One of the most important components of the citizen science project that I have been a part of is figuring out a way for any and every one to be able to contribute to the project in a very meaningful way. In a nutshell, our project focuses on finding plants that have similar microbial patterns as dandelions. Dandelions are very successful in varying environments as an invasive species (I mean, you must admit that you have seen them almost anywhere) by recruiting beneficial microbes into their roots that help the grow and ward off pathogens.

Rose Bengal plate using lab grade agar

In order to contribute to our Dr. Julia Stevens’ work, we must go out and collect new plant samples to analyze microbes within the bulk soil (soil found around the plant), rhizosphere (soil directly on the roots), and the endophytes (within the roots). To see the microbes, we have been growing the bacteria and fungi on agar plates. Dr. Stevens was very patient with us in learning this method, using all lab grade materials including antibiotic and antifungal chemicals that would limit the type of plate we would be making. We used all of the big, and slightly intimidating machines that fill the Genomics Lab at NC Museum of Natural Sciences. After going through the process with a scientist who had done this for many years and has access to very expensive equipment, we asked the question: What about the teachers who work in schools who do not have large amounts of money to spend on lab equipment and materials? That is when the real fun started and we were able to show Dr. Stevens our expertise as teachers as she had done for us as a microbiologist.

The total price of lab grade agar for both fungal and bacterial plates is close to $250. As a team (Team Dirt Kenans and Dr. Stevens…along with Dr. Urban who also works in the lab) we came up with a protocol to make agar plates using boiled and filtered potting soil with a few grams of agar-agar powder that can be purchased at an Asian market or on Amazon for less than $5.

Another hurdle that we overcame as a group was how to sterilize the agar. This prevents bacteria and fungi growth from the elements rather than the specific substance that is being plated. In the lab, we used an expensive piece of equipment called an autoclave. We played around with a process that uses a microwave in very short increments and swirling the liquid by hand. While this process is more time consuming, it is beneficial to know that anyone with a microwave will also be able to contribute to Julia’s data.

Dr. Julia and Jennifer filming an instructional video on collecting plant samples.

Another challenged we faced was trying to make the curriculum content as easy to understand as possible. As an educator, when searching for lesson ideas, if I do not completely understand the material that I am reading, I will move on to something else! To remedy this, we created videos to go along with our protocols (collecting plant samples, creating samples for plating, and diluting samples). We felt that making videos and keeping them short would help teachers who felt the material may be a bit difficult for them or their students.

While we ran into many challenges as a team to allow this project to be able to be done in a variety of class settings, we overcame them as a group and turned them into great successes! I am happy that any teacher will be able to do our soil project regardless of their circumstances. To me, that is the best outcome of my Kenan Fellowship, so far.