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GRADES 6 to 8 | 2025-2026

Challenge 4B: Million Orchid Project – (STEMLab) Bioreactors: An Immersive Experience

IMPORTANT NOTE: This information applies only to MDCPS Schools participating in Fairchild’s STEMLab Program

YOUR CHALLENGE:

As part of the Million Orchid Project (MOP), the STEMLab program is unique in that it allows students the opportunity to participate in every aspect of the orchid micropropagation and reintroduction process. The MOP has successfully propagated hundreds of thousands of native orchids and planted them in urban landscapes with the goal of reestablishing one million plants in the South Florida region.

For this Challenge and as part of STEMLab, you will be conducting an experiment to test how different rates of watering affect the growth and proliferation of baby orchid seeds, also known as protocorms. After your first STEMLab visit, the students will be given 12 bioreactors; these bioreactors create an efficient nutrient delivery system where the seedlings are temporarily immersed in a liquid medium containing plant nutrients. This technique provides more even nutrient uptake and can reduce damage from over wetting or drying of the roots.

Half of these bioreactors will be assigned to be immersed once a week, the others three times a week. Follow the provided STEMLab research protocol to collect data while conducting this experiment. Create a social-media-style graphic carousel (here’s an example!) that explains this experiment, with at least one graph showing data you collected and what it means, and why it is important to run experiments like yours on endangered plants. Additionally, to prepare for the second STEMLab visit, include possible places around your campus that would be suitable for planting either epiphytic or ground orchids. Your scientific findings are crucial to helping us determine how to effectively grow more plants in the South Florida area!

Download information as one page with lesson plan

✓  Submission Requirements:
 

Mandatory STEMLab Teacher Workshop on August 7th, 2025 at Fairchild from 8:30 AM – 3:00 PM.

 

Social-media-style graphic carousel which showcases the experiment conducted including at least one graph derived from their school’s collected data, background information, and possible locations around the campus to outplant orchids. (6-8 slides)

 Last slide of carousel includes student first name(s) and last initial(s), student grade level(s), teacher name, school name, and text saying “Million Orchid Project” and “2025-2026″
 

Digital Entry Form.

  • Video link should be added to digital entry form
  • Video can be uploaded to Instagram, Google Drive, YouTube, or school video sharing program and then link provided (please ensure that link is open access)
 Bonus points for data sheet completed by December 15th, 2025
 Two submissions (social-media-style graphic carousels) per school. Schools will only use one datasheet for their middle school STEMLab experiment.

CHALLENGE RESOURCES:

Enter a Submission

Important Dates

MANDATORY In-person Teacher Workshop at Fairchild:
Thursday, August 7th, 2025 from 8:30 am to 3:00 pm

Submissions (Carousels and Datasheets) Due: Monday, December 15, 2025 by 5:00pm

Point Breakdown
Participants per submission Individual or Large Group
Maximum number of points per submission (carousel) 100
Bonus Points (for completed data sheet) 50 max 
Number of submissions (carousels) per school 2

Evaluation Criteria
Rubric for MS Challenge 4

Fairchild City in a Garden Standards

Heat Mitigation

Biodiversity

Endangered Species

Scientific Output