The sampling set-up is a rack of plastic tubes filled with sand, or "sandboxes." We used sand because we are interested in the very first stages of microbial succession when there are no nutrients or living things. While it hard to remove microorganisms and nutrients from potting soil, it is easy to sterilize and remove nutrients from sand. By removing nutrients, we are forcing our microbial colonists to either make everything they need to survive from scratch or carry it with them.
FAQ
Nothing! We will provide all of the materials and postage. We only need your time.
If you participate, you and your students have access to regular project updates, personalized results from the study, and the opportunity to participate in a live webinar where we will talk with your students about the project results and what it is like to be a professional scientist. For more information about the benefits of participating, please visit our Benefits page.
The initial set-up time will take about 20 minutes. Each sampling point after that will take about 20 minutes as well. We anticipate the entire project will take less than 3 hours of time over the course of the year.
The experiment will be set up at end of the 2017-2018 school year and continue until the end of the 2018-2019 school year. The first sample collection will happen at the beginning of the 2018-2019 school year. Students from the 2018-2019 school year will be able to see early results starting in the spring semester.
The sandbox should be placed in a flat, open, and undisturbed location that is protected from human interference so that dirt, leaves, trash, and other debris will not be accidentally kicked into the tubes by passersby. The locations should also be exposed enough that the tubes will experience the full range of weather conditions at your location. We recommend a roof or any other isolated and exposed location.
The full rack of 48 sample tubes is approximately 12" x 9" and 6" tall.
No need to visit the post office, all samples can be shipped with out-going school mail.
Nope, each tube has drainage holes at the bottom. The holes are partially blocked so that sand cannot get through but water and melted snow can drain easily.
In addition to the updates and minor results that we will be releasing throughout the school year, there will be two major releases of results. The first will be preliminary results available in the spring semester of 2019 and the second will be the final results which will be available in the fall semester of 2019.
You can contact Hannah with any questions or concerns.
Hannah Holland-Moritz
hannah.hollandmoritz@colorado.edu