Reporting Period: 16th â 30th June 2025
Name: M S Sailekshmi
Affiliation: CUBE (Collaboratively Understanding Biology Education), Kishore Bharati
Report Type: Half Monthly Participation Report
1. Experimental Work on Mustard Seed Germination
Objective:
To explore the pattern and percentage of germination in kitchen-sourced mustard seeds and to investigate whether traits like height can be tracked across seedling generations (inspired by Mendelâs experiments).
Activities & Progress:
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Conducted multiple mustard seed germination experiments using moist cotton in transparent containers.
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Created a systematic grid layout (AâT rows and 1â4 columns) to track seed placement and responses.
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Tracked growth over time through photographs (Day 0, Day 1.5, Day 3) showing progressive stages:
â Seed hydration
â Radicle emergence
â Hypocotyl elongation
â Cotyledon expansion
Noted the onset of fungal growth, prompting discussion around overwatering or lack of ventilation.
Outcome:
- Clear, visual evidence of high germination percentage (â75â85%) and successful implementation of a gridded scientific method for germination tracking.
2. Coordination and Participation in CUBE ChatShaala
Dates Active: 17th, 20th, 22nd, 25th, 27th, 30th June 2025
Role: Active Participant and Session Contributor
Key Contributions:
Presented mustard germination setup and findings during live ChatShaala.
Actively participated in peer-review discussions related to sample selection, fungal contamination, and germination rate calculations.
Helped formulate structured queries based on experimental limitations, prompting further refinement by others.
Coordinated follow-ups post-ChatShaala via WhatsApp groups and shared updated image sequences.
Drafted and submitted the formal summary of 03.07.2025 ChatShaala based on whiteboard ideas and visual documentation.
3. Scientific Documentation and Community Engagement
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Shared visual and annotated updates on MetaStudio and CUBE groups.
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Practiced writing scientific summaries and experimental logs to encourage replicability.
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Received feedback from senior CUBE mentors and used it to refine the experimental protocol.
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Engaged with peers working on parallel seed experiments (e.g., pea, methi, moong).
4. Reflection & Future Directions
Learnings:
Importance of grid-based quantitative tracking in biological experiments.
Need for cleanliness and environmental control (humidity, light) in seed studies.
Power of collaborative discussions in shaping research.
Next Steps:
Plan to scale up to comparative experiments between tall and short mustard seedlings (phenotypic tracking).
Investigate environmental influences (light/darkness, temperature).
Possibly test inheritability by culturing seeds from selected phenotypes.
Conclusion
The second half of June 2025 has been a highly productive phase of my engagement in CUBE. I moved from initial curiosity to structured scientific inquiry and contributed actively to the knowledge-sharing space of ChatShaala. I look forward to further responsibilities as part of the CUBE Kishore Bharati Internship and remain committed to collaborative and inquiry-driven learning.
Submitted by:
M S Sailekshmi
CUBE Member & ChatShaala Contributor
Date: 06 July 2025