Agricultural Use of Chicken Feather by Novel Bacillus Strain Isolated from the Soil of Houston TX
ELA Component: Narrative Essay
Our reasons for choosing this specific ELA Component: Our project took several months to complete so we wanted to choose a method that gives us a chance to reflect on all of our experiences. This was an amazing opportunity so we wanted a way that expresses that and give others the ability to see what we went through.
Agricultural Use of Chicken Feather by Novel Bacillus Strain Isolated from the Soil of Houston TX
We first started this journey late last year when Ms. Fatih first notified us about an opportunity to sign up for H-SEF, which is the Harmony Science and Engineering Fair. Mayra and I looked at each other and she asked “Do you want to be my partner?”, and of course I said yes. We didn’t know what to expect but we were both really interested in the science field so we decided to check it out. And because we heard some great things about the competitions we knew that the experiences we received would be priceless.
We got to meet a scientist named Dr. Altuntas, and he then proceeded to ask us about we were interested in researching. “Is there anything you guys are curious about?” he questioned but both of our minds went blank. We both got to thinking and started to recall our similar experiences at the chicken farm. We’ve both seen the tremendous amount of feathers that littered the floors and around the sinks and decided that we wanted to do something about it. And after researching we discovered that feathers were made of a protein called keratin, which is near insoluble and the only way to break down the molecules is by organisms that carry keratinase properties. We discussed this with Dr. Altuntas and he explained “ Of course I am familiar with the keratinase enzyme, my specialization is actually with a bacteria called bacillus, which has the exact characteristic you guys are looking for”. So this is when we decided that our project was going to find out which bacillus strain was the best at digesting keratin and turning it into a usable source of protein.
Our first step was to find bacillus. This was actually quite simple because these organisms are nearly everywhere, but we decided to collect samples from an ant pile behind the school. This was actually my favorite part because this is where we got to start our experiment and I remember stating “ Wow I feel like an actual scientist”, because even though we were just going outside we got wear lab coats and gloves and it felt like the beginning of something great. We added LB broth to allow the bacteria to grow then processed the samples to eliminate all bacteria other than bacillus. We did this by heating up the samples continuously because bacillus is known to have a high tolerance to heat. After we had our tubes just filled with bacillus, it was sent to Ohio State University so that they could identify the different strains. Once they were given back we started on our Keratin Agar.
First we obtained feathers and washed them by using detergent then drying them at 65º overnight and washed them again with methanol and chloroform intensely then left them overnight. We then dried it at 65ºC overnight, then DMSO, which helps break down protein, at 100º for 2 hours and allow it to cool. We then added ½ cold acetone for precipitation, filtered, washed and dried it at 65º overnight. Dr. Altuntas then told us the next step was to blend it into a fine powder. So we expected to see some type of high-tech equipment but he led us to a nutribullet. “This is it?” mayra exclaimed. “Is this not what you imagined?” he asked. In response Mayra and I just started to laugh. The keratin powder was then added into an agar solution which was then placed in a petri dish.
Once we had our bacillus strains and our petri dishes, the next step was to put the bacteria on the actual plate. It was pretty amazing seeing it coming together, but it was saddening because we were near the end of the experiment. Once the samples were incubated we got to see the results. This excited Mayra so much, because even though we spent so much time and energy working on this project and we didn’t even know what to expect, we got to finally see what we’ve been working for. Thankfully, almost all of the strains had positive results and by using an effectiveness ratio we determined that the best strains were Bacillus siamensis, Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus methylotrophicus.
This project was such an amazing experience because since we both want to be in the medical field, we can expect there to be a lot of labs in our future but now we have essential skills that can place us ahead of our university classmates. And because we chose to work with each other we learned the importance of partnerships and communication.We know from experience that nothing can get done unless there is understanding, which allows to work together so well. And by the competitions that ensued the completion of this project, we got to learn how to make connections.