🌿 CUBE Half‐Monthly Report

CUBE chat Periodic Reports
1

Reporting Period: 16th – 30th June 2025

Name: M S Sailekshmi

Affiliation: CUBE (Collaboratively Understanding Biology Education), Kishore Bharati

Report Type: Half Monthly Participation Report

:small_blue_diamond: 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 Mendel’s experiments).

Activities & Progress:

  • Conducted multiple mustard seed germination experiments using moist cotton in transparent containers.

  • Created a systematic grid layout (A–T rows and 1–4 columns) to track seed placement and responses.

  • Tracked growth over time through photographs (Day 0, Day 1.5, Day 3) showing progressive stages:

– Seed hydration

– Radicle emergence

– Hypocotyl elongation

– Cotyledon expansion

Noted the onset of fungal growth, prompting discussion around overwatering or lack of ventilation.

Outcome:

  • Clear, visual evidence of high germination percentage (≈75–85%) and successful implementation of a gridded scientific method for germination tracking.

:small_blue_diamond: 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:

:small_orange_diamond: Presented mustard germination setup and findings during live ChatShaala.

:small_orange_diamond: Actively participated in peer-review discussions related to sample selection, fungal contamination, and germination rate calculations.

:small_orange_diamond: Helped formulate structured queries based on experimental limitations, prompting further refinement by others.

:small_orange_diamond:Coordinated follow-ups post-ChatShaala via WhatsApp groups and shared updated image sequences.

:small_orange_diamond:Drafted and submitted the formal summary of 03.07.2025 ChatShaala based on whiteboard ideas and visual documentation.

:small_blue_diamond: 3. Scientific Documentation and Community Engagement

  • Shared visual and annotated updates on MetaStudio and CUBE groups.

  • Practiced writing scientific summaries and experimental logs to encourage replicability.

  • Received feedback from senior CUBE mentors and used it to refine the experimental protocol.

  • Engaged with peers working on parallel seed experiments (e.g., pea, methi, moong).

:small_blue_diamond: 4. Reflection & Future Directions

Learnings:

:black_medium_small_square: Importance of grid-based quantitative tracking in biological experiments.

:black_medium_small_square: Need for cleanliness and environmental control (humidity, light) in seed studies.

:black_medium_small_square: Power of collaborative discussions in shaping research.

Next Steps:

:black_small_square:Plan to scale up to comparative experiments between tall and short mustard seedlings (phenotypic tracking).

:black_small_square:Investigate environmental influences (light/darkness, temperature).

:black_small_square:Possibly test inheritability by culturing seeds from selected phenotypes.

:pushpin: 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