Brianna F.

WISRD Member

I have created a Research To-Do list and for the past few weeks, I have been researching plants and their effects on mental health. The plants I’ve researched so far are the Snake plant, Spider plant, and Bamboo Palm. One thing these plants share is that they filter out toxins in the air.

9 - 10 - 24

I have started creating the list of materials needed to continue this project. I have jotted down a few materials so far after doing further research. I have started to narrow down as to what type of materials work best depending on the plant.

10 - 14 - 24

This week I will do more in-depth research on the Snake plant, Spider plant, and Bamboo Palm using my Research To-Do list as a guide. I plan to gather more information on the maintenance of these plants and how they might survive in a classroom environment.

9 - 23 - 24

So far I have managed to write down all the materials needed for the Snake plant and only some of the materials for the Spider plant. Alongside the materials, I wrote down descriptions of the aspects of the materials that are important.

10 - 23 - 24

I have completed the list of materials needed to move forward with this project. I have each material and its specifics as well as the amounts needed per material. I have decided to start with 9 plants and I want to allow them to grow into a space versus getting them while they have already grown to their fullest.

11 - 14 - 24

12 - 3 - 24

For the past few weeks, I’ve been working on another project with a friend where we built a terrarium. The purpose of building the terrarium is to further test the effects of living spaces in an educational environment. Similar to the work I have researched and have planned for with plants.

12 - 16 - 24

This week I was out for a little bit and missed several classes but Skylar had finished adding the dirt and micro isopods into the soil. She also added leaves. The next step is to add plants and let them settle for a month before putting the gecko into the terrarium.

12 - 17 - 24

Poster Session

Poster session was a success. My most asked questions were how I plan to test the mental health benefits and how I plan to control the experiment. I answered that the way I plan to test the benefits is by using spit samples to test cortisol levels over time. The controlled aspect is to put plants in classrooms or in such spaces where I can test an individual’s cortisol levels.

Statement of interest, Spring 2024: (from institute application): I am not quite sure yet but I do know that I want to help make a more positive impact on the environment. Whether that be in the larger world or in a classroom.