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Article: Detecting Mold in School Buildings: An Exercise in Biodiversity
- Article from:
- The American Biology Teacher
- Article date:
- September 1, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright National Association of Biology Teachers Sep 2005. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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Fungal spores are an invisible part of our environment. However, given the right growth conditions, the spores can grow into an amazing variety of shapes and colors. Other than eating the occasional mushroom pizza or discarding moldy cheese, many students are unaware of the diversity of these often unseen organisms. In the project described here, students surveyed their school building for different types of mold. The idea for this project began with a group of middle school students concerned about their health and the health of their teachers in a school with potential sick building syndrome (Scheel et al., 2001). It was developed into a science laboratory project for a different school ...