CUBE Kishore Bharati Assistantship Report
Period:1st April to 30th April, Theertha MD
Number of Days Participated in Chatshaala: 24/30
Chatshaala Discussions
1) Making Acid-Base Indicators at HomeLab
Cubists made a try to the development of acid-base indicators using hibiscus petals in their HomeLabs.
2) Mango Flowering Status: Australia vs. India
We discussed the similarities in mango flowering between Australia and India.
The discussion was about the percentage of flowering, sample sizes, and seasonal differences across various regions in India.
3) Cardamine Floral Dip Method
A) Cubists discussed the floral dip method used in Cardamine and compared it with conventional tissue culture techniques.
B) We also discussed about identifying Cardamine in the HomeLab, with a focus on its leaf architecture.
C) Discussions included identifying the host plant of the Psyche butterfly and nectar-feeding plants, such as a reddish plant as a nectar plant found by Kiran.
D) We discussed genetic modification in plants, including the story of Bt Cotton and experiments in creating flowers of different colors.
4) Microbiology at Home
Cubists like Enas and Batul experimented with culturing curd bacteria at home using a boiled potato slice.
We discussed fermentation, the roles of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, and discussed the size of bacterial colonies.
5) Fruit Fly Studies
Ayana led discussions on food preferences in fruit flies.
We discussed the sleep-wake cycle of fruit flies in context of Ayana’s food preference test in fruitflies
Dev, a Cubist from Patna, showed interest in fruit fly research, contributing to the discussion on food preferences.
Batul shared observations from her 19th generation of fruit flies.
Akanksha discussed her park mutant flies and brain part functions in fruit flies.
We prepared BRSV and TRSV media and discussed their components, such as yeast vs. yeast extract.
Ayana conducted food preference tests and analyzed activity patterns in fruit flies.
Other topics included preservation techniques, diffusion and osmosis, and goof-ups during media preparation.
Ayana ,Akanksha ,Batul were discussed about TCDS and transposons.
6) Nail Growth
We discussed how nail growth varies based on age and gender.
7) BITS Pilani Conference
We discussed the leaves in Phyllanthus, comparing simple in Phyllanthus and compound leaves in curry leaves
8) Moina macrocopa – JSK 1
Topics included water dechlorination and differences between Moina and Daphnia were discussed
We also discussed Barbara McClintock and her work with reference to “Feeling for the Organism.”
Currently, Cubists from CHM College are joining Chatshaala sessions, where Mayur has introduced them to CUBE.
We discussed Kajal’s story in the discovery of Moina macrocopa jsk1
Active participants
New Cubists are joining From CHM college
Ayana from Kozhikode
Akanksha from Mumbai
Batul from Kolkata