Farewell and Best Wishes
As this research project is now in the final stages of wrapping-up, we wish to thank everyone who participated in this inquiry; the students, mentors, teachers and others behind the scenes. We appreciate all of your efforts and contributions to this online learning community.

Scientific exploration is a process of discovery that can be fun! There are many unanswered questions about plants just waiting for new scientists to consider, investigate, and share.

Please come back and visit the PlantingScience Project Gallery anytime to view this project in the future. You can search the Gallery by key word, team name, topic, or school name.

Good bye for now.
Warm regards,
The PlantingScience team

Looks like you are in the final stages of your projects.
It’s great to see that teams from your school are wrapping up and posting conclusions. Enjoy the final stages of your project, and feel free to post any final comments or questions you have for your mentors.

Hey Josh,

So we already did what you recommended but we re-uploaded it because some of the numbers were off in the results. The number of leaves total, the number of leaves that show starch, and the percentage are all in the data table since you really can't see the data table or the graph in the project info, I recommend looking at the file upload

thanks!

Well the way I did it before was wrong so I am pretty sure this is how I am supposed to do it. Unfortunately, the data table and graph didn't really show up right / at all but I kept the file upload so you can look at that to see the table and graph. Again, thank you so much for your help!!

Hey Josh, just uploaded the final report! I hope I did it right, I wasn't really sure how to upload so that is why it is so late but thank you so much for your help! We all think the experiment turned out great!

Hey everyone!

Just a reminder that when you go to upload documents to make sure that you are not including any last names on your reports.

 

Thanks!

Josh 

Hello! Today in class we took notes in class on the photosynthesis, discussing chlorophyll as a photosynthetic pigment, light reactions, absorption of light, the Calvin cycle, etc. At the end of the day we finally got to run our full experiment! We boiled the leaves for two minutes in water that was roughly 80 degrees celsius. After two minutes in water, they were transferred into 70% isopropyl alcohol, which they remained in for one minute. They were removed, place on a paper towel, and we dropped the iodine solution onto them. It took a couple minutes, but slowly the leaves placed in the light began to turn purple, while the covered leaves stayed green. Our hypothesis was correct! Yay! We believed that starch would be present in the uncovered leaves, as they were doing photosynthesis, while the covered leaves were not. This was true, but we predicted the plants under blue lights to have the most glucose (because plants take in mostly BIV waves), but the white light prevailed. The plants under the white light, uncovered, showed the most starch of all our plants. Blue came in second, while green essentially had no starch. We are very excited that we finally got our experiment to work with only a few bumps in the road. We couldn't have done it without your help, so thank you so much! Also, I will add some pictures in case you would like to see how it turned out. 

Hi JOSH! I am sorry I called you John; there was a technological mishap (aka my brain wasn't working). Our experiment went really well. Thank you for all your help. We found that white light produced the most starch instead of blue light, and we were able to collect data and make conclusions. Now, we are finishing up our formal lab report.

Hi Josh! In class on Friday, we boiled some parsley leaves from plants that were in the sun and stained them with iodine and we could see the starch!! Yay! We also set up our experiment - there was a bit of confusion but I think it is all figured out now. We now have only three plants total, one under each light (green, blue, and white) and there are some leaves on each plant covered with foil. We will collect data on Monday. I know someone took pictures of the setup, but I am not sure who; we can post them on Monday.

John - we found that crushing the leaves and using iodine did not produce any starch and thus no results. We are going to try to boil. Would it be okay to use isopropyl alcohol instead of ethyl alcohol? We also are using green and blue lights instead of red and yellow. 

Hi! Instead of boiling, we are crushing the parsley's leaves after they have been under the light (each in a different light) doing photosynthesis or lack thereof. We are not using foil but putting one in the complete dark in addition to the white, yellow, red, and black lights. 

 

Today, we tested the iodine to see if it will show starch presence or not on the parsley leaves. We also set up our experiment with the lights, and the plants will undergo photosynthesis. We will test for starch and make observations after 24 hours (Friday) and after 96 hours (Monday).

Hey everyone!

https://learning-center.homesciencetools.com/article/test-for-starch-photosynthesis/

check out that link for some information on performing an iodine stain. Double check with your teacher that you are able to get the supplies and she is ok with you running the experiment. It does involve boiling some liquids, including ethyl alcohol which is flammable.

Thanks!

Josh

Experimental Design:

Our plan is to observe the amounts of starch in parsley leaves under different conditions of light. This includes adding iodine solution to the leaves and setting each plant under a different color or intensity of light. Our light choices are yellow, red, black, white, and no light. We will be using colored light bulbs. This will extend over two days, probably letting the iodine sit overnight before making our first observations. We will test how much starch is present in parsley leaves over a 48 hour period and within different variations of light. The parsley plant covered in the iodine solution will be the controlled variable. The independent variable will be the colors of light. The dependent variable will be starch levels in parsley leaves. We will record where the starch is present on the parts of the leaves. 

Predictions: 

We expect that the plants will demonstrate the most starch (because more photosynthesis = more glucose) under red, then white, then black, then yellow, and then we will observe little starch in the leaves who rest in the darkness. Plants absorb mostly red and blue light rays. If the rays are red, then they will absorb most of this light. If there is no light or yellow light, they will not absorb much of the light. We are not entirely sure how black light will affect the plants, but we do know that UV rays will act differently on the plant, causing them to grow long and gangly. However, we are not sure how this type of light will affect starch. Plants produce glucose during photosynthesis and they proceed to store this as a starch in their leaves. We assume that more light/more absorption of light = more starch. 

Research Question:

We want to study glucose levels in parsley leaves. We will be using iodine solution to find out where the glucose is stored in the leaf (stored as starch). We came up with this question with the help of Josh, our mentor, by combining our two possible ideas. We will be studying how the iodine solution reacts to the leaves in different colors of light. These include white light (controlled), red light, yellow light, black light, and no light. So far in this unit we have learned about which colors of light plants are more likely to absorb (red and blue mostly) and that they store the glucose the produce in photosynthesis in the form of starch within their leaves. 

Hey Everyone,

I think using the Parsley plant is a better idea than the spinach. I also think you would still be able to cover the parsley leaves with tin foil, it doesn't have to look nice you just want to block the leaf. You could even block just sections of the leaf using aluminum foil and tape. If you try this and it isn't working very well then you could probably use a whole plant. It will just be easier to only have to handle a few leaves vs. a whole plant.

So what are the predictions for how the different lights will impact starch production? I can tell you that red and blue light are the most important for driving photosynthesis, and that green is not used by (most) plants in photosynthesis. 

I would recommend filling out the research question, predictions, and experimental design portion of the project profile. It doesn't have to be done today, but the sooner you can get it done the better. 

I hope you are all excited about the progress you have made so far. It may not feel like you have done much but you're really moving forward. Some questions to still consider will be how long you will cover leaves for and how long the plants will be exposed to different lights. I would also suggest finding an iodine staining procedure and make sure you feel comfortable executing it. If you are having trouble finding a protocol for the iodine staining let me know and I can help. I would recommend a quick google search using this phrase "iodine to stain starch in leaves". 

Keep up the good work and as always, let me know if you have any questions!

-Josh

John, thank you for all your thorough feedback! We love your idea and want to do this! We were thinking about using spinach leaves; do you think that will work? If not, would parsley suffice? 

I have a suggestion that I think would be fairly easy and still interesting for you all to try. The idea would also allow you to incorporate a bit from both the glucose idea and the different colors of light idea. 

Plants often times don't store sugar as glucose but rather they store sugars as starch. This means you wouldn't be able to look for glucose specifically, but you could look for the presence of starch. A simple test to look for starch involves staining the leaves with iodine, the iodine reacts to the starch allowing you to see where in the leaf starch is stored (iodine stains will look bluish if starch is present, brownish if there is no starch). One thing you could try is to cover a part of the leaf with aluminum foil (prevents light from hitting the chloroplasts) and compare how iodine stains the covered portion vs. the uncovered portion. This is relatively simple and safe to perform in a classroom. Now to really make this interesting, you could also have leaves that you apply different color filters to, colors like red, blue, and green. You could then compare starch content in the leaves between the different filters. To really hedge your bets on getting interesting results I would suggest using an uncovered leaf, a leaf with aluminum foil covering parts, and then leaves with different colored filters, you should hopefully see differences in starch (therefore sugar) production in the different treatments. 

If you like this idea let me know and I can help you figure out the procedure you would use, and if you don't think it would be that interesting let me know and we can continue to brainstorm! 

Keep up the great work and let me know what questions you have!

-Josh

Hi! For class today, we brainstormed some ideas for what we could do for our experiment. Maggie posted a very brief list of our ideas so I will explain them some more.

In our first idea, we would measure glucose. We would have 6 leaves of spinach and they would all be in or have access to the same amount of water. Three of the leaves would be left in complete darkness and the other three would be left in the light. After a certain amount of time, we would grind up the leaves and measure the different levels of glucose in each set of leaves. We really have no idea if this will work but we think it would be interesting because we haven't measured glucose levels in plants in class.

In our second idea, we would test the effect of different colors of light on spinach leaves. I am not sure about the specifics of this idea so we are open to suggestions.

Again, these are just some basic ideas so if you have any other ideas or suggestions that would be great! 

Thank you!

Possible ideas:

• glucose - three leaves in light, three leaves in dark - see how much glucose
• different colors of light

 

Hello! To response to Josh's questions from Monday, I believe Marissa meant germination because we were trying to see the radish's growth, and we have learned about germination as well as pollination. Also, for our conclusions, we think that the two that were placed in the light with water will best grow because both help plant growth, sunlight giving energy and water giving nutrients. The seedling with no light was abnormal looking because light is necessary for healthy growth. Also, we really enjoy learning and designing scientific investigations and experiments and are able to do them in class!

 

Today in class, we learned about mesophyll, where photosynthesis takes place, and related this to leaves. We discussed CO^2 and O^2 as well as gas moving through stomates and liquids through veins/vascular tissue. For most of class, we worked on our Planting Science project "Investigating Photosynthesis Using a Leaf Disk Floatation Method," where we punched 15 holes in spinach leaves; placed them in a syringe; inserted distilled water, water that was breathed into, or water with a very small amount of baking soda in it; and made a "vaccum" with the air in the syringe to make the spinach circles lay at the bottom. After, we dumped the spinach circles in their respective solutions under light and recorded how many floated versus how many did not float for 20 minutes. 

Photosynthesis is such a cool and important process for life on Earth! Did you enjoy learning how scientific investigations are designed? That is one of the harder topics in biology I think, working with living systems can be messy but when you work out the details it is really rewarding. If anyone has any questions about photosynthesis or designing experiments please feel free to post them!

Class on Tuesday 10/23/2018

Today in class we got a handout for "Investigating Photosynthesis Using a Leaf Disk Floatation Method" guided investigation. The purpose of the guided investigation is to help us learn what plants need for photosynthesis and enhance our understanding of how scientific investigations are designed. 

Was it pollination or germination that you are looking at? How good do you feel about knowing the differences between the two, if you feel like you know the difference and just made a typo I won't bore you with an explanation but if you would like some clarification on the two let me know!

Did you have any problems coming up with conclusions? What role do you think sunlight plays in the process? How about water?  Any ideas on why the seedling with no light was so abnormal looking? 

I LOVE the names you came up with! Personally I would vote for Herb Your Enthusiasm.  I am really excited to see others enjoy plant puns!! Keep up the good work and if you have any questions about your project please don't hesitate to post them here!

Class on 10/22/2018

In Monday's class, we studied radish seeds and their pollination/lack thereof. About a week ago, our groups placed radish seeds in petri dishes. There were six petri dishes and three different combinations of variables. Two dishes were given water and no light, two were place in the light with water, and the remaining two were not given light nor water. The seeds with water and light sprouted well, having very green leaves. The two dishes with no light and water sprouted, but their leaves were darker green/brown. They also grew out to be long and spindly, some even grew mold. As expected, the two dishes without water and light did nothing. We also answer questions as a class on what could be considered reasonable conclusions from our results. 

 

Also, thoughts for the group name: "Herb Your Enthusiasm", "Say Aloe to my Little Friend", "Ain't Nobody got Thyme for that", "Here Today and Tarragon Tomorrow", or "Elvis Parsley". We're big fans of plant puns. 

Also....right now we are just known as "Group 4" which is a little boring. If anyone has suggestions for a fun team name let's hear them!

Hey Everyone! 

I am Josh, I am a PhD student at Purdue University and the lab I work in studies local adaptation in plants and the genetic basis of this adaptation. We are an evolutionary biology lab and we choose to study evolution by looking at the genetics of plants. Some of my favorite things about plants include the process of photosynthesis, how plants respond to environmental stress, and interactions that plants have with other organisms. 

If you have any questions for me please let me know!

I will try to check in every few days, so if you are having any problems or if you are stuck with ideas I am here to help you work through it. 

-Josh 

Welcome to your PlantingScience project page!

Welcome to this community of plant researchers. As your team plans and conducts your own research project, you will be mentored by a scientist. The mentor's role is to encourage and guide you through the process of scientific discovery. The more you share your ideas and research information online, the more your mentor can help. You can also find out more about your mentor. What is their research about? Why did they go into science? What do they like to do when they are not working?

You may also hear from this classroom’s assigned scientist liaison. Liaisons work with several mentors and help make sure the conversations are going strong. They may also offer some extra advice or encouragement.

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Best wishes as you start this scientific journey. We are all pleased to share this experience with you. Have fun!

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My name is Rachel, I am a senior at an all-girls Catholic high school. I am undecided in my college major, I want to pursue a law degree but with a background in science, probably biology. We have an ongoing project in our class, observing mutant Setaria. We had a speaker come in who told us about the Setaria plants and other important plants related to Setaria. 

Hi my name is Emily! I am a senior in AP Bio at an all girls Catholic school in St. Louis. I took AP Bio because I want to major in biology (I think) in college. I have a general understanding of plants and photosynthesis. I know the equation and I learned the general process two years ago, but I don't know much else. Also, in class, we are studying Setaria and the possible mutations. Although I do not know a whole lot about plants, I am very interested to learn more!

Hello! My name is Marissa and I am a senior in high school. I have been studying studying Setaria and  their mutations in the past few weeks. I am hoping to pursue environmental science in college, hoping to become either a marine ecologist, environmental economist, or an environmental attorney. 

Hello. I am Maggie, a senior at St. Joseph's Academy, and I love biology. I am currently in AP/ACP Biology and have taken Honors Biology, and I am hoping to study biology on the Pre Med track in college. I have done many science projects with plants and studied plants, plant growth, and plant structures in my science education. My science project during sophomore year was testing the effect of aspirin on plant growth. In AP Biology, we have worked with mutant millets (Setaria viridis) and milkweed and parsley for butterflies.