Charleroi biology students team up online with scientists for research projects

By TAYLOR BROWN
Senior Reporter
tbrown@yourmvi.com
Charleroi High School Advanced Placement biology students will have their work recognized as model projects for other learners.
The project got its start after CAHS science teacher Michele Piatt participated in a research study funded by the National Science Foundation to determine if in-person teacher professional development is more effective than virtual teacher training based on student outcomes.
As part of the project, her AP biology students completed several lab activities on the bioenergetic processes of photosynthesis and cell respiration using the plantingscience.org website investigation theme, “Power of Sunlight.”
Students were divided into small groups and each group was assigned to their own scientist mentor that they communicated with on the plantingscience.org platform throughout their investigations.
The scientist mentors were volunteers who work in the plant science field all over the world.
The project ended with the students designing their own experiment and sharing their results with their scientist mentor.
Two of the groups in Piatt’s AP biology class had their projects nominated, judged and were awarded recognition as Star Projects, which will now be used as models for other learners and researchers.
The group “Let’s Take a Cellfie” comprised students Lairah Dipietrantonio, Angela Mathers, McKenna Shields and Suki Yu.
Their mentor, Nora Gavin-Smyth, works at the Chicago Botanic Garden and Northwestern University.
The goal of their project was to see if the pH of a solution would increase/decrease with the presence of either oxygen or cellular respiration.
“This group really worked together to communicate with their scientist mentor at every step of the investigation,” Piatt said. “They were vary thorough in their discussions and asked intriguing questions. The design of their experiment was innovative as they used additional materials beyond the Planting Science investigations.”
The second group, “Plants vs. AP Bio” comprised Addacie Durka, Bailey Gillen and Aiden Iadanza.

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