The Comparison of the Number of Bacterial Colonies on Common Floor Surfaces versus Everyday Shoes
School Name
Heathwood Hall
Grade Level
11th Grade
Presentation Topic
Microbiology
Presentation Type
Non-Mentored
Abstract
In this experiment, the number of bacterial colonies in everyday shoes versus common floor surfaces was compared. This experiment means to provide scientific reference for determining where it is ‘cleanest’ to put one’s feet. In broader sense, specifically in underdeveloped countries, this experiment aims to increase interest in providing the right kind of shoes for those who can’t afford them based off of the amount of bacteria growing in surfaces that people come into contact with everyday. It was hypothesized that the everyday shoes would generally have a greater number of bacterial colonies than the common floor surfaces, and that the close-toed shoes would promote bacterial growth more so than the open-toed shoes. In order to perform the experiment, ten participants provided one close-toed shoe and one-open toed shoe to be swabbed for bacteria. Additionally, bacterial swabs were taken of two floor surfaces. The bacteria was observed in dehydrated nutrient agar that was dissolved in boiling water and cooled in petri dishes. The bacteria colonies were counted using the Colony Counter App on an IPhone. Overall findings supported the hypothesis: the everyday shoes generally had a greater number of bacterial colonies and the number of bacterial colonies in close-toed shoes exceeded that of open-toed shoes. The results were analyzed using several single ANOVA tests comparing different independent variables, which revealed that some comparisons had statistical significance. The overall results were displayed in column charts.
Recommended Citation
Bunch, Caroline, "The Comparison of the Number of Bacterial Colonies on Common Floor Surfaces versus Everyday Shoes" (2017). South Carolina Junior Academy of Science. 168.
https://scholarexchange.furman.edu/scjas/2017/all/168
Start Date
3-25-2017 11:59 PM
Presentation Format
Written Only
Group Project
No
The Comparison of the Number of Bacterial Colonies on Common Floor Surfaces versus Everyday Shoes
In this experiment, the number of bacterial colonies in everyday shoes versus common floor surfaces was compared. This experiment means to provide scientific reference for determining where it is ‘cleanest’ to put one’s feet. In broader sense, specifically in underdeveloped countries, this experiment aims to increase interest in providing the right kind of shoes for those who can’t afford them based off of the amount of bacteria growing in surfaces that people come into contact with everyday. It was hypothesized that the everyday shoes would generally have a greater number of bacterial colonies than the common floor surfaces, and that the close-toed shoes would promote bacterial growth more so than the open-toed shoes. In order to perform the experiment, ten participants provided one close-toed shoe and one-open toed shoe to be swabbed for bacteria. Additionally, bacterial swabs were taken of two floor surfaces. The bacteria was observed in dehydrated nutrient agar that was dissolved in boiling water and cooled in petri dishes. The bacteria colonies were counted using the Colony Counter App on an IPhone. Overall findings supported the hypothesis: the everyday shoes generally had a greater number of bacterial colonies and the number of bacterial colonies in close-toed shoes exceeded that of open-toed shoes. The results were analyzed using several single ANOVA tests comparing different independent variables, which revealed that some comparisons had statistical significance. The overall results were displayed in column charts.
