Living on Your Skin
The purpose of this experiment was to examine the growth of the common skin bacteria, Staphylococcus epidermidis, after being applied to an antibacterial cloth and saturated with diluted deodorant and diluted cologne. This experiment was ran by rubbing the S. epidermidis onto antibacterial socks, and dropping it into a test tube of distilled water, where deodorant and cologne would be added in. After letting the contents settle for a few minutes, a wire loop was dipped in the tube to collect any free-floating bacteria, and it was streaked onto an agar plate to be placed in an incubator for twenty-four hours. This experiment was analyzed by using a three-factor Design of Experiment, with the size of cloth, the amount deodorant, and the amount of cologne being used. The independent variables of this experiment were the previously mentioned factors, and the dependent variable was the number of S. epidermidis colonies that formed on the agar after incubating. Also, since this was using three factors, thirty-three trials were performed, eleven in each experimental run. Reviewing the data, the experiment concludes that bacteria growth was still present, and using a trial of largest cloth, most deodorant, and no cologne exhibits the most growth.
Research Done By:
Daniel Scheltema
Sterling Heights High School
Marvin Tam
Sterling Heights High School
Warren Consolidated Schools