Antibacterial Activity of Soil Bacteria Isolated from Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy

Antibacterial resistance is rapidly becoming one of the greatest health challenges worldwide as of the 21st century due to a lack of knowledge around proper usage of antibiotics. The Tiny Earth project addresses this increased resistance to antibiotics with a global effort aiming to find new antibiotic producing bacteria within soil, while also educating students on antibiotics. Using Tiny Earth’s protocols, I collected soil samples around IMSA’s campus to culture bacteria from soil and tested them against safe versions of bacteria to observe any antibiotic activity. My work is contributing to the ongoing search for new antibiotics while also spreading awareness on antibiotic resistance. The results of this project will be presented.