Driving Question: How can we use biotechnology to solve a current issue in the world?
Description:
In this project, we were given a lot of freedom. We had to pick a world problem, and solve it using biotechnology. We had to develop a product to address that problem. After looking into a variety of issues facing our world today, including Energy, Ocean Pollution, & Climate Change, my group decided to focus on malnutrition and world hunger. All over the world people are dying due to malnutrition, thousands a day. This problem is still growing. Our solution, is to construct sealed biodomes all over Northern Africa and the Middle East for local communities to run farms in. Inside our dome we will various plants growing, a pond to provide water, and willow trees in the center. Our dome will have airlock doors in order to keep it sealed. A pump will be used to fill and empty the pond. Solar panels will power the airlock and pump.
The first step in this plan is to build a full pilot dome in the SF Bay Area to gain additional funding and conduct testing. After certification and fundraising, materials will begin to ship to third-world communities in need of more food and nutritional supplements.
Content:
Biotechnology - The utilization of organic materials in manufacturing or testing
Malnutrition - Lack of proper minerals and nutrients caused by poor food sources
Crop Rotation - The process of varying crops in a field for the purpose of actively replenishing nutrients in the soil
Photosynthesis - The process of using sunlight to create energy
Evaporation - The process of changing state from liquid to gas
Biodome- A form of controlled, self-sufficient eco-system that closely replicates the natural outdoor environment.
Engineering Design Cycle - A series of steps used to find the most thorough solution to a problem.
1. Define the Problem
2. Do Background Research
3. Specify Requirements
4. Brainstorm, Evaluate, & Choose Solutions
5. Develop and Prototype Solution
6. Test Solution
7. Repeat 4-6 as Needed
8. Communicate Results
Description:
In this project, we were given a lot of freedom. We had to pick a world problem, and solve it using biotechnology. We had to develop a product to address that problem. After looking into a variety of issues facing our world today, including Energy, Ocean Pollution, & Climate Change, my group decided to focus on malnutrition and world hunger. All over the world people are dying due to malnutrition, thousands a day. This problem is still growing. Our solution, is to construct sealed biodomes all over Northern Africa and the Middle East for local communities to run farms in. Inside our dome we will various plants growing, a pond to provide water, and willow trees in the center. Our dome will have airlock doors in order to keep it sealed. A pump will be used to fill and empty the pond. Solar panels will power the airlock and pump.
The first step in this plan is to build a full pilot dome in the SF Bay Area to gain additional funding and conduct testing. After certification and fundraising, materials will begin to ship to third-world communities in need of more food and nutritional supplements.
Content:
Biotechnology - The utilization of organic materials in manufacturing or testing
Malnutrition - Lack of proper minerals and nutrients caused by poor food sources
Crop Rotation - The process of varying crops in a field for the purpose of actively replenishing nutrients in the soil
Photosynthesis - The process of using sunlight to create energy
Evaporation - The process of changing state from liquid to gas
Biodome- A form of controlled, self-sufficient eco-system that closely replicates the natural outdoor environment.
Engineering Design Cycle - A series of steps used to find the most thorough solution to a problem.
1. Define the Problem
2. Do Background Research
3. Specify Requirements
4. Brainstorm, Evaluate, & Choose Solutions
5. Develop and Prototype Solution
6. Test Solution
7. Repeat 4-6 as Needed
8. Communicate Results
Reflection:
This project was a huge success to me! We had our ups and downs but it turned out awesome in the end and that is all that matters. Our group worked exceptionally well together and we all seemed to enjoy each other’s company. We were a very productive group, taking full advantage of our time in class. This group has taught me the most from all my previous ones. Two things I need to improve on is the effort I put into the group and leadership. This group would always point out when I needed to be helpful and pitch in a lot more and I really think that helps. I need to focus on staying in my group and on topic rather than lingering around with my friends in other groups. Next year I want to be more engaged and willing because I realized it was disrespectful to my group members and not helping me learn when I was off task. Next year I also want to work on my leadership skills because I need to improve them. Two things I thought I did very well with this group was throwing out new ideas and helping with the whole layout of our project. This project forced you to think outside the box which I loved. During this project I challenged myself to stay off my phone and I thought I did a really good job of that. This was by far my favorite project all year because we had so much freedom and choices, I really enjoyed it. Overall I would love to do this project again in the future when I am more mature and can have different ideas!