Middle and High School Students Embark on First at Home Science Lab: Do Masks Really Work?

The Middle School and High School Science Departments are excited to share that our students embarked on their first at-home lab this semester! The inspiration for this lab came from the very important question our communities keep seeming to ask, "Do face masks really work?" Mr. Gonzalez, Ms. Paige, and Ms. Kless designed a lab where students were given materials where they could test this very question at hand. Students used LB Agar Petri dishes, a nutrient-rich media commonly used to grow non-harmful bacteria strains. While COVID-19 is indeed a virus, bacteria and viruses both travel from our nose and mouths through saliva droplets. Additionally, bacteria grow easily and can be seen with a naked eye, while viruses are tiny and cannot be viewed without a microscope. The students mimicked the transmission of the virus by using one of the following variables: cough two times, sneeze two times or sing or talk for one minute. They each performed the variable they were assigned twice - once with a mask on and once with a mask off. While holding the plate at an arms-length distance in front of their mouths, the students either coughed, sneezed, talked, or sang (ask them what tune they chose!). They used a third Petri dish to make an imprint of their fingerprints in order to study the growth of bacteria that is naturally found on their hands. After two weeks, the students will report on their findings and hopefully be able to share their strong scientific voices in our community about the importance of mask-wearing.