Introduction:
This project was about using your knowledge of biotechnology that you learned during the school year to take a step in solving a world problem. The purpose of assigning this was to help students of the STEM program assess their knowledge and use it to help take that first step in finding solutions for the growing problems in this world. Though it may seem like a difficult and nearly impossible task for someone of our age level, it teaches us to think and be aware of whats happening and most importantly, not be afraid to voice possible solutions. One of the STEM programs most important missions is to create educated leaders for the next generation and there is no better way to do so by allowing us to face the toughest problems of the world at a young age.
For this assignment, we focused on water filtration and devised a cheap and effective way to purify water. We then pitched the idea to a classroom full of STEM students, suggested ways to market the product to developing countries, and lastly possible future goals and breakthroughs if we got funding, investment, and attention. Our final result was two different prototypes (both of little cost) and a presentation explaining the whole project.
For this assignment, we focused on water filtration and devised a cheap and effective way to purify water. We then pitched the idea to a classroom full of STEM students, suggested ways to market the product to developing countries, and lastly possible future goals and breakthroughs if we got funding, investment, and attention. Our final result was two different prototypes (both of little cost) and a presentation explaining the whole project.
Content:
Water Filtration - Removes impurities with biological process, chemical process, or physical barrier. In this case, we used dirt/sand, charcoal, coffee filters, and a rubber band as a physical barrier for water filtration.
Water Quality - The biological, physical, chemical characteristics of water relative to requirements of human need. In this case, we are measuring the water quality of the final product of each filtration device.
Filtration Device - A pressure gradient generated across a filter separates solids from liquids. An example of a filtration device is the two variations of water filters that we made that can filter dirty water into clean water.
Water Crisis - Lack of water resource needed to reach the demands of water usage of a population. In other words, you could compare this to the limiting factors that we talked about in class. Water is a Density dependent and limiting factor because there is only so much of it and it depends on the amount of people in the area (population). It has a carrying capacity of the population and a water crisis is when it doesn't meet that carrying capacity.
Engineering Design Cycle - The Engineering Design Process is shown on diagram 8, where you first ask and research about your project and then develop and test it. Once you receive enough feedback, you improve the product as much as you can.
Membrane Filtration - a semi-permeable membrane that separates substances when a force is applied. This was not shown in our project, but is another example of filtration that we could've used with more materials.
Disinfection - The process of cleaning something to destroy bacteria. This was not in our project, but is a possible way to filter water.
Plastic Bottle - The plastic bottle is the main attraction of the dirt/sand and charcoal filter. It is the base where all of the other materials come together and the most expensive part of the prototype, racking up at a full dollar. It is necessary to have the plastic bottle in the model because the bottle is cut in half and the half containing the cap is put inside the other creating the filtration part and the cap is removed.
Rubber Band - The rubber band is there to keep the coffee filter stable and makes sure that it does not fall. You can usually buy rubber bands in bulk (500 for 5 dollars). In order to set this up, you would need to use the rubber band to attach the coffee filter to the cap opening (where the cap is supposed to be). This is required for the filters because if the coffee filter is not held up and attached, it will fall down and the water will not be able to transfer to the bottom correctly and will end up being dirty.
Coffee Filter - The coffee filters role is to keep the dirt out and let the water pass through. You could almost think of it as a mini-strainer. The water is let through, but the dirt is not falling though because it contains bits of solid. You can buy coffee filters in bulk (usually 600 for 10). This was an essential part of the filter because it is the final step to separate the water from the smallest bits of dirt. In diagram 7, you can see a cloth substituting for the coffee filter. In order to bridge that gap between the filtration system and the water, a substitute like a cloth or coffee filter is attached so only a little water is let out at a time.
Rocks - The rocks serve as filters for large impurities in the water. This can be looked at as the first test for the water filtration system. In order to filter completely, the water has to go through two tests. A similar variation to this is shown in diagram 7. Although it contains more items than our prototypes, it still follows the same process and hierarchy. The largest materials are at the top to filter the big impurities while the filters get smaller as the water goes down.
Dirt/Sand - The dirt/sand could be called the last test that the water goes through because it serves as a filter for the smaller impurities. Once the water has been filtered through the rocks and all of the large impurities have been taken out, the water moves onto Level 2: the dirt/sand. In this level, the water gets filtered through dirt or sand because these small materials are perfect for trapping small impurities in the water. The coffee filter works with the dirt to trap the small impurities and make the water as clean as possible.
Charcoal - The material charcoal can be put to use in both level 1 and 2. This is used in the second and more efficient variation of our water filter. If the charcoal is kept to its original state (solid) it can be used as a substitute for rocks. Because it has a large mass and is mostly solid, it can serve for filtering the large impurities as well. Additionally, crushed and powdered charcoal can help as a replacement of the dirt or sand because its crushed solid texture can trap the small impurities as well and in fact better than the dirt or sand.
Dirt/Sand Filter - The Dirt/Sand Filter is the more accessible but less effective version that Clean Cost is trying to advertise to the public. Containing dirt or sand, 2 coffee filters, 1 rubber band, and 1 rubber bottle you can filter clean water!
Charcoal Filter - The Charcoal Filter is the less accessible but more effective version that Clean Cost is trying to advertise to the public. Containing charcoal, 2 coffee filters, 1 rubber band, and 1 rubber bottle you can filter clean water!
Water Quality - The biological, physical, chemical characteristics of water relative to requirements of human need. In this case, we are measuring the water quality of the final product of each filtration device.
Filtration Device - A pressure gradient generated across a filter separates solids from liquids. An example of a filtration device is the two variations of water filters that we made that can filter dirty water into clean water.
Water Crisis - Lack of water resource needed to reach the demands of water usage of a population. In other words, you could compare this to the limiting factors that we talked about in class. Water is a Density dependent and limiting factor because there is only so much of it and it depends on the amount of people in the area (population). It has a carrying capacity of the population and a water crisis is when it doesn't meet that carrying capacity.
Engineering Design Cycle - The Engineering Design Process is shown on diagram 8, where you first ask and research about your project and then develop and test it. Once you receive enough feedback, you improve the product as much as you can.
Membrane Filtration - a semi-permeable membrane that separates substances when a force is applied. This was not shown in our project, but is another example of filtration that we could've used with more materials.
Disinfection - The process of cleaning something to destroy bacteria. This was not in our project, but is a possible way to filter water.
Plastic Bottle - The plastic bottle is the main attraction of the dirt/sand and charcoal filter. It is the base where all of the other materials come together and the most expensive part of the prototype, racking up at a full dollar. It is necessary to have the plastic bottle in the model because the bottle is cut in half and the half containing the cap is put inside the other creating the filtration part and the cap is removed.
Rubber Band - The rubber band is there to keep the coffee filter stable and makes sure that it does not fall. You can usually buy rubber bands in bulk (500 for 5 dollars). In order to set this up, you would need to use the rubber band to attach the coffee filter to the cap opening (where the cap is supposed to be). This is required for the filters because if the coffee filter is not held up and attached, it will fall down and the water will not be able to transfer to the bottom correctly and will end up being dirty.
Coffee Filter - The coffee filters role is to keep the dirt out and let the water pass through. You could almost think of it as a mini-strainer. The water is let through, but the dirt is not falling though because it contains bits of solid. You can buy coffee filters in bulk (usually 600 for 10). This was an essential part of the filter because it is the final step to separate the water from the smallest bits of dirt. In diagram 7, you can see a cloth substituting for the coffee filter. In order to bridge that gap between the filtration system and the water, a substitute like a cloth or coffee filter is attached so only a little water is let out at a time.
Rocks - The rocks serve as filters for large impurities in the water. This can be looked at as the first test for the water filtration system. In order to filter completely, the water has to go through two tests. A similar variation to this is shown in diagram 7. Although it contains more items than our prototypes, it still follows the same process and hierarchy. The largest materials are at the top to filter the big impurities while the filters get smaller as the water goes down.
Dirt/Sand - The dirt/sand could be called the last test that the water goes through because it serves as a filter for the smaller impurities. Once the water has been filtered through the rocks and all of the large impurities have been taken out, the water moves onto Level 2: the dirt/sand. In this level, the water gets filtered through dirt or sand because these small materials are perfect for trapping small impurities in the water. The coffee filter works with the dirt to trap the small impurities and make the water as clean as possible.
Charcoal - The material charcoal can be put to use in both level 1 and 2. This is used in the second and more efficient variation of our water filter. If the charcoal is kept to its original state (solid) it can be used as a substitute for rocks. Because it has a large mass and is mostly solid, it can serve for filtering the large impurities as well. Additionally, crushed and powdered charcoal can help as a replacement of the dirt or sand because its crushed solid texture can trap the small impurities as well and in fact better than the dirt or sand.
Dirt/Sand Filter - The Dirt/Sand Filter is the more accessible but less effective version that Clean Cost is trying to advertise to the public. Containing dirt or sand, 2 coffee filters, 1 rubber band, and 1 rubber bottle you can filter clean water!
Charcoal Filter - The Charcoal Filter is the less accessible but more effective version that Clean Cost is trying to advertise to the public. Containing charcoal, 2 coffee filters, 1 rubber band, and 1 rubber bottle you can filter clean water!
Reflection:
I personally felt like this project was a huge success. We started off with discussing world problems we were interested in and from there created a solution to one specifically: water cleanliness. I think that although the beginning of the project was very rough and disorganized, towards the end of the project we got much more focused on a vision and were able to achieve it. One skill I gained was leading the group. Although the beginning was messy, I was able to pick my group and I up to the level we needed to be and deliver a great presentation. Another skill I feel like I gained was finding and maximizing my strengths. I have always been fond of web design, art, and slide organization. Because of this and my ability to identify my interests, I focused primarily on the slideshow and created a website with logos and pictures of our product! This made our presentation look much better and more professional than it did before.
However, with everything that I did well I also did not succeed in some areas. One thing I could improve on in projects from now on is time management. During this project, we were very late in creating our presentation due to other tests and projects happening in other classes. Because of this, I wasn't able to lead for the full time which I accept full responsibility for. Another thing I could improve on is being more confident in myself and the decisions I make during a project. Sometimes during projects, I tend to silence my ideas because I am afraid that they will come off the wrong way. Now, I have learned that silencing your ideas is never worth it and you should be confident in your decisions because the more confident you are in yourself, the more confident others are in you.
We did not experience specific peaks and pits during this project but we were having a pit during the middle of the project where the work was not getting done correctly and we turned it to a peak by working extremely hard on everything that we had left. During Stage 4 and 5, we were at a very low pit because we were not answering the prompts correctly. However, during the presentation we had a peak because we put together a very organized slideshow.
However, with everything that I did well I also did not succeed in some areas. One thing I could improve on in projects from now on is time management. During this project, we were very late in creating our presentation due to other tests and projects happening in other classes. Because of this, I wasn't able to lead for the full time which I accept full responsibility for. Another thing I could improve on is being more confident in myself and the decisions I make during a project. Sometimes during projects, I tend to silence my ideas because I am afraid that they will come off the wrong way. Now, I have learned that silencing your ideas is never worth it and you should be confident in your decisions because the more confident you are in yourself, the more confident others are in you.
We did not experience specific peaks and pits during this project but we were having a pit during the middle of the project where the work was not getting done correctly and we turned it to a peak by working extremely hard on everything that we had left. During Stage 4 and 5, we were at a very low pit because we were not answering the prompts correctly. However, during the presentation we had a peak because we put together a very organized slideshow.