Update 5/29/19

    Today was the final measurement of the bean plants. The plants in soil grew well, with an average height of 4.399 inches. The beans planted in hydrogels, however, did not grow at all. This concludes the experiment, with the results indicating that agarose-based hydrogels are not a readily-accessible alternative to soil based on three weeks of both fertilized and unfertilized growth.

Update 5/22/2019

   As of today, the beans have been growing for two weeks. While the soil cups have a solid amount of growth in them, the hydrogels have been more successful at growing mold than beans. Given another week we're sure the growth will be more apparent, but as it stands right now the results look pretty disparate. The final report and presentation are currently being finalized and drafted, respectively.



Pictures:
 Soil with Miracle-Gro:

  Hydrogel with Miracle-Gro: 
 













  Soil with water:
 













 Hydrogel with water: 

 

Update 5/15/2019

Week Eight:
    Last week the entirety of the lab time was spent working in the wet lab, so there was no time to publish a post. For an hour, Koby and Skyler verified the correct recipe, and then for the other hour Skyler and Josh created the total batch of hydrogels used in the experiment. They then prepared the petri dishes, and Claude planted all the beans in soil with and without Miracle-Gro.
   As it stands this week, the roots of the beans have begun to sprout. The compared lengths of the bean sprouts will have to wait until a later time, but until then a draft of the final project is in the works.

Update 5/1/2019

   Skyler and Claude went into the wet lab again this week to finish making a viable hydrogel. With instruction from the advisors, they upped the proportions from 1% agarose in water to 7.5% and continued as normal. This resulted in a much thicker mixture, with some somewhat successful hydrogels appearing in the bottom of the jar. This implies that the jar was left on the hot plate too long, and potentially with too little water, making the gel set prematurely.
   With an extra lab session on Friday, the planting of the bean sprouts should occur within the next seven days.

Update 4/24/19

   Last week's hydrogel attempts were failures. This week, using information from other groups, Skyler and Cole attempted to alter the recipe by doubling the heat and time but this also resulted in a failure. The current plan is to come in over the course of the next week and see if we can manage a success.
   Meanwhile, the other members ordered the beans and soil needed for the experimental procedure. The procedure will necessitate five or six mung beans and miracle grow in addition to regular soil.

Update 4/17/19

Wet lab results:

   Last week's preparation (5.087 g PVA, 200mL water) did not set, so this week two dishes of 2g agarose in 200 mL water were prepared. One was stirred at 90 degrees Celsius for 120 seconds, while the other was stirred at 90 degrees Celsius for 300 seconds. Neither appeared to have set, but both were put into the refrigerator and will be remarked on next Wednesday.

Update 4/16/2019

   Preliminary research was concluded this week, and the initial construction and experimentation with hydrogels in the wet lab began. Assignment of members to dedicated tasks was completed, and the final project design proposal was submitted. The project is underway!