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Challenge Question Number 1 for Senior Research Associate #1133

 Related Subject(s):
Agricultural Studies
Biology
Chemistry
Science
 Related Soft Skill(s):
Analyzing Information
Collecting Information
Learning New Ideas
Organizing Information
Describe a typical "challenge" encountered in your work:
Plan an experiment to determine if certain corn plants are resistant to a particular insect. For example: Determine the level of resistance a “Bt” corn plant has to the insect: European Corn Borer



Clearly describe what you expect from the students:
1. What resources are needed to conduct the experiment?
2. How would you evaluate your results?



In order to give the teacher some guidance in evaluating the student's project(s); list some tips that may help to assess the student's work:
1. Were protocols established for how the experiment is to be conducted?
2. Was there a method to evaluate the results of the experiment?
3. Was there a review after the experiment was completed to determine what could be done different for the next experiment?
Contact a local farmer who will allow your students to use a dozen or so corn plants for experimentation. Obtain the European corn borer to use in your experiment from one of the following sources:
Jean Dyer
USDA ARS CICGRU
Genetics Bldg.
Iowa State University
Ames, IA 50011
(515)294-2005
*uncertain about fee for insects

Lee French
French Agricultural, Inc.
RR2 Box 294
Lamberton, MN 56152
(507)752-7274
*small fee for insects

This is a three week project. It will take approximately two weeks before you see results.




 
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