CONRADE WELCH

  

I teach Earth and Environmental Science at the Coalition for Social Change, an alternative high school, in Manhattan, New York.  The school, which has approximately three hundred and fifty students, uses a project-based, portfolio approach to learning.  Students in Earth and Environmental Science do projects on soils, water, mapping, vegetation and biodiversity that prepare them for college and the work environment.  Emphasized are collaboration, exhibition presentations, and computer technology.

Below is an activity that was developed, but not completed, while working on the Biodiversity Institute.

Objective:    To examine the processes involved in the bioremediation of oil spills.

Project:        Oil degraders

Purpose:       To determine how naturally occuring microbes decompose oil
                    compounds.

Materials:      Flasks, moth balls, pencil, marsh mud, stream mud, oil, Miracle Gro
                    microscope, tape measure, spatula, droppers.

Procedures/methods:
            1. Set up a control.
                Added 5 millileters of water to a flask.
                Placed a mothball in the flask.
                Measured and recorded the diameter of the mothball.
                Gently stirred the flask.

             2. Repeated the procedure but added broth and marsh mud to the moth
                 ball.

                    DURING THE STEPS INDICATED BELOW, THE FOLLOWING WAS, IN
                    TURN, ADDED TO THE MOTH BALL:

            3.  Broth, marsh mud and a drop of oil.

            4.  Miracle Gro and marsh mud.

            5.  Miracle Gro, marsh mud and a drop of oil.

            6.  Broth and stream mud.

            7.  Broth, stream mud and a drop of oil.

            8.  Miracle Gro and stream mud.

            9.  Miracle Gro, stream mud and a drop of oil.

Conclusion:
            The experiment was left for one week.  At the end of the week, observations were made to determine the reactions that took place.  Some changes were observed.  For instance in each instance, apart from the control, the mothball decreased in diameter by one tenth of a millimeter.  The starting diameter for each mothball ranged between 1.9 and 2.0 centimeters.
            The experiment was not conclusive since more time was needed for reactions to take place.  This was not available since there was just a one week window of opportunity available for this experiment during the Instutute.

Questions:
            A number of questions for possible comment and investigation were generated as a consequence of this activity.

Related information:
            Additional information in related areas could be obtained by viewing the following websites:
American Museum of Natural History    www.amnh.org
Brooklyn Botanic Garden - www.bbg.org
World Wildlife Fund - www.wwf.org
The Nature Conservancy - www.tnc.org

Below are photographs that were taken while doing fieldwork as a part of the Institute.

These images were taken of forested and wetland areas along with a power plant in the vicinity of Peakskill.

Indian Point nuclear reactor from a distance.

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The Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation  CN 5281, Princeton NJ 08543-5281 - Tel:(609)452-7007 - Fax:(609)452-0066 Technical contact: lpt@woodrow.org