Student Research Projects from Spring 2007
- New "cell culture" approaches applied for the first time in Stream I and new "Experimental Evolutionary" approaches in Stream II.



Stream I: Cell Culture and Carcinogen Inquiry Stream
In 2007 Dr. Cori Fata-Hartley revised the Stream I inquiry methodologies performed in our "Teams and Streams." Now our student research teams use sterile techniques in cell culture of NIH-3T3 and other traditional cell lines to pose a scientific question/hypothesis, propose an experimental design, perform multi-week investigations and then present their findings in various forms (web sites, interviews, talks, and multiple drafts of a scientific manuscript along the way). See the "Teams and Streams" website for our research findings after a 4-year study of this TS inquiry approach.


Student websites reporting their findings

Cell culture and Carcinogens: Students worked in groups of 3-5 and tested possible carcinogens (or Art chemistry) in their Stream I independent investigations



Stream II: Experimental Evolution of digital and carbon-based E. coli organisms
Students were required be more independent in Stream 2 than in the previous stream. Their instructions indicated: Assignment: Evolve both a digital and carbon-based bacterium with selective pressures and assay genomic changes via a PCR-based DNA Fingerprint assay for a particular organisms.

Student websites reporting their findings

Evolution in carbon and silicon systems: Experimental Evolutionary studies of the changes in digital and E. coli organisms under selective pressures