This month, Middle School science students presented projects they have been working on since the beginning of the school year, hosting a pair of Science Showcases for their families and friends.
Seventh graders discussed several projects including a bacteria lab, swabbing and testing the amount of bacteria on various surfaces and items around campus. They also talked about case studies where they played the role of medical school students and learned about body systems and how they work, and were then able to use that information to diagnose their patient, “Elisa,” as well as dissections of a pig heart and sheep brain, both of which are anatomically similar to that of humans.
Throughout the year, students also participated in a fruit fly cross breeding lab that took several weeks, and were able to have several generations highlight inheritance and Mendel’s theories on genetic inheritance and probability. They learned about DNA structure and function and performed a DNA extraction lab where they extracted the DNA from their own cheek cells and got to take them home in a microtube. Additionally, Dr. Isabel Lopez-Healy’s IBMYP students collaborated on a citizen science project promoting Alzheimer’s research through the platform know as Stall Catchers.
Eighth grade students showcased their plastic and the environment research, as guests got to see all of the effort put forth on projects that are worked on day-to-day in science classrooms. In keeping with the Earth Day theme of Plastics vs. Planet, they completed an investigation regarding plastics. Their inquiry and investigations ranged from how plastics affect the pH of seawater and contribute to ocean acidification, testing the effects of growing plants in soils that contain microplastics, and searching for the presence of microplastics in water, as well as fish sold for seafood. They presented their findings and proudly showed their knowledge at an attainable and understandable level for the audience.
