BMS Hosts High Tech Microscopes and Professional Scientists

“Don’t ask why questions. Ask when, what and where!” This was the advice the BioBus scientist shared with Jesscia Loprino's 7th graders on a rainy May day, each of her students experienced what it is like to be a true research scientist -- conducting multiple experimental trials, collecting and analyzing data to answer a scientific question. The students learned that the vast majority of biology experiments are done not using human subjects, but on simpler, smaller organisms -- and that’s exactly what they did on the BioBus.

Ms. Loprieno explained why she coordinated the visit, “The BioBus brings a unique experience to our students because it’s a field trip on wheels equipped with high tech microscopes and professional scientists to lead us through investigations. Students were able to see live Daphnia (water fleas) under the microscopes, and since they were clear, they even saw the beating hearts within the organisms. The consensus among my students was that the visit was ‘so interesting and fun!’”

Using Daphnia as a model organism, students added different chemicals to Daphnia's environment and studied how this affected Daphnia's physiology by measuring its heart rate both before and after the treatment. They also stimulated Daphnia with lights of different colors and quantify the animals' behavioral response, and discussed how simple behavioral studies can educate and inform scientists about us about human responses to stimuli.

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