Ames Test Experimental Design Worksheet
Please download this form, fill it out using Microsoft Word, print the completed form and turn it in by the deadline specified in the syllabus. You will notice you can only type in the gray boxes; they will expand as needed. You should only turn in one worksheet per group.
Project title (think about what the title of your lab report would be):
Research Group Members:1. / 2. / 3.
What chemical or product do you want to test as a possible carcinogen/mutagen?
What do you know about your chemical so far? (How is it used? How/where do people come into contact with it? In what concentrations? If it’s a product, what are its active ingredients? Is it toxic? Is anything known about whether it might be a mutagen or carcinogen?)
Give at least one Reference to a published, scientific article that you used to obtain information about your chemical. Web references are not acceptable. If you want to test a chemical and can find absolutely no published information on it, check with your instructor to see if the information you have will be acceptable.
Based on what you have learned about your chemical or product, do you expect it to be a mutagen, or not? Justify your hypothesis.
Summarize how you will carry out an Experiment to test your chemical as a potential mutagen. Include details such as the starting concentration of your chemical (in units such as % or mg/ml) and the concentrations of the dilutions you will make. Don’t forget to include the number of trials you will do.
What Concentrations of your chemical will you test? Briefly indicate why these concentrations are appropriate.
Controls are especially critical for this experiment. In the first week, you did three different controls that are essential in validating your experiment. Describe each of the three controls and how they help you verify that your data are valid. Indicate which control(s) from last week can be used for your own experiment, and which one(s) you will have to do this week. If any of last week’s controls need to be re-done to get better data, say so.
What Predictions does your hypothesis make about the outcome of your experiment? That is, if your hypothesis were correct, what results would you expect? What kind of results would not support your hypothesis? You should be able to come up with two specific predictions, given what you know about how we determine whether a chemical is a mutagen.
How will you obtain the chemical you propose to test? Is it something we have on hand in the lab, or that the Chemistry Department has in their stockroom? Is it a product you will be able to purchase locally? It is your responsibility to find out about availability.
After making any needed adjustments based on feedback from your instructor, don’t forget to write out a detailed experimental protocol in your notebook (with specific steps to follow and including all volumes, times, temperatures,concentrations, etc.) so that you will be fully prepared to begin your experiment when you get to lab.