BT Young Scientist Awards

Here are the posters from our entrants who took part in this year's BT Young Scientist competition. Well done to all our students and a special word of thanks to Ms. Higgins for all her hard work. Congratulations to Niall McSharry, Julian Pawlowski and Jack Roden who came 3rd in their category. Well done boys!

Please click here for more information on the awards

Leaving Cert Biology Notes

Please click here to access revision notes for Leaving Cert Biology

A link is also available to this website in the "Favourite Website" section on this page

Leaving Cert Biology - Easter Revision

Topics to be covered for revision over Easter break are
1.Human Reproduction
2.Plant Reproduction
3.Structure, Transport and Nutrition in Flowering Plants
4.Metabolism and Enzymes

Notes to be completed from the handout on "The Sense Organs"

Tools to use include questions from Handouts, Mind Maps, Fish bone diagrams and Exam Papers. It is expected that you fit in at least 6 hours per week over the break. Best of luck and hope you have a nice Easter. See you on the 16th

Mind Map - Ecology

Patricia Regan

Mind Map - Sexual Reproduction in Flowering Plants

Tarae Diedrichs

Junior Science - Fish Bones on Light

Here are some fish bone diagrams on Light from out first year science class.

Mind Maps - Cell Continuity

Some excellent Mind Maps on Cell Continuity from our 5th year Biology class.

Susanna Breslin


Stephen Cassidy


Celina Carty

Mind Map - Transport in Flowering Plants

(A)Kenny Prendergast
(B)Susanna Breslin

LC Biology Experiments - Use starch agar plates to show digestive activity during germination

Method:
Soak broad beans in distilled water for 2 days
Swab lab bench with disinfectant
Label 1st sterile plate ‘Raw’, 2nd ‘boiled’. Initial and date
Kill two of the seeds by boiling for 5 mins (control)
Split each seed in half to separate the cotyledons
Sterilise all seeds by soaking in disinfectant for 10 mins
Rinse seeds twice in sterilised water
Using a sterilised forceps place seed halves face down on the appropriate agar plate
Re-flame forceps and re-swab bench
Incubate plates upright at 18-20C for 48 hrs
Remove seeds
Flood plates with iodine and leave for 2mins
Pour off Iodine solution
Note pattern of starch digestion by holding plate up to light
Conclusion:
A pattern should appear where raw seeds germinated and digested starch on agar plate. The boiled seeds should not have germinated as enzymes required should have been denatured. This plate should be predominantly blue/black

Junior Science - Light

To prove that light travels in straight lines
Method:
Place a hole in the centre of three cards
Place cards in a straight line
Shine light through the 1st card and look through the last card.
Move the middle card to the side and observe
Results:
Light is only visible when the 3 cards are in a straight line.

Leaving Cert Biology - Mind Maps on Plant Structure

Here are some Mind Maps from our 5th yr Biology Class on structure of the Flowering Plant.

Leaving Cert Biology - Isolation of DNA

Please view photos from today's experiment on the isolation of DNA from onion cells. The reasons for each step is given below

Chopping onion:
Breaks cell walls, releasing cytoplasm.
Adding washing-up liquid:
Breaks down cell membranes, releases nuclear material from cell.
Adding salt:
Minimise attractive forces between DNA and protein, causes DNA to clump together.
Heating mixture to 60 °C for exactly fifteen mins:
Break down of DNAses enzymes. After 15 mins DNA broken down.
Cooling mixture:
Slowing down any other enzymes before they destroy DNA.
Blending:
Further destroys cell walls and membranes. Causes release of DNA. Blending > 3s cuts DNA strands.
Adding protease:
Breaks down proteins associated with DNA.
Filtering:
Remove large cellular debris. DNA passes through filter with liquid.
Using cold ethanol:
Forms a layer on top of onion filtrate. Alcohol draws water out of DNA molecule, making it less dense - found between two liquids. DNA insoluble in freezing cold ethanol (soluble in alcohol at room temp)
Testing for DNA:
No method of testing for DNA available for use in school labs

Junior Science - Physics

Please click here for a good animation on Conduction, Convection and Radiation

Leaving Cert Biology - Fertilisation in Flowering Plants

Please click here to accees an animation on Plant Fertilisation

Leaving Cert Biology - Embryo Sac Development in Plants

Leaving Cert Biology - Genetics

More revision for Genetics

Junior Science

To show that a dull surface radiates heat better than a bright shiny surface
Apparatus: 2 cans- one shiny, other with a black surface, water, thermometers
Method:
Obtain 2 cans of equal size-one shiny, other with a black surface
Put a thermometer in each
Fill each can with boiling water and cover
Record the temperature in each can every 3 minutes for 15 mins
Results:
Temperature falls more quickly in the darker can as it radiates
heat better than a shiny can

Leaving Cert Biology - Genetics

Excellent video revision on uses of Punnett squares.