Algae beads can reveal levels of CO2 to visually illustrate gas exchange. At the Cleveland Regional Council of Science Teachers fall conference, Feed the World alumni educator and BioRad teacher fellow Jeremy Grove demonstrated this process.
In a workshop sponsored by Ohio Corn & Wheat, Grove led participants through BioRad’s Algae Beads lab on Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration. This lab uses algae beads to measure rates of photosynthesis and cellular respiration.
As the eukaryotic microalgae consume CO2 in photosynthesis, the color of a CO2-sensitive solution turns purple (becomes more basic). When the CO2 becomes more abundant, the solution becomes more yellow, indicating a more acidic reading.
Feed the World lead teacher Heather Bryan said, “The teachers went through each step of the lab and enjoyed watching a true example of photosynthesis. This lab is great because it helps the students to see the gas exchange in more than theory. “
Shannon Lynch of Cleveland Metropolitan Schools and Tess Wearsch of St. Mary School in Avon each won a free kit to use in their classroom, courtesy of Ohio Corn & Wheat and BioRad.
Watch our website for upcoming events!