The problem is that the average toilet according to PMI (Plumbing Manufacturers International) uses 1.6 gallons of fresh water per flush. The use of water in the toilet is to transport human excrement through the plumbing to ensure that the pipes are clean. There are alternate ways to flush down excrement through plumbing without the use of water as the elimination of the use of water in the toilet would allow the conservation of our water supply.

 

Materials:

Brainstorm & Sketch:

For the project we will use a type of bioplastic capsule that will capture the “bulk” and transfer it through the plumbing using air pressure.

1.

 The bioplastic will be made with water, starch or tapioca starch, glycerin, and vinegar and when drying use a piece of cardboard, shaped as a cone, to shape the bioplastic into a cone. In theory, the cone shape bioplastic will line the toilet and catch the bulk and close. When the bioplastic cone catches the bulk there will have to be a sealer such as a hot iron that will seal the cone as if it was a chip bag and then the pressure assist will send it down the plumbing.

The pressure assist will replace the water so the flush valve and the rest of the normal toilet system will be removed. The hot irons would be put in the floor flange in a configuration that would seal the bioplastic cone. 

2.

As a type of “Plan B” the bioplastic cone may be replaced with different designs due to how easy the catch is to seal the bulk in the bioplastic. Another type of bioplastic capsule/catch design is similar to a coffee filter. The other model will have a flat bottom that will be lined up with the floor flange of the toilet and the rest will act as a cone and similar to the original model line the bowl of the toilet.

3.

Another design for the hot iron placed at the floor flange would place the irons on the underside of the toilet seat. The irons could be bow shaped to line the toilet seat and revolve at a joint that could be attached in the area of the tank o-ring seal for each of the two irons so they can seal the cone together.

4.

Another design for the capsules would use a bulb shape in replacement of the flat bottom. The bulb design at the tip would catch the urine and other liquid materials flushed. The other designs should not catch the urine as well as a bulb shape in theory but the truth comes out through tests. The properties of the bioplastics brewed up will dictate the design of the capsule.

 

My research question asks, can acetic acid be used to effectively kill microorganisms commonly found in burn wound infections? I will conduct my experiment gathering cultures of some of the most prominent pathogens found in burn wound infections such as Escherichia coli, Acinetobacter, and Pseudomonas. Then, I will disperse each of the active bacteria into petri dishes and add in a diluted form (5%) of acetic acid. After 1 hour, I will use the live/dead Baclight assay to determine whether each of bacteria has been killed or not as well as how much of it. I will conduct this experiment multiple times, using different levels of diluted acetic acid, such as 8% and 10%. I will collect my data using a bar chart comparing the level of dilution of the acetic acid and the number of bacteria left for each pathogen after the experiment.

Medical researchers studying atherosclerosis, patients with atherosclerosis, and anyone interested in learning about atherosclerosis could use a 3-dimensional computational model of atherosclerosis in the coronary arteries to learn more about the disease. Atherosclerosis is responsible for 360,000 deaths annually and continued research of this and other diseases through computational modeling could further our understanding of them and prevent many deaths in the future. The criteria for the success of this project is to create an accurate model of atherosclerosis in the coronary arteries in a modeling and simulation software that can be further developed and help further research of the disease. The time constraints could affect whether or not we could complete the project to our best ability since it may take time to learn how to use the software Blender and MCell, which we are going to use to model it, as well as model the actual disease itself.

 

Project Design 

 

            A problem that many people deal with these days is heart disease, something especially common in the American society. Lifestyle choices and prevention will always be a good solution, but we want to give those who go through heart attacks, heart surgery, and heart conditions a chance to live their best lives. One out of four deaths, 25% of death is caused by problems with the heart. Whether it be the three million people per year, suffering from heart attacks, the other three million suffering from coronary heart disease, or the smaller two hundred thousand people with cardiomyopathy. Many people in the U.S. may struggle with this problem, and with this problem will come surgery, implants, stents, hospital stays, and extensive treatment. What we want to do for our people is to actually help them and give them their solutions to their heart problems. A common treatment would be the use of a stent to open up a blocked artery and to restore blood flow preventing damage to the heart. There are a couple problems though. These metal stents may become blocked again, and they may lead to a second surgery or implant. One solution we’re thinking of bringing would be a hemophobic material, that would fix that particular problem, but that problem of clots still remaining exists. So here, we will attempt to create a material that will first prevent clots, and eventually disintegrate, leaving the tissue there by itself, completely covering and removing the clot. 

 

Requirements: 

-The material must be hemophobic (blood repellant in order to stop blood from clotting) 

-The material needs to allow blood flow without clotting (for use in things like heart valves) 

-The material must not require anticoagulants (current anticoagulants are about $300 a month) 

-Should have low costs to manufacture (current solutions are pretty expensive) 

-Must be able to be turned into shapes (we can’t just have a hemophobic surface, we need something that can ideally work as a medical device) 

 

Benchmarks: 

-Have a material actually be flattened and made 

-Bring the average roll-off angle lower than the typical roll-off of water 

-Shape the material into a correct structure 

 

Factors limiting success: 

-High cost 

-Hard testing 

-Very time-sensitive 

Our experiment is about preventing coral bleaching by introducing an antioxidant serum to the zooxanthellae present in the coral when in stressful conditions. In this experiment, we plan to use 3 different types of coral. For the first two days, the coral will remain in habitat that is natural to them, meaning the water temperatures will remain the same throughout the two days. We will also be taking water samples during this time daily as a source of control. After the two days have passed, we will start introducing the coral to stressful conditions, such as placing them under an incubator which will heat up the water to a point that they do not find comfortable. The coral will remain like this for 3 days, where we will continue to take water samples daily and view them under a microscope. During the process of the experiment, we will have the control group remain untouched, while everyday we add more drops if antioxidant to the water the dependent variable corals will be staying in. Each day as we add more antioxidants, we will test the water and see how much zooxanthellae is present, if any was expelled at all.

 

An issue that needs to be solved is the number of packages stolen each year from homes in areas with a high crime rate. This has been a growing problem and especially since most people do most of their shopping online the number of packages being stolen has skyrocketed to a whopping twenty million stolen packages each year just in the United States alone. I believe if we can create a box that will be big enough to store packages and prevent them from being stolen, the number of package thefts will go down extremely. Our idea from what we now know might be the only thing stopping theifs from taking packages and allowing online shoppers to feel confident that their package will be safe. For our project design prototype, we will be using a wooden box that is about 2” x 4” x 4”, one door hinge, and a smart lock device. In the process, we plan to use stronger materials that can withstand any attacks, a camera that is always monitored and will take a picture when the box is opened and also notify the owner of the product with the picture and a notification. We will test this product by opening the box multiple times to make sure the camera is taking pictures when the box is open and that it is being monitored the whole time. We will also place multiple packages inside to test the room sizing and put the box through weathering testing.

If pH becomes more acidic as the temperature gets warmer, the phytoplankton will have more difficulty surviving due to the altered environment. And, if pH becomes more basic as the temperature gets colder, the population of phytoplankton will grow.

 

My hypothesis is that it is negative because students don’t have enough time to study or they stay up late and from what I know, the brain cannot contain that much information when it is exhausted. Experimental Design: 
The way I will be experimenting with my project is first by going to the athletic director and interviewing him if there are any programs that support our athletes. Then I will be giving out a survey for SOPHOMORE ATHLETES to take. The way I will be measuring this afterwards is by gathering that data from my surveys into how our athletes view themselves and if being in the sport they are in is benefiting them or not. I an hoping this helps my peers really take a look into what benefits them and what doesn't.

Hypothesis: We believe that a majority of people will not notice/ignore trash left on the floor due to laziness or not being observant to see it 

Experimental Design: In this project we are going to leave pieces of trash of varying sizes (Ex. candy wrap to chip bag or water bottle) in different areas (i.e. a park, a shopping center, etc). We will also change the distance of trash to the trash can so we can determine if the distance from the trash can will affect our results. Then, from there, our group will monitor the trash. We monitor if they pick up the trash or completely ignore it. We will collect data on how many people just ignore it, how many people actually stop to pick it up, how the distance from trash (next to, 5 ft, 15 ft, 30 ft) affects that data, approx. age of individual in test, gender, and  time of day.

Experimental Design: In this experiment, different concentrations of tea tree oil will be tested on Staphylococcus Epidermidis to determine which concentration is the best to kill the bacteria. Propionibacterium is the bacteria that is linked to causing acne. Staphylococcus Epidermidis is the bacteria being used in place of Propionibacterium due to it’s availability and price. These two bacteria have similarities such as both being gram-positive and anaerobic. Tea tree oil is a common natural remedy used to cure acne. Generally, many people assume that the highest concentration will be the best method. This however is incorrect because some higher concentrations of tea tree oil can do more harm than good. This experiment tests which concentrations out of the three being tested is the best. 15 petri dishes consisting of Staphylococcus Epidermidis will be tested on. The bacteria will be applied to agar plates using the streaking method.  The tea tree oil will be divided into three parts or concentrations. The first concentration will be the oil right out of the bottle, the second concentration will be the tea tree oil diluted with a small amount of water and the third concentration will be the oil diluted with a large amount of water. The experiment’s data will be gained by measurements of the bacteria. To measure bacteria, the colony strategy is used. Colonies are visible dots that appear in the Petri dish. Many colonies are produced. To avoid the hassle of counting all the colonies of a Petri dish, the tea tree oil will be applied to only one quadrant of the petri dish.  The bacteria will be placed in an incubator to keep the bacteria alive. Every day, the bacteria will be closely examined by a microscope at a magnification of 40x or 100x to see how many colonies of the bacteria has decreased after the concentrations are applied. The desired outcome of this experiment is that in the span of 2-3 weeks, the data will show which concentration exhibits the best properties to decrease the growth of Staphylococcus Epidermidis. 

Project Design

The problem this mental wellness app will address is the increasing amount of teenagers with  anxiety and depression due to social, family, and academic conflicts. Rising expectations for teenagers as well as external pressures has led to more cases of mental disorders -- most commonly anxiety and stress. To counter this growing problem, an app should be created that emphasizes the providing of a user-oriented experience as a unique way to alleviate symptoms of anxiety and stress. The reason an app was chosen as the platform of choice is because it allows for maximum outreach towards the targeted population.  Based on surveys users would take and update when installing the app, the app will shape itself to fit the needs of the different people. This paired with existing mental remedies, including ICBT (internet-delivered cognitive behavior therapy), will hopefully increase the effectiveness of the application as opposed to other apps on the Google Play Store and App store. An example of treatment that will be offered through this app would be various relaxation techniques to clear the mind and combat the struggle of anxiety. Moreover, features proven to help teenagers manage the complexity of their lives like journal extensions will be suggested to users. Some of the restraining areas of this topic include the limited amount of data we have on teenagers' behaviors through online articles. Since we won’t be able to conduct a large and diverse enough sample size to gain accurate results, we must rely on other sources to gain our concerning data which may inhibit the possible chances for success.

Existing products do work to benefit both mental and physical health -- such as recording the health history of the patient. However, these applications typically focus on physical health, while only some are dedicated to mental health. Unfortunately, these apps do not thoroughly address the aforementioned problems that are becoming more significant today. There may be certain apps that do explore the mediation of mental health -- however improvement on the concept is needed, especially considering the growing need for it. This can be achieved by creating an interactive system, and letting the system grow based on the user’s mental needs. Other products use calming music and videos to help relax their users; we plan to include this as well as other simple relaxing techniques in order to create a variety to fit the needs of most people. The app will also focus on teenage mental health as opposed to other apps that aren’t geared towards a specific age group and apply exclusively to adults. 

This app will be free on the app store and won’t cost much to make if anything at all because all resources will be online and we are simply coding. 

 

In order to test if the bio-organic material  and ions will enhance the flocculant activity of chitosan and improve its ability to remove solid material form contaminated water, different types of bio-organic material will be used.  Bio-organic material such as grains, rice and oats will be tested. The first set of experiment will be conducted by measuring the turbidity of a contaminated water sample. Then, a fixed amount of chitosan ( e.g. 1 gram) is added to the water sample and then the turbidity of the water sample will be measured again. Next, a fixed amount of the bio-organic material ( e.g. 1 gram ) is added to the same water sample ( that contains 1 gram of chitosan), the turbidity of the water sample will be measured again. If a decrease in turbidity value is found, it will prove that the bio-organic material is enhancing the flocculant activity of chitosan. On the other hand, if there is no change in the turbidity value did not change, additional amount of the bio-organic material ( e.g. another 1 gram) will be added.  Continue to add the additional amount of the bio-organic material ( in increment of 1 gram) until a change in turbidity is seen. 

Once the optimum amount of bio-organic material that enhance the flocculant activity is determined, the effect of temperature on the measurement will be investigated by repeating the experiments at different temperatures ( e.g. at 25 0C, 40 oC and 90 oC). 

The next set of experiment will be conducted by repeating the above experiment with different bio-organic material.  Optimum amount of each tested bio-organic material will be determined as described above. 

 

How does bioluminescence, the emission of light through chemical reactions in living things, in dinoflagellates, a one-celled organism with the ability to glow,  affect the rate at which different amounts of various organic and inorganic toxins can be detected within water? 

 

If the amount of toxins in water is increasing and bioluminescent organisms are known to glow in the presence of toxins, then when three groups of dinoflagellates are placed in salt water environments with varying levels of different toxins (both organic and inorganic) for 10 minutes observing for the dinoflagellates’ reaction, then the group of dinoflagellates with .5g of toxins present within their environment will have the fastest detection rates and emission of light.

 

Before experimentation, we’ll gather all of our materials required to start. To collect our salt water, we’ll use four empty bottles to recover water from Huntington Beach, keeping in mind the filtration of sand or seaweed. We’ll, then, measure the water’s pH to ensure it’s within the range of 7.6-8.4 and suitable for the dinoflagellates to survive in. After gathering the water, we’ll buy nitrate, sodium hypochlorite, and lead acetate. After obtaining our chemicals, using a 600-gram scale we will weigh the nitrate, sodium hypochlorite, lead acetate and separate them into groups. Each group will be participating in three trails of 0.1g, 0.3g, and 0.5g. Before we weigh the nitrate, sodium hypochlorite, and lead acetate, we need to put the square weighing dish on our scale and zero it out to get accurate measurements. When ordering the dinoflagellates, we’ll also buy their medium to place into their environment. Upon arrival of the dinoflagellates, we will reset up circadian cycle by exposing them to fluorescent light for 12 hours. This will create a stimulation of night while it is our day. To place each organism in a depression slide, we’ll use a pipette to safely transfer them. This depression slide will be used to observe the dinoflagellates under a microscope at 20x magnification so we can collect qualitative information of the dinoflagellates. Then, we’ll label our beakers based on what toxin will be used, the amount of toxins the water will contain, and which trial it’s a part of. As we prepare our trials, we’ll put salt water in all beakers needed,  prepare for any refilling or replacing the beaker for each trial, and putting only three dinoflagellates inside for every trial. There will be exactly 50mL of salt water in each beaker. During each 10 minute trial, we’ll record any changes we notice about the dinoflagellates, focusing on at what time they begin glowing and how bright they become. After each test, we’ll move the dinoflagellates from their beakers to a filled dixie cup, in order to contain them, pouring the excess water out after. In addition to this, we’ll test the pH levels of the water after each trial, recording the new level. Once the trials are all finished, all our results will be compared to one another, in order  to test if our hypothesis was correct. This experiment can be used to prove that the bioluminescent plankton, dinoflagellates, can be used as a new method to detect different toxins in salt water.

Our project is to test the number of bacteria in public places and attempt to classify how it affects our health. The question we came up with is What bacterial strains (in colonies) exist in our community and how do they affect our health? We plan on testing this by collect samples from different places around the community. Then we will map the samples on a map of our community to show the trends and dangers, and finally make connections with other public health statuses in our area (statistics from previous illnesses and/or diseases). We would like to make these connections and possibly make connections national because in Flint Michigan there have been outbreaks of contagious bacterial strains that emerged in their community. From this test, we would like to create a way to reduce the amount of (harmful) bacteria found in public places. We plan on measuring this by the amount of growth of the bacteria from each place and create graphs to measure it. The independent variable of the graph would be the times tested per location. The dependent variable would be the number of bacteria collected in micrometers. 

Criteria:
In order to be successful, we need to make sure that our device is cheaper than others on the market. We need to ensure that the functionality we've provided to the apps works as intended and enhances the user experience. We test every subject 10 feet away from a standard vision chart. In order to be successful, the subject should be able to read at least half of our chart at max level zoom in the app. Some things that may slow us down or hinder our success are finding people to test our device on. People with severe visual impairments are rare and hard to find. It was a challenge last year and we expect it to be prevalent again this year. Our pricing for the phone version of the headset will be around $50 including the app that can be installed on your phone. The other headset which has everything included and doesn't require a phone will cost around $120 including the app.

Project Design:
For this project I want to create a bioplastic based on Coconut, and other ayurvedic herbs that originate mostly in India to make cleaner, durable, and healthier versions of plastics. The Coconut is the main ingredient in these plastics, Coconut in Sanskrit(language that originated in India) is "kalpa vriksha" and its meaning is," The tree which provides all the necessities of life". My Plan is to experiment with different proportions of ingredients and see which bioplastics design has almost all the characteristics I want in it. The coconut will be the constant variable in all the plastic designs and variations will occur in amounts. Certain characteristics that I aim for is taste, durability, nutrient level, biodegradability, and etc. I also want to design certain day to day items with these plastics like cups, spoons, and etc. I will use clay molds and steel/copper items to form the plastics in different items. Certain Requirement’s for this project are many testing results in different categories to identify certain characteristics I want in these bioplastics and the careful measuring of certain ingredients. 

Athletes all over the world suffer with constant knee pains. This is a fact that is clear to all people whether it is affecting them directly or not. The knee braces that are being sold on the market today have not at all proved themselves effective in preventing nor reducing injury. If a brace is not suiting its purpose then what is the reasoning for wearing it at all? We intend on engineering a brace, using advanced methods and combining multiple different braces to both reduce and prevent injuries from occurring on the field of play for all athletes regardless of sport and their level of play. 

Project Design:
 

The initial plan is to take a “DDS kneetrac” counterpart and add on to it using specific points and pieces to further relieve pressure as the user sees fit. Using rubber stops inside the brace located directly on active pressure points that are intended to relieve pressure of and around the knee. This will hopefully be an effective addition to the brace. In addition, we plan to make this brace much more personalized to each user as this has been a problem we have seen throughout numerous we have personally used as well as our teammates and peers have told us about. This will happen by taking measurements of the knee, knee cap as well as the lower portion of the thigh and upper area of the shin. This will prove to be a great improvement to the base model as it will be able to adjust and comfort correct areas without bringing any other strain to surrounding areas.
The initial plan is to take a “DDS kneetrac” counterpart and add on to it using specific points and pieces to further relieve pressure as the user sees fit. Using rubber stops inside the brace located directly on active pressure points that are intended to relieve pressure of and around the knee. This will hopefully be an effective addition to the brace. In addition, we plan to make this brace much more personalized to each user as this has been a problem we have seen throughout numerous we have personally used as well as our teammates and peers have told us about. This will happen by taking measurements of the knee, knee cap as well as the lower portion of the thigh and upper area of the shin. This will prove to be a great improvement to the base model as it will be able to adjust and comfort correct areas without bringing any other strain to surrounding areas.

into a vector. The second step is to cut that piece of DNA with a restriction 

enzyme and then ligate the DNA insert into the vector with DNA Ligase. The insert contains a selectable marker which allows for identification of recombinant molecules. An antibiotic marker is often used so a host cell without a vector dies when exposed to a certain antibiotic, and the host with the vector will live because it is resistant. The vector is inserted into a host cell, in a process called transformation. One 

example of a possible host cell is E. Coli. The host cells must be specially 

prepared to take up the foreign DNA. 

Planes suffer from the same problem throughout flight, inefficient wings and problems with instability on the wing will cause planes to bank or tilt. Our research project would be on how can we optimize wing design and fuel usage. If we modify the sweep and dihedral on an amateur RC plane, we would first build a catapult to launch the plane from. It would be more like a ramp, so we could have a controlled takeoff speed and distance.  We would first build the fuselage of the plane, inside the fuselage. It would be consisted of an ESC, receiver, battery, VTX, camera, and wiring connections. After everything is done with the fuselage, we would already have a laser cut wing structure support, made out of plywood. We would layout the structure support, and have a piece of horizontal piece of wood as wing support. We would hot glue or glue on foam boards onto the structure support. Then we would put a piece of carbon tube or steel beam in the middle of the fuselage, and we will insert the wings onto the fuselage. We would insert aileron with channel 1, elevator would be inserted with channel 2, throttle would be inserted on channel 3 and rudder on channel 4. We would run 5v from channel 2 and we could power our FPV system from receiver with 5v. Then we would launch the plane from a controlled distance like 10 or 15 meters. Then we would make a maiden flight with the wings. We would try out different wing designs and record down the data. After this, we would come to conclusion and share our data.    

Hypothesis: 
When we compare the reactions to given sensory stimuli from a given person with Tactile Sensory Disorder and the response to sensory stimuli from someone without any sensory disorder, what sense related to the given stimulus would get the strongest reaction from the person with Tactile Sensory Disorder?

How can we help foreign countries that have dirty water with parasites and bacteria by making a product that will be both beneficial to the seller and the user this will also be faster than any device out there.

 Purpose:  

This product will help foreign countries who do not have clean water like us and this will help towns or villages obtain water and decrease the life loss because of dehydration. This product is going to be used for helping others in obtaining water without drinking the old and dirty water that could possibly kill you or make you sick. There is no guarantee that water from other countries have parasites or bacteria but this will help reduce the people getting sick due to this common factors in dirty water.

How we will make this is with:

Design plan: the product will be exactly like a normal flashlight so that of course be comfortable for people to hold it. 

In this experiment, Fusion 360 will be used to design the desired product, “The Flock”. The barrier, which will then be known as the “sheep”, will be scaled down and designed in Fusion 360, with the same proportions as the original barriers used for the “Road Zipper”. There will be an angled indent in the barrier to act as a track for the wheels to go along in the machine. The machine itself, which will be referred to as the “shepherd” will take the form of a rectangular prism, similar to a bus. The shepherd on Fusion 360 will include all outside features, such as headlights, taillights, a stop button, the conveyor-like track, the guidance wheels (on the track), and the normal wheels to roll and hold the shepherd on the road. The inside features will not be designed, for there are multiple engines, lane assist sensors, speed sensors, etc., and therefore creates no need to model what will just be inserted. After the sheep and shepard are completed, they will then become an assembly, adding a long line of sheep with the barrier on top of one section. Along with specific joints, there will be feature limits and constraints to show how each component will work with the others. Once finished, the design will then be animated to show the movement and function of the Flock when used on the road. To then finalize everything, the Flock will be 3D printed as a model of the product. 
*The product name of "The Flock" is just a filler name- we are still working on it.

According to the United Nations, in 2019, 785 million people around the world will not have access to a purified water source. Of that 785 million, 80,000 children under five years of age, will die due to contaminants in untreated water.  To help combat this situation, we decided to create a water filter. Our project is called Project HIP to Hydrate Impoverished People. 

The goal is to design and develop a cost-effective, safe, sustainable, user-friendly water filtration system that can harness enough solar energy to power an effective ultra-violet (UV) sterilizer.  Harnessed solar energy will also recurrently charge a small battery stored in the unit that powers a detachable light source. 

Two components of the project we want to readily pursue are the production/developmental process and the experimentation process. Initially, we will start with pencil sketches, progress to an Autodesk Fusion 360 Model, then fabricate a 3D print prototype that we can manufacture. The product will be tested using technologies that determine the particles per million and the presence of microorganisms, inorganic and organic chemicals harmful to the body in the water before and after it goes through our filtration process. 

Question:Which type of homemade fertilizer from the following (river water containing fish, cooking water, sea salt, compost, and ashes) will grow a lettuce, radish, and onion plant the fastest in height (cm)?

Experimental Design:

To conduct our experiment we will first plant our three types of plants lettuce radish and onion, in our designated area for testing, one of our yards that will have the same amount of exposure to sunlight and other natural effects. We will have five of each plant because we are testing the growth with five different soils, and we are testing on three different plants because we want to see if there is a pattern to also help determine if the results are accurate.after we plant our plants we will start making our soils. We will have a constant which will be some of the uncontaminated soil that we will start with. We will make one soil that is made with sea salt. To make this soil we will add 1 pound of sea salt into a bucket and we will then add in the store bought sack of soil, then we will mix thoroughly and plant the plants with that soil. We then will make another soil of ashes from burned wood. We will place the gathered ashes taking up a volume of 1 cubic foot and will mix thoroughly with the store bought soil.  Justin lives by riverwalk lake and will collect 1 pound of river water from the river and we will put the soil in a water drainer and will run the water through the soil to keep the minerals and other items but not the water and mix the soil to evenly distribute the minerals and other items throughout the soil. The last soil that we will make is a compost  we will add and compostable food item to the store bought soil and we will let it decompose for a month because our soil size will be small and when the compost is done we will plant our plants( we have started making the compost already). After planting the plants we will take measurements of the plants height and width. We will also note the color differences that we will observe during the experiment.

 

How can a portable, self-powered water filtration system for the purpose of reducing metallic

contaminants, bacterial contaminants, and viral contaminants in drinking water be made more

efficient, economically advantageous, and ready to be sold to the common consumer?

A portable, self-powered water filtration system for the purpose of reducing metallic

contaminants, bacterial contaminants, and viral contaminants in drinking water can be made more efficient, economically advantageous, and ready to be sold to the common consumer by allowing water pressure to independently power all electronic components with the use of inline hydroelectric turbine generators. 

The system must:

1. Use an in-line filter system that can be used for existing and new installations.

2. The system must be powered by the water pressure alone and will not need an

electrical power source.

3. Remove unwanted ionic contaminants, such as Chlorine, Boron, etc.

4. Remove organic contaminants, such as Methylene chloride, Xylene, etc.

5. Remove Bacterial and viral contaminants, such as Arsenic, Cyanide, etc.

How does a digital learning world compare to a physical paper test in learning retention and capabilities in different age groups?

We will be experimenting in Highland Elementary School, using classes of kindergarteners, 4th, and 5th graders, as these are the grade levels of the classes willing to participate in this experiment. In the Highland computer lab, 1 copy of Minecraft will be downloaded onto 15 of the school’s computers via copying files from a flash drive, which holds the game. Each copy will have a preset world made to minimize the amount of distraction that could possibly happen in the game to make it a controlled environment. The participating children will be split into two groups- one group will be taught concepts using the traditional paper, pen, and listening to teacher instruction method, and the other will be taught concepts using the controlled environment world in Minecraft, using builds as interactive models, but still with some teacher instruction. Both groups will be taught the same material, though used in different terms with how Minecraft connects its in-game items with the real world. Specifically, we will be teaching our virtual environment test subjects how to make use of “Redstone” in Minecraft to wire a semi-automatic mechanism, and the traditional environment test subjects will learn the basics of circuitry by lecture, paper and pencil. Both groups will learn their respective material within a certain amount of time, then will be walked through how to build their respective models used in their class. Then, we will leave them for a few days to “cool off” on their subjects, then all students will take the same test that overall reviews the concepts that they’ve learned, using common terms that both the digital environment and traditional environment students can understand, so we can measure the retention of concepts we have taught them. The final results between groups will be based on their accuracy of their final test, as that will show how much they have retained.

 

Our product will be made of a glass sphere with a flat bottom, which will include bioluminescent bacteria on the inside. The sphere will include a piece that can detach for maintenance of the bacteria. This panel will be located at the back of the sphere. We plan to gather these materials from the local hardware store, and bioluminescent bacteria will be from a medical devices website, called BioRad. The bioluminescent bacteria will be from an experiment kit, we will perform the experiment and use the made bioluminescent bacteria in our project. Society and people with no electrical power need our product because they will be able to have a light source without the use of electricity and the problem of light pollution will be reduced.

Requirements (at least 5):

Ability to be left unmonitored and still function

Glows bright enough to be able to function as a regular lamp

Must be child-friendly

Must not spread the e. Coli bacteria

Must use bioluminescence in the lamp

Cannot be connected to any power source

Cannot use any form of artificial light

Must use glass to enclose bacteria

Must be a heat-resistant container 

Container must be clear

Must contain a removable piece for maintenance

Hypothesis: Although reducing, reusing, and recycling are efficient methods in reducing waste, my hypothesis is that composting will be the most efficient by reducing the most waste weight due to the fact that most of our waste consists of food waste.

Design: A group of twenty participants will be participating to experiment how realistically efficient well-known and simple zero-waste methods are in the daily life of a student. My four methods of reducing waste include recycling, composting, not using plastics, and using reusable alternatives. Five participants will be assigned to each method to implement into their daily lives for four weeks. Five participants would provide more accurate averaged data as opposed to only one person per method. For the first week, the participants will collect their household waste as usual (excluding public and school waste) separately from possible other house members (family). They will start on a Tuesday and weigh their trash in on a scale on the next Monday night at 9pm. The next four weeks will include the participants implementing their methods into their everyday life under a list of guidelines. Recycling involves recycling plastic bottles, glass bottles, cans, cardboard, and paper. Composting involves keeping organic food waste in a container in the freezer until waste management comes to pick it up on the green waste bin. Not using plastics involves not using plastic single-use items like plastic straws, utensils, cups, bottles, Ziploc bags, grocery bags. Using reusable alternatives is similar but less strict. Participants can use plastic items occasionally but should be encouraged to use reusable items at home and in public, including reusable straws, utensils, cups, bottles, plates, rags, towels, containers, and tote bags. “Zero-waste kits” will be given to the participants of the no plastics and reusable items methods with reusable items to help follow the guidelines of their methods. Every Monday at 9pm, they will weigh their household waste, excluding the waste they reduced, and record it on a participant data form. Pictures will also be taken on weighing days. After the data is sent to me, averages and reduction percentages will be calculated to track the reduction efficiency of the methods in the weight of their waste.

In this experiment, E. Coli K12 and E. Coli B will be swabbed separately 12 times on a petri dish with pre-applied agar on 10 petri dishes. The petri dishes that are swabbed will be incubated at approximately 97 degrees Fahrenheit, for two days. After two days, the bacteria colonies will be counted by using the quadrants solution, and this data will be the control of these plates. Colonies from the 20 petri dishes will be counted and recorded. After, 20 different hand sanitizers from Bath & Body Works will be applied to the petri dishes by 6 drops placed randomly onto the plate per plate. The hand sanitizer will be spread evenly on the dishes without interfering with the bacteria colonies, and the plates will be incubated at the same temperature, 97 degrees Fahrenheit for 2 days. Once the bacteria will hand sanitizer applied has been incubated, the plates will be observed for any growth to determine if the bacteria are dead or alive. Once data is recorded, the plates will be bleached for cleanliness purposes and be disposed accordingly.