The project that I chose to research was the discovery and origin of penicillin. I found that penicillin was discovered by Alexander Flemming by complete accident on a dirty dish, and is actually produced by common molds such as those found on bread. I let mold grow on bread to observe the stages in which the mold grows, and discovered how quickly it can spread. This "visual example" helped me to better understand the stages and appearances of mold, or in this case, Penicillium Notatum (which is the type of mold that produces penicillin). I also found out ways in which penicillin is used, such as treating pneumonia and blood poisoning. There are many common diseases/illnesses that penicillin is used to treat, this makes you realize just how important this great discovery is, even if it did take a few years to finally be able to use it on people. I called the whole process (from the discovery to turning it into medicine) "project penicillin" due to the many obstacles that were put in the way and had to be overcome. In conclusion, I learned a lot about penicillin and enjoyed doing it. I now have a greater (well, a bit of) respect for mold!

Grade grouping: 10-12

Team Size: 1 

Subject Area: Health

Project Type: Descriptive

Project Format: Traditional

Pictures From: all sources found on google (images)

Sounds From: www.findsounds.com

Movies done using Swish

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