Lab Name Steps of the Scientific Method, Homeostasis and Feedback Mechanisms in the Human Body: Making Connections (NY State Regents Required Lab).
Subject Area
Grade 9-12
Topic Steps of the scientific method, homeostasis and feedback mechanisms in the human body
Experiment Title Steps of the Scientific Method, Homeostasis and Feedback Mechanisms in the Human Body: Making Connections (NY State Regents Required Lab)
Hardware Raspberry Pi, Arduino Uno, Gravity Shield and sensors (8 lab groups with 8 setups per class - prefer one per group)
Software COSMOS toolkit framework, Chronograf and InfluxDB.
Number of Sessions to teach the topic 3 periods
Educational standards to be addressed
  • Living Environment Standards
    • Key Idea 1 The central purpose of scientific inquiry is to develop explanations of natural phenomena in a continuing and creative process. (Includes all major understandings)
    • Key Idea 2 Beyond the use of reasoning and consensus, scientific inquiry involves the testing of proposed explanations involving the use of conventional techniques and procedures and usually requiring considerable ingenuity. (Includes all major understandings)
    • Key Idea 3 The observations made while testing proposed explanations, when analyzed using conventional and invented methods, provide new insights into natural phenomena. (Includes all major understandings)
    • 1.2c The components of the human body, from organ systems to cell organelles, interact to maintain a balanced internal environment. To successfully accomplish this, organisms possess a diversity of control mechanisms that detect deviations and make corrective actions.
    • 1.2d If there is a disruption in any human system, there may be a corresponding imbalance in homeostasis.
  • Common Core ELA/Writing/Math Standards
    • WHST.9-12.7 Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation. (HS-LS1-3)
    • WHST.11-12.8 Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the specific task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and over-reliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation. (HS-LS1-3)
  • LS1.A: Structure and Function
    • Feedback mechanisms maintain a living system’s internal conditions within certain limits and mediate behaviors, allowing it to remain alive and functional even as external conditions change within some range. Feedback mechanisms can encourage (through positive feedback) or discourage (negative feedback) what is going on inside the living system.
COSMOS concepts to be used for the lab
  • Transmission of data from sensors to an interface using wireless signals.
  • Use of WAN over LAN.
  • Creating remote wifi networks to collect and visualize data.
  • Future: Use of testbed capabilities to gather this data in realtime at a larger scale.
K12 Educational Goals (How the educational goals are achieved through teaching using the experiment, how the topic is connected to the COSMOS concepts used) Students practice the steps of the scientific method by collecting data using sensor equipment that will send data onto a graphical user interface. They will also learn how this technology will be further implemented as a wide-scale experiment onto the COSMOS testbed using the capabilities provided by it. Students present on their findings and how it can be implemented on a larger scale.
Short Description and Walk-through of the experiment
  1. Overview of lab.
  2. Overview of equipment and how it works.
  3. Students design their own lab experiments.
  4. Carry out experiments and gather data using equipment.
  5. Analyze data and create a formal presentation.
  6. Present findings to class.
  7. Peer review findings.
  8. Add in possible extensions to experiments.
Testbed mapping of the experiment
  • Gather real-time pulse data and other physiological data from users around certain parts of the city.
  • Design experiments to relate certain environmental factors to varying physiological conditions (i.e. pollution levels).
  • Relate this to data from the CDC about the present of chronic diseases and conditions in the area.
  • Identify other variables that could be at play, and see if those can be remotely tracked as well.

Experiment Execution

To collect environmental measurements from nearby IoT nodes press START. In order to terminate the experiment press STOP.

Experiment Material

NGSS Lesson Plan
Worksheet
Other

© 2018 COSMOS Project. Created by Patrick Callahan, Bronx Center for Science and Mathematics
Tamanna Shahid, Collegiate Institute for Math and Science.