By: Carrie Bidwell (Clay High School) & Emily Zablocki (Adams High School)

Created by NeoSCI and CAPSI   $  Includes 20 different “investigations”

 Presented as a high school lab kit, however, it is actually more middle school level (the manual included middle school in the title)  Includes materials for all labs, however, most of the supplies are found in common labs  Suggest to order the manual by itself or the CD-ROM

 Upon completion of this lab, students will be able to: 1. Design and build a structure that maximizes strength and height, while minimizing weight. 2. Relate this type of structure to bones.

 Bones are not solid, rather, more of a compromise between strength and weight.  Bones criss-cross calcium fibers for support and strength, with empty spaces between these fibers to reduce the overall weight of the bone.  With bones, the important characteristics to remember are lower weight, greater strength, and longer length.

 Suggested Time Requirement is 2 or 3 class periods.  Materials needed for each team: straws 2. 1 roll of invisible tape 3. 1 meter stick 4. 2 textbooks 5. 1 index card, 3” x 5” 6. Triple-Beam Balance

1. Your team has 5 minutes to discuss your plans and look over the rubric. Sketch ideas for your structure. 2. After you are told to begin, you will have 25 minutes to build your structure. Remember, you do NOT need to use all of the materials that you are given. 3. When time is up, stop working. Write your team name and the name of your structure on the index card. 4. Use the meter stick to measure the structure’s height. Measure up vertically from the base to its highest point. Record this value on the index card. 5. Use the balance to measure the structure’s mass. Record this on the index card. 6. Tape the card to your structure.

321 HEIGHT (more is better) The structure is 40 cm or higher. The structure is 20 cm or higher. The structure is less that 20 cm high. WEIGHT (less is better) The weight is less than 25 grams. The weight is less than 30 grams. The weight is more than 30 grams. STRENGTH (more is better) The structure can support at least two books for at least ten seconds. The structure can support at least one book for at least ten seconds. The structure cannon support one book for ten seconds. CREATIVITYThe structure’s design, decoration, and/or name are creative and unique in at least two ways. The structure’s design, decoration, and/or name are creative and unique in one way. No unique ideas or innovations were presented.

 Why is each of the three characteristics (height, weight, and strength) important for your bones and your body?  Explain in your own words how the structures your class built are like the bones in your body.

 Upon completion of this lab, students will be able to: 1. Prepare on observation chamber to observe Daphnia. 2. Find the baseline heart rate of a Daphnia. 3. Identify the effect of caffeine on the Daphnia heart rate. 4. Identify the effect of alcohol on the Daphnia heart rate.

 Students have a solid understanding of the detrimental effects of chemicals and drugs.  This activity examines the physiological effect of two of those common chemicals, caffeine and alcohol.  Daphnia are used for this activity because they are small and have a heart that is easily visible through their exoskeleton.  Environmental scientists use Daphnia to test the levels of chemicals in the water. If the water in a sample is too toxic, many Daphnia will die. Scientists can also judge how the water affects living systems by the Daphnia’s heartbeat.

1.Make an observation chamber A.Squeeze some petroleum jelly out of the tube in a circle in the center of the glass slide. B.Use the dropper to pick of a single Daphnia. C.When the Daphnia swims close to the bottom of the dropper, squeeze it out onto the observation chamber so that only a little bit of the solution comes out.

2.Lay a cover slip over the top of the petroleum jelly circle to prevent evaporation of the liquid. Be sure not to press too hard or you will crush the Daphnia! 3.Place the slide under the microscope. Using the lowest power setting, locate and observe the Daphnia.

 Work with a partner and count the number of Daphnia’s heartbeats in ten seconds. The suggested method is to have one person keep track of time while the other person looks in the microscope and makes a tick mark on a piece of paper every time the heart beats.  Repeat this process two more times. Use observations to calculate the heart rate of a Daphnia in beats per minute by multiplying each observed number of beats by six. Record all information in the data table provided.  When you are finished, find the average of your results.

 Remove the cover slip from the observation chamber.  Add a single drop of alcohol to the chamber.  Quickly replace the cover slip.  Use the same method from the previous experiment to count the Daphnia’s heart rate over ten seconds.  Repeat two more times, multiply each number by six, and find the average.  Record this information on the data table.

 Dispose of the Daphnia used with the alcohol and wash the microscope slide.  Create a new observation chamber and obtain a new Daphnia.  Add a drop of caffeine to the observation chamber and replace the cover slip.  Use the same method from the previous experiment to count the Daphnia’s heart rate over ten seconds.  Repeat two more times, multiply each number by six, and find the average.  Record this information on the data table.

 Summarize the effect of alcohol on the heart rate and behavior of a Daphnia as compared to the baseline heart rate and behavior.  Summarize the effect of caffeine on the heart rate and behavior of a Daphnia as compared to the baseline heart rate and behavior.