Tomatosphere

Testable Question How does exposure to the space environment or space-like conditions affect the number of tomato seeds that germinate? Vocab: Germinate= when seeds begin to sprout Fair test= what the effects are of changing one variable (exposure to space) Blind Test= not knowing which set of seeds is exposed and which is not

Variables Independent variable= space or no space Dependent variable= germination rate Controlled variables=?

What about space? The “experimental” seeds spent almost 6 weeks (39 days) on the International Space Station in July/August 2016. Microgravity (low gravity) Watering (difficult in space, where do you get the water?) Lighting (photosynthesis- irregular and different than on earth) Ionization and Radiation

Make Your Predictions- Before Yes or No… Seeds exposed to a space environment or space-like conditions will germinate. Plants grown from space seeds will look noticeably different that the plants grown from Earth seeds. The number of days it takes the space seeds to germinate will be longer than the time it takes for the Earth seeds to germinate The seedlings that develop from Earth seeds will grow taller and faster than the plants from space seeds. Exposure to space or space-like conditions will alter the colour of the leaves of the tomato plants. Tomato seeds are naturally resilient to extreme environmental conditions that exist on Earth.

Planting the Seeds Label the planting containers accurately with the letter on the seed package. Individually, have each student press one seed into each peat pellet (or soil) to a depth that is about the same as the length of the seed (2-3 mm). *Ensure your labelling is accurate so that the seeds do not get mixed up. This is very important for accuracy of the final results*

Observing and Recording Results Determine Germination The primary objective of the Seed Investigation is to determine the number of seeds that germinate compared to the number planted for each of the two types of seeds (treated and untreated). A seed can be considered to have successfully germinated when two (2) distinctly separate cotyledons (embryonic leaves) can be seen (image below).

Science Fair

Part 1- Identify your Topic Outcome 2.3.1: Design and perform an experiment Need to identify: What is your testable question? How will you answer that question (ex: what is your INDEPENDENT variable and your DEPENDENT variable? What are your CONTROLLED variables?

Part 2: Sources of Research Outcome 1.2.1: Investigate and describe You must include at LEAST 5 different sources of information On sheet you must record the source (website address, links, book title etc), AND a description of the information given You also have to write a one page summary of how your resources are useful to your topic

Rubric Part 1 & 2

Logbook Keep a record of EVERYTHING you do for science fair in this booklet Should be DATED and summarized every time you work on science fair project