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Overview
Overview
I have been very busy since the last update on my project! As a review, my project is analyzing effects of Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) from ski and snowboard waxes on the growth and health of Brassica Rapa. I ordered a set of 5 different ski and snowboard waxes to use as an experimental variable for my research. My research goal is to find a direct link between wax use and PFAS concentration and how those effect the growth and health of plants. I hope to find an inverse relationship between the concentration of PFAS in a wax and the growth and health of my plants.
Progress
Progress
- Key Milestones
Some of the most important key milestones of my project have been finally ordering and receiving all of my materials, and officially growing my plants. Due to the EPA's ban on fluorinated ski and snowboard waxes, it was hard to locate a sample I could use for my research. I was able to find a website online and order the waxes I needed. These waxes took a while to arrive, and were holding back my research, so it was a major milestone when the last of my materials arrived. Another key milestone was the planting and growth of my first plant. My plants have a short lifecycle, so they will reach maturity during the time frame of my research; however, time is still of the essence, so officially planting and growing my first plant is a very successful step in the right direction.
- What is going well?
The process of growing my plants is going very well. This past week, I was able to successfully pot, water, and grow my plants. The process was very involved and I had to follow a set of specific steps in order to grow them properly. I am also preparing a set of wax-water solutions to water and contaminate the plants with. I was able to prepare these solutions and leave them over the weekend, which is another aspect of my project that has been going well.
Picture of my plant cart setup, featuring each planter and their labels.
Picture of my first sprout!
Challenges
Challenges
No singular research project can go completely according to plan. There are always small things that come up and result in problems. While my issues have been very minor, I have still had to problem solve in order to stay headstrong in my research. One of my biggest challenges has been creating my wax-water solutions. Due to the fact that ski and snowboard wax is entirely hydrophobic, it unsurprisingly does not incorporate into water very well. I did extensive research trying to find the best solution for adequately combining the wax into water for watering my plants; however, I ran into issues with the scale of my project. Some of the proposed methods were substantially better, but could not be conducted at the high school level. After discussing with my mentor, I realized this, and we decided that adding other variables would change the environmental accuracy of the study. I was able to problem-solve and determine that my original method of shaving fine particles and stirring into de-ionized water was the best solution. Another challenge I have run into is the growth of my plants. Due to the fact that I planted late, my plants have not yet fully grown enough for me to collect substantial data; Therefore, I have not collected any experimental data for my research project so far.
Reflection
Reflection
During the research process, I have learned that my project is a lot more involved than I anticipated. It's easy to plan and talk about what I'm going to do, but actually doing it is a whole different story. I am still managing with the current workload, and I have had fun working hands on. I have learned that research is a never ending spiral and there are always more indepth and specific ways to do things. This leads to the problem of the scale of my project, a wall I have run into a few times now. Overall, the project has been very interesting and I'm excited to start my data collection and see actual results.
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