacteria, conduct further testing. 

Test for "unhealthy" levels of coliform bacteria, positive or negative,
and/or
For those samples with possible unhealthy levels of coliform bacteria indicated: 

Students can then use the growing media in the petri dish testing kit (a single test divided up to be used for multiple samples to save money) and the student can try to identify the different types of bacteria under a microscope. 


Additional ideas: Sample public doorknobs, public restroom fixtures, telephones, public computers, etc.
Tests can be performed on surfaces by adding deionized/distilled water to the swab, take sample, and swab onto the strip.
Make sure to take/keep a clean baseline sample for a comparison.

Sterilized sample vials and swabs are optional.

For display purposes, students may want to photograph test strips and microscope slides in case of future contamination.

SPECIAL BACTERIA PROJECT - Each Dovetail Student Project Kit includes:

30 - Bacteria growth test strips, includes 30 test strips.
2 - 18 minute bacteria test kits, includes 4 test strips, 4 sample vials, 4 sample dropper pipette.
1 - Bacteria in water test kit, includes petri dish, bacteria growth medium, calibrated pipette/dropper, information form. 
$77.77 

Optional test for "unhealthy" levels of coliform bacteria to determine which samples to grow for identification.
includes 2 vial tests
+ $23.77

FREE SHIPPING - Click here for more information and to purchase

Student may want to provide:
Notebook for tracking sample locations and results.
Sterilized sample vials and swabs, optional.
Microscope slides.
Storage baggies for used test strips.
Display board


Additional individual kits are also available.



Please consult your student's advisor for appropriate scientific methodology and procedures.
Always ask permission before sampling private sources.

More Science Ideas and Examples: 
Test drinking water fountains at various public buildings.
Test the door handles of each of the school entrances.
Test the door push plates of each of the school bathroom exit doors.
Test water samples from various restaurants or local businesses. Ask permission first!
Test various swimming pools for clean water.
Test computer lab keyboards or mouses.
Test telephone receivers or mouthpieces.

Compare and Contrasts, bathroom entrances to exits, keyboards to mouses, phone handles to mouthpieces, etc.


Separate Bacteria test kits are available.

*** We also have tests for arsenic, lead, asbestos, pesticides, radon, mold, carbon monoxide, microwave leakage, chlorine, PH, hardness, wellwater kits, iron, nitrate/nitrite, etc.
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Top 9 Jobs Where Bacteria Thrive

Teachers Lead the List, Followed by Accountants and Bankers By Miranda Hitti
WebMD Medical News Reviewed By Ann Edmundson, MD
 

A survey shows which office-based jobs host the most bacteria.

Here is the list, going from careers with the most to least germs on workspace surfaces:

Teacher 
Accountant 
Banker 
Radio DJ 
Doctor 
Television producer 
Consultant 
Publicist 
Lawyer
University of Arizona microbiologist Charles Gerba, PhD, and colleagues did the dirty work. The Clorox Company funded the study and reported the results. These findings are part of a large research project by Gerba on "Germs in the Workplace."

Average bacteria per square inch of workspace surfaces ranged from 17,800 for teachers to 900 for lawyers, according to the report, which doesn't specify which bacteria were found.

4 Spots Where Bacteria Lurk

Phones are the workplace's top spots for bacteria, according to Gerba's team. Next are desks, computer keyboards, and computer "mice."

Many office workers eat at their desks, munching on lunch or snacking as they churn through their chores. That habit may be convenient, but it can be a bacteria magnet.

"Desks are really bacteria cafeterias," Gerba says, in the news release. "They're breakfast buffets, lunch tables, and snack bars, as we spend more and more hours at the office."

Still, Gerba's team found fewer bacteria in offices than they had in past studies. "We were pleased to find a decrease in bacteria levels," Gerba says, in a news release. "Perhaps people are becoming more aware of germs in their office and doing something about it."

Results from previous research from "Germs in the Workplace" found that when disinfecting wipes are used as directed, up to 99.9% of germs are eliminated.

Dirty Business

The researchers visited workers' offices, swabbing desks, phones, and computers for bacteria. They sampled an average of 11 cubicles or offices at each location, for a total of 616 surfaces. 

Workers were told not to tidy up in advance. "In fact, they were asked not to alter their regular workday routines, from eating at their desks to cleaning," the report states.

There were some differences among the offices Gerba's team toured:

Teachers' phones, keyboards, and computer "mice" had the most germs. 
Accountants' desks had the most germs of any desks sampled. 
Lawyers had the least germy desks. 
Publicists had the least germy phones. 
Bankers had the least germy keyboards. 
TV producers had the least germy computer "mice."
"Surfaces regularly used by teachers, accountants, and bankers harbored nearly two to 20 times more bacteria per square inch when compared to other professions," the report states.


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SOURCES: The Clorox Company, "Office Germs Research 2006 Results." News release, The Clorox Company. 




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Hotel guests leave plenty of germs behind

SAN FRANCISCO, California (AP) -- Hotel guests leave behind more than just socks and old paperbacks: A new study found viruses on TV remotes, light switches and even hotel pens after cold sufferers checked out.

"We know that viruses can survive on surfaces for a long time -- more than four days," said Dr. Birgit Winther, an ear, nose and throat specialist at the university who led the study.

Its aim was to test the survival of rhinoviruses, which cause about half of all colds, especially in children.

Virus was found on 7 out of 14 door handles and 6 of 14 pens. Six out of 15 light switches, TV remotes and faucets tested positive, as did 5 of 15 phones. Shower curtains, coffee makers and alarm clocks also harbored viruses.

Surprisingly, virus turned up on only one of the 10 toilet handles tested.

Experts did not test items such as bedspreads because cloth dries out germs, making them far less likely to survive than they do on smooth or moist surfaces.

And if germs are lingering on surfaces in hotel rooms, "you can be damn sure it's more likely to happen at home," Hendley said.

Edited for educational purposes.
Find this article at: 
http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/09/29/hotel.germs.ap/index.html