Research & Development

In this section and the drop down menu (If you select any page name you will be navigated to that page):

• Survey Data collected on students from our school.
• Our Mentors that helped us tremendously.
• Competition Analysis t-chart.
• Modeling and Prototyping pictures & captions of our digital and physical prototypes.
  • Design Analysis of our prototypes.
• Experiments/Data is an overview of how we did each experiment. In it's drop down menu the results and process of the tests are present. They are also listed below;
  • Wash Test
  • Tear Test
  • Bacteria Growth Test
  • Bacteria Detection Test
  • Heat Test
  • Odor Test
• Bacteria Research (seen below)
• Info on our letter to a competitor (seen at bottom of page)

Bacteria Research

10 Common Types Of Bacteria

• Staphylococcus Aureus (A.k.a. Staph)- A bacteria that feeds on sweat, this is the one that most commonly causes skin infections. Staph infections are usually mild, but if the bacteria spreads and gets deeper into your skin, it can become a life-threatening infection. Yikes!
• Butyric Acid- Originally found in butter, this forms when larger molecules are broken down into smaller ones as bacteria metabolizes sweat. Body odor is the result of this fermentation.
• Propionibacterium– These live in and around the sweat glands, sebaceous glands, and other areas of the skin and have been tied to Acne and other skin conditions.
• Staphylococcus Hominis- Another bacteria found on the skin that feeds on sweat. This one can sometimes cause infections of the bloodstream in people with abnormally weak immune systems. Most strains of this bacterium are curable with antibiotics, but there have been recent discoveries of more dangerous strains that are resistant to these cures.
• Micrococcus Luteus- Once again a bacteria living on your skin, they have been associated with various bodily infections/ diseases such as: intracranial abscesses, pneumonia, septic arthritis, endocarditis, and meningitis. They have also been tied to coronary infections. Yuck!
• Arcanobacterium Haemolyticum- First discovered as the “sore throat” bacteria, this bacteria is also living on the human skin and is a common cause of Pharyngitis. It can also have physical manifestations like rashes on the skin in the chest, abdomen and extremities.
• Brevibacterium Bacteria- The culprit of feet funk! This bacteria, also living on the skin, causes foot odor. Dear socks, maybe you need some antibacterial laundry soap to cure your stench. They even use this bacteria to ferment several types of funky cheese, such as: Munster, Limberger, Port-du-Salut, Raclette and Nasal. It's aroma also attracts mosquitoes. Yum?
• Corynebacterium– Found in the mucus and on the skin of humans and animals, the most notable strain of this bacteria group is diphtheriae, the cause of a contagious respiratory infection called Diphtheria which can be fatal. Other effects of infection caused by this bacteria strain include: pneumonitis, pharyngitis, skin infections, and endocarditis. This bacteria has also been linked to tough odor-removal.
• Dermabacter Hominis- A common “colonizer of the human skin”, this is a fermenting bacteria that can cause infections of the blood, the eyes, and the skin. It is also characterized by its pungent, unpleasant smell.
• Staphylococcus Epidermidis- Another strand of the Staphylococcus bacteria, this one is directly linked to underarm odor. This bacteria is present on all human skin, and can also cause infection in those with weak immune systems.

Some infections caused by bacteria:

• Staph infection- Staph is a bacteria commonly found on human skin. It causes minor infections, such as pimples or boils. Staph skin infections often begin with an injury to the skin. Staph enters the skin weakened by the injury and develops into an infection. Symptoms of a Staph infection include redness, warmth, swelling, tenderness of the skin, and boils or blisters.
• Athlete's foot- A common fungal infection of the foot that you get from skin-to-skin contact, wet gym shower floors, and pools. Shoes and socks create a warm, moist environment that fungi need to thrive. This is very common when people put they dirty moist/sweaty, socks, clothes and shoes. Not cleaning your bag can cause fungus to grow. If like most people you don't have enough time to wash your gym bag every time you use it.