Research+Proposal


 * Student Research Plan**

**Name:** Alicia Kenyon Period 2

**Proposed Title (subject to change):** Ants and Magnetic Fields

**Problem to be posed or question asked:** How are ants affected by magnetic fields?

**My hypothesis or hypotheses:** If a magnet is present, then it will affect the ants’ behavior.

**Materials I will supply:** Ants, ant farms (Antworks from Edmund Scientific), tape, and a magnet. The Antworks supporting gel provides food and water for the ants. No additional food is required.

**Materials to be supplied by Mr. Cushing:** None

**Materials from other sources:** None

**List all chemicals that will be used along with any special handling, storage or disposal:** My experiment does not include any chemicals. The ant farms should be handled with care since they are fragile, and they can be stored on a tabletop out of harms way.

**Planned Procedure:**
 * 1) The purchase of two identical ant farms and one magnet.
 * 2) The attachment of the magnet to the exterior of an ant farm with a thin layer of tape. The magnet will be attached to the top left corner of the ant farm.
 * 3) The other ant farm will not be changed since it will be used as a comparison (control).
 * 4) Over the next few days, I will see if the magnetic fields affect the ants.
 * 5) If the ants react to the magnet, I will note if they moved towards or away from the magnet.
 * 6) I will observe whether or not the ant tunnels avoid or are clustered near the magnet.

**Independent Variable:** whether or not there is a magnet attached to the ant farms

**Dependent Variable:** the ants’ behavior

**Control:** an ant farm without the magnet

**Constants:** the ant farms, amount of day and night hours, and the ants

**Please explain the planned timing of your experiment – how long do you expect it to take and when you will work on it.** I will work on my experiment when I come home from school, and I only expect the experiment to take a few days.


 * Please cite at least five references you have consulted while conducting preliminary research.**

 Works Cited "ISOLATION OF MAGNETIC NANOPARTICLES FROM PACHYCONDYLA MARGINATA ANTS." //Biofis//. N.p., n.d. . Rpt. in //The// //Journal of Experimental Biology//. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Print. "Orientation by magnetic field in leaf-cutter ants, Atta colombica (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)." //Bitstream//. N.p., 2003. Web. 10 Oct. 2010. . "Tropical Ants Use Magnetic Compass to Get Home ." //New Scientist//. N.p., 15 Mar. 2008. Web. 10 Oct. 2010. . Viegas, Jennifer. "Magnets in Ant Antennae Work as Internal GPS." //Discovery//. Discovery, 2010. Web. 10 Oct. 2010. . "Wood Ants Orient to Magnetic Fields." //JSTOR//. N.p., 2010. Web. 10 Oct. 2010. .