Brian P.

8-23-23

Today is the first day of WISRD, I feel excited and a little overwhelmed. I have an idea on what kind of lab I want to work on. But I’m still overwhelmed because there are multiple labs that seem really exiting to do. I just want to wait and see what I end up deciding in the future.

8-24-23

https://www.herox.com/blog/633-ten-awesome-water-purification-inventions

https://www.freshwatersystems.com/blogs/blog/what-is-ceramic-filtration-and-how-does-it-work

9-5-23

Today we checked up on the mushrooms Oli and I planted. We sprayed each mushroom 8 times besides the one we are not supposed to. After that we built a Brine Shrimp Hatchery where we are going yo hatch Brine Shrimp. Once we built that we placed salt water in it and made the water bubble up. Now we just need the heater to then add the Bine Shrimp.

This class we got the heater for the brine shrimp tank. We set it to 85F (which is what brine shrimp hatch at ) and dumped in two scoops of brine shrimp eggs. Our mushrooms also grew a lot more. The one in the mushroom growing tank might be a little starved of oxygen. I wonder if thats why it is only growing one way. The one with no light has barely grown at all and the one in direct sunlight has not grown either. But the ones in shade are. When my micro greens and soil come I will cut off a piece of the mushrooms and put it in the dirt and see what happens. I really hope my fish come soon.

9-14-23

Today Oli and I found the almost all of our brine shrimp died. We think they died because there were too many of them and there was a bunch of junk at the bottom of the tank. We restarted the population with less shrimp and more water. Tomorrow the new fish come so the brine shrimp need to be ready to feed them. Oli and I have started a new project because we finished putting the mouse skeleton back together. So we started a new project where we will see how global warming effects mole crabs. How we will do this is by making small tanks and making each of them different temperatures to see if it affects how the sand crabs move around and how deep they tunnel. It won’t be very hot so they wont get hurt but it will be enough to cause some amount of change.

9-18-23

Today Oli and I did the same retrial by watering the mushrooms. We also received new fish for the fresh water tank. While Oli organized the inside the tank with all the green plants, I did a salinity test for both fresh and salt water tanks. The brine shrimp hatched and we were able to feed the fish. Something that we also noticed is that some brine shrimp died. The big question is why are they dying. The next steps are to plant the micro-greens, do research on why the brine shrimp are dying and our new project for the sand crabs.

10-2-2023

The past two weeks Oli and I have focused on our micro-greens and mushrooms that we planted. We have seen lot’s of progress with the our first planter. The mushroom has gotten bigger and it growing differently. Before with no light and water it would grow white and tall. But now with water and sunlight it is growing brown and in like a circular shape. Also the micro-greens have gotten very tall and soon some will go through the burlap.

10-10-2023

Today oli and I have seen that our second planter is not growing as fast as the first one. Another problem wis that the water source is not leaking as much water as it needs to therefore I think this is why our second planter is not growing as quick as our first one. Also, the bottle which is the water source, is not cut from the top like the other one which can also be another reason why the micro-greens are not growing as fast. Lastly, the second planter does not have mushrooms which could mean that is another reason why the micro-greens are not growing. If this is true, then this proves are scientific question which was how does mushrooms affect how plants grow? We also restarted the brine shrimp population since all of them died last week. We are still trying to figure out why they keep on dying.

Here are possible reasons:

To many brine shrimp

The fish food(stop feeding them that)

10/23/2023

Over the past 3 weeks we have done a few things. We have set up a mushroom grow tank and a tomato plant that we will add to once they are ready to be potted. We got a bunch of new fish and found out what type of food brine shrimps actually need to eat.

11-6-23

Today we are basically finishing off our first two projects and I will write what we achieved and how our experiments.

Fresh Water Tank:

Our goal for this tank was to create a self sustainable ecosystem. It almost there. We have about 20 fishes and they are all living together properly with no aggression. Something we have noticed is that there are 3 baby fish which is good because this shows that the fish are comfortable in their environment. One thing that we still have to do is set up a mechanism that releases brine shrimp into the tank at certain times. This idea was proposed and has not been done but our plan is to start working on it. We have also added brine shrimp eggs, 3 different types of plants and all the different fish. We specifically chose catfish, Orange CPO Dwarf Mexican Crayfish and 5 Red rili shrimp because they eat off the floor and can keep the tank clean. We also chose these other fishes because we wanted fish that were not aggressive with each other and not nocturnal. So overall, the fresh water tank has improved so much since the beginning of the year.

Types of creatures in the tank:

Lamb chop fish: 1

Glowlight Tetras: 3

Cory catfish: 2

Asian stone mini catfish: 2

Striped kuhli loach: 3

Red rili shrimp: 5

Sky blue endler's livebearer: 2

Lamb chop fish: 1

Types of plants in the fresh water tank:

Elodia: 12

Sword plants: 3

HORNWORT, DUCKWEED, AND JAVA MOSS

Mushrooms and plants:

In the beginning we had 4 mushrooms. We got a kit that came with oyster mushrooms that allowed us to grow them. We placed one in a sealed with no light in an inflatable mushroom container so it gets no light and oxygen. We place two mushroom in an area where light could hit them. We then put another mushroom in a box so it would get oxygen but not light. As time passed we noticed that the mushroom with no oxygen or light started to grow white. The mushrooms with oxygen and light did not grow at all. More time passed and we noticed that the mushroom with no oxygen and light started to grow or eat through the sponge we have placed. This led to a big question which was can mushrooms eat or grow through plastic. We then cut that white mushroom in half to place one into our planter with our micro-greens and the other half into that inflatable mushroom container with plastic just to see if mushroom can grow or eat through plastic. We put mushroom in some of our plants because for this project the goal was to see if mushrooms had an effect on plants and how fast they would grow. They all had the same amount of sun and water. We saw that the micro-greens that had the mushroom in it grew much bigger and faster than the one without it. We still cant be sure that that’s why they grew so much faster but, I think that is the case. When we took out the mushroom from the area where we were growing the micro-greens, the plant started to grow less and slower. We will continue to water them but that only takes 5 minutes which is why we need a new project to spend out time on.

1-2-24

Today Oli and I wanted to do more labs with mushrooms and plants. We decided to use different mushrooms so we got pearl oyster and pink oyster mushrooms. We been having the idea of cutting the mushroom blocks into smaller pieces, so we did. We cut the mushrooms into smaller pieces and then put both types of mushroom into separate boxes. We also gathered mushroom juice from the pink oyster mushroom.

9-9-24

Since the beginning of this school year, I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to continue the projects that I did last year or the unfinished projects. So far I have made a new planter bigger than the planters we have used. With this planter, we will follow and try to find information that will support our hypothesis. (Do mushrooms help plants grow faster and healthier). With this planter, I will grow carrots and maybe cucumbers. In this planter, we will have just these plants and I am thinking of creating another one and adding mushrooms to test our hypothesis. This week I am hoping to start the planter that I have right now. In the future, I hope to have two planters with healthy plants.

9-24-24

These past two weeks, I have been doing some research for my planter. I have researched how much soil I will need to grow carrots and cucumbers. I have also researched how much water is needed for the plants. Last week I was also working on my inquiry. I decided that I wanted to write about cancer. I am hoping to get accepted and get the opportunity to write about cancer. I also have been working on the new tanks and just looking at them to know how the shrimp and fish are doing.

10-7-24

The past weeks I have been brainstorming ideas on how I can build legs for my planter. At first, I thought wheels would be best but then I tried and it did not work out. I then got inspiration from my classmate Oliver who built a support for the wind tunnel. I asked if I could use his template and idea and he said yes. So now I will use his Tinkercad template to build the legs of my planter. Once I build the support for the planter I will finally put soil in it. Once that is ready to go I will put the seed inside of it and take it upstairs where it can get sunlight.

I have also been working on my inquiry. So far I have only done research and brainstormed on what exactly type of cancer I want to do. So far I am looking forward to writing and seeing my end product.

11-7-24

This past month I have done a few stuff but I have forgotten to update my journal. Now I will try to get into the habit of updating my journal at leader twice a week. So far what I have done is figure out what exactly I want to do with my planter and future planters as well. So far I have made a table that consists of different things. It has the type of vegetable/plant, the right time to plant, and harvest. It also has information that the plant needs in order for it to actually grow successfully. I also drew a diagram that will help me organize what exactly I wanna do with each planter that arrives soon. With the big planter that I created a while ago, I still have not fully decided what I wanted to do with it but I did order stain and mushrooms for it. The stain will be super helpful so that the wood does not get all ugly and moldy/rotten. I have ordered Oyster Mushrooms because the main hypothesis of this lab is to see if mushrooms affect how plants grow.

I have also worked a tiny bit with the tanks. I have kept an eye on them to see if there has been a change in the amount of fish or if the fish are acting differently. I have also made some water changes to the freshwater tank.

10-16-24

It has been more than a month since I have updated my journal. I have been doing a couple of different things. The planters that I ordered finally arrived and I was able to build all five of them. The first one took me the whole class period but then when I started to build the other ones I got the hang of it and I was able to build two during one class period. Eventually, I completed them all and now I am looking forward to starting the mushroom enclosure. I want to start this week so that when we leave for winter break, they are ready for harvest when we come back and we can start the full-on experiment. When we come from winter break the plan is to start planting.

2-24-25

It has been a long time since I have updated my journal. Starting today I will update my journal every class period so that Megan and reviewers can see what I do. So far I have started my plant growing. When I came back from winter break I assembled all the planters and put soil and seeds in them. I put mushrooms in three planters and I also put clover seeds in the same three planters. Those three planters have all the seeds. Another planter has all the seeds with clover but no mushroom and another planter has all seeds with mushroom but no clover. Every day since I planted I have gone to water them and seen lots of progress. I’ve noticed that the ones with mushrooms have grown faster and they look more healthier. By the looks of it, these planters will have very good plants that will grow great.

3-3-25

Today I was productive in WISRD. Megan ordered me a 2-gallon watering can. I am very grateful because this saves me time and makes watering the plants easier. When I watered the plants I noticed that the plants had been growing well. The ones with mushrooms are growing a lot more and the plants seem to be more healthier. The planters with no mushrooms seem to be growing more green and taller. I think this is because it has chlorophyll which means they are getting more light and glucose. Now I am just waiting to see more progress.

3-5-25

Today I went up to check on the plants and see their progress. It was raining today, so I did not have to water the plants. The plants today look the same as yesterday there is no change. Maybe there has been small growth but it takes a closer look to notice. I also worked on my poster for Poster Session and I’m looking forward to showing everyone my plants.

3-17-25

Today, I went up to the deck and water the plants. I went up there and looked closely at each plant. I observed to see if there were any changes and yes there were. The cucumber plants have grown tall and green. I have started to see more variety of clovers and carrots. The plants are looking really good.

2.5.26

All I have been doing is writing and finishing my inquirer, incorporating the comments and feedback I got. I have also been researching potential projects related to my passion for criminal law. Here is the list I have so far, and I will see which ones will be more beneficial and fun for me.

Biology & DNA (Forensic Science)

DNA Extraction from Fruit: Use strawberries or bananas to extract DNA, mimicking the first step in forensic DNA analysis.

Simulated DNA Fingerprinting: Use gel electrophoresis (or a simplified paper model) to compare "suspect" DNA samples with evidence from a mock crime scene.

Bloodstain Pattern Analysis: Study physics in blood spatter to determine the angle and velocity of impact in accident reconstruction.

The Mock Trial Evidence Challenge: Create a comprehensive crime scene, analyze the evidence (fingerprints, DNA, fibers), and then present the findings in a moot court format to argue the significance of the evidence.

11.14.25

Today I focused on planning for the future. Today, I thought about how I want to stay in W.I.L.D., but also branch into Psychology because I want to learn and study something that would help me in the future, especially if I want to pursue law. I want to learn how it works and what it looks like in the aspect of criminal law. My plants are also doing amazing. I am seeing so much growth for all the planters, but the ones with muchroom seem to be growing faster, taller, and more healthy. This supports my hypothesis.

11.3.25

Today, Oli and I worked together to water the plants that we planted a month ago. We have different planters, and each planter is showing significant progress and growth. What we did today was measure each plant under each planter, and now what we have to do is find the average height of each planter. This will help determine and support our hypothesis.

9.26.25

Today, I did not do much lab work but just planned the next steps. I asked my lab partner, Charlie, if he would be willing to help put the soil in the planters on Monday. The mushrooms have arrived, and it is a new species this time to see if other mushrooms also affect the growth of plants. While I have not updated my journal, I have submitted my inquire pitch about how Psychology works or affects the criminal justice law department. Finally, I helped with a slide explaining what my project is for the WISRD Social.

9.11.25

Today I decided what I wanted to do with my plants and when I will plant. I created a planner and a data table of when it is appropriate to plant. For all the plants that I have, it is recommended to plant them during October and the fall/winter season. I also decided to write my Inquirer about Free Will and Law, or The Psychology behind Law.

8.29.25

Yesterday, I did some brainstorming on what I want my project to measure and look like. I was also planning to make some labels for the planter using the laser cutter. This would allow others to see what each planter has and will also look more organized. I also helped Charlie make this mushroom enclosure in order to see if mushrooms manage to grow through or consume plastic. The reason why I haven’t started my project is that it is not the right season or the proper temperature. Once the temperament goes down, then my productivity will go up.

8.25.25

Today in WISRD, I took a look at the filter that was leaking. I took a look with my lab members and determined that the pump was having mechanical issues. I also started to brainstorm on how our greenhouse would look for our plants. I was also looking at my plant planner from last year in order to be able to start planting at the perfect time and season. I looked over my new seeds and now I am currently working on how I want to start and set everything up, including my variables and experience.