ILS international students, under the supervision of biology teacher Sofia Okhotina, performed experiments in which they investigated microflora from their own hands.
“Today, the students and I did experiments using the Gram method,” explains Sofia Okhotina. “This is a method for staining microorganisms in order to differentiate bacteria.”
First, the students took material from their own hands. Next, they stained the material with a special substance and stabilized the result with an iodine solution. Next, they rinsed the mixture with alcohol in order to view the result under a microscope: the remaining bacteria stained blue were Gram-positive, while those losing their color during the process were Gram-negative.”
“It is very important for our students to perform experiments and study the results of their investigations,” notes ILS Principal Olga Shevchenko. “This is a much more effective way to master a topic, leading to greater overall interest in science.”