Bacteria Says What!
Engineering bacteria growth in a lab setting.Copyright 2020 Elliot Hall, Rice University RET
What can engineering bacteria in a lab tell us about how to culture or combat them? In this activity, students learn the phenomena that allows us to engineer bacteria on petri dishes with agar as well as how to use a laboratory incubator to speed up bacteria growth. Through this introductory activity, students will learn about the conditions under which bacteria grow, as well as antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and why engineers are turning to nanotechnology to help us understand the bacteria that can help us, or harm us!
Bacteria is all around us, much of it helpful but some of it harmful to our health and well-being. Engineers work in a variety of fields to help culture good bacteria, but also work to limit the impact of bacterial adaptations with advancements in treatment and prevention. In particular, bioengineers are working to understand bacteria as they potentially become resistant to antibiotics. Nanomaterials like titanium dioxide are being used by engineers in the fight against these bacterial “superbugs.”
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Describe the process step-by-step for a growing colony of bacteria within a petri dish.
- Explore how engineering and nanotechnology can assist with the cleaning of our social spaces.