Have you ever looked at that patch of dirt in your backyard and wondered, "What makes this stuff so special?" Well, we're here to answer your question. Dirt, or, more civilly, soil, is a valuable part of any ecosystem. Some of the most amazing protozoa, fungi, bacteria - the "behind-the-scenes" workers who keep the world running - live underneath your feet, in that little chunk of turf.
Our group (comprised of Sophia Uddin, Lauren Malishchak, Erin Cheek, and Katrina Szabo) noticed something while studying site data from our research at E.S.S.R.E. '05. Some of our samples, along with others from research sites 2 and 4, had what might be defined as abnormally high levels of active iron and aluminum. We thought that there might be a relation between the amount of mold and how much iron and aluminum was in the soil. To test this hypothesis, we decided to test the amounts of all three subjects (molds, aluminum, and iron) across the three research sites with a simple experiment and compare the results, both of which you can view by clicking the respective button to your left. Pictures of us on the job are also accessible on the left.
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This site was
created by
Erin Cheek, Lauren Malishchak, Katrina Szabo, and Sophia Uddin as
part of the E.S.S.R.E. Program at Roland Park Country School, 2005.