Thursday, December 14, 2017

Carve On!

In this unit of Rapid Prototyping, 2.5D, we went over density, mass,and volume calculations. We also learned about the Carvey, a CNC machine that we have at GCE. For this action project we went over our school's core values, AAPGA. I made a handmade and Carvey- made plaque regarding Achievement one of the core valuse that sticks the most out for me. This project showed me all the diffrent options that we have for making different projects!

Thursday, November 30, 2017

Cut it

For our Steam class Rapid Prototyping We learned about CNC machines Our First action project in this class looked at man vs machine. We looked at the SDGs to use as a poster and we made handmade as well as cameo cutter designs to compare the two.


If I could do this project over I would use my time better. The hardest part of this project was the handmade version. It took alot of time to cut out each of the letters.

Monday, October 30, 2017

Future equals Diversity

For our first humanities course, we learned about the 17 SDGs and how they are centered on Maslow's hierarchy of needs. I am very passionate about Equality and believe that it is a human right. We talked about physiological, safety, love/belonging, esteem, and self-actualization. An F.E that stood out to me the most was one that we didn't actually go anywhere at all. We talked to Scout from the Women's Health Care Center. I learned so much form them, and I was able to add more to my AP.



I'm looking forward to the next class, Who Am I, because I really love philosophy
 I was inspired by my classmates and their passion for the things we talked about but I was depressed by seeing the ignorance in our world.

Friday, October 27, 2017

It's gettin hot in here

In unit 3 of our Water class we learned about climate change and its effect on our world. We had 3 guests come in. Something that intrigued me about our guests was that even with our earth increasingly getting hotter and the ignorance around it our guests were optimistic about where we are headed. This action project sums up everything we learned in this unit. It explains climate change and predicts the weather in 2100.


I learned that there is so much that we can do to fix climate change but I also learned that we are at the point of no return... There is no way to prevent something that is already occurring everywhere.

Wednesday, October 11, 2017

FIL(ter) ME UP, BUTTERCUP

In H20 we started a new unit called, 4.5 billion in which we went on a Field Experience to the Jardine Water Filtration Plant where we saw water being filtered at a huge scale. In class we discussed the water cycle and groundwater filtration. The information that I collected from the water plant and groundwater filtration really helped me perfect my AP.

In my water filter I used:

  • Water bottle
  • 1 coffee filter
  • a rubber band
  • gravel
  • sand
  • powdered charcoal
  • a small piece of aquarium filter core

First, I Cut the water bottle in half so that I could use the bottom as the collecting cup and the top as the filter next I wrap the filter around the mouth of the bottle, next I added in the piece of aquarium core then a layer of charcoal then a layer of sand, charcoal, and sand, and then gravel to top it off

My filter will work because the water goes through areas with very small pores multiple times leaving behind any particles in the layer above. At the bottom of the filter the water goes through a coffee filter which covers the mouth of the water bottle.

My filter is similar to groundwater filtration because it includes Gravel and Sand as filter layers.

I chose to use charcoal because at the water plant I learned that activated charcoal and activated carbon can help better the taste of water. I chose to use the bottom of the bottle as a cup because during a water crisis I'm sure that I would want to keep things as minimal as possible.




TN (2017) My finished water filter
My hypothesis is that the color of the water will change and the particles will be filtered out.

The source of the water is from the bathroom sink in school, plus some dirt from the garden outside. The pH level before was 5.4 and after was 6.7.

TN (2017) Before (right) and After (left)


Description and pH of the water
Smells like a playground/gardenSmells clean/no smell
Looks dirty/like mud
Looks clear
Tastes clean not metallic, very pure and refreshing
pH: 5.4
pH 6.7
H+ 0.000003941
H+ 0.0000002

Both water samples fall closer to the neutral pH level (7) which means that both might have been safer to drink although I did not drink the water before filtration.




These are the pH levels converted to H+

3.9 x 10^-6 (before) 2 x 10^-6 (after) the difference between those levels is 19.9. I used the equation 10^-5.4/ 10^-6.7.

I can conclude that the mix of charcoal sand and gravel will clean water to a point that it is safe to drink. My hypothesis was proven correct. All of the dirt was removed from the water and after it went through the filter it was completely clear and smelled like nothing. It took me a couple of times to get the water filter to work, the first time I put too much sand in and all of the water got trapped and nothing came out. The next time I made it I used activated carbon instead of charcoal but the water still came out cloudy. My final product added multiple layers of activated charcoal and sand then added aquarium core which came out with the best, clearest result.

Citations 
The King Random “DIY: Make Swamp Water Drinkable” Youtube Jul 6 2017 accessed Oct 9 2017

Friday, September 22, 2017

Is Water a Luxury?

In H2O we've learned about the importance and rarity of water. In this unit (71%) we discussed potable water and the percentage of it in the world. At our Field Experience my partner and I carried 3 gallons in total from the Chicago River back to GCE which was about 0.2 miles away. This action project shows the difference between the average American, Peruvian, and my water usage.

                                                     TN (2017)  Is Water a Luxury? 

One of the first things we did was calculate our water usage. It turns out that my calculated water usage (82 gallons) is lower than the average Americans water usage but higher than the average Peruvian. Hygiene was the highest consume of water for me, I assume it's because I do a lot for my skin care and it takes a lot to wash my hair because it's so curly. It shocked me that the average water consumption for Peru was so low. It seems impossible to me to only use 43 gallons of water everyday after calculating my own water usage. In our Field Experience we simulated what it would be like to carry water everyday from a water source. I brought in an empty kitty litter container and my partner brought in milk jugs all together it took us 8 min to carry 3 gallons of water which is only 3 percent of  my daily water usage and 6 percent of Peru's  . While I was carrying the water it only felt that it was only getting heavier, my arms started to hurt and I was extremely thirsty. It was easier for me because I was able to switch off with my friend and take breaks if I was by myself I would have probably taken longer.     

I never thought that by the end of one unit my perspective of water would change so drastically. The hardest part for me was organizing my poster so it flowed well. Over all, I am proud of how my action project turned out. I am more conscious of how much water is being trashed in my household and with a water crisis going on in a city only 271 miles away from where I live it's important that I don't take it for granted.

  Only 2.5% of the world water is potable what are you going to do to make sure it lasts.
 
Water Tips
  • Turn off water while brushing teeth or washing hair
  • Check leaky toilets and fix them immediately 
  • Water plants with unfinished water bottles
  • Only run the dish washer a clothes washer when they are full

CITATIONS
Relentless (2016) American Flag USA Flag= Symbol
Cburnet (2007) Water drop
Huhsunqu  (2006) Flag of Peru 

Monday, September 11, 2017

H2O: A Long Walk to Water and A World Without Water Connection

Over the Summer, we were assigned to read the book A Long Walk To Water by Linda Sue Park and watch a documentary called a world without water. The video below is my review/connection of both to each other, the course I'm taking H2O, and to GCE.

Frontiers

 Hello and welcome to my final action project for my STEAM class Frontiers. In this action project, we were asked to create a conference pos...