In this project, we were assigned to design the new science building for San Marin High School. The topics we learned a lot about were the Earth's layers, solar angles, the solar system, day lighting techniques, how electricity can be produced, and atomic structure. Some of the steps we went through to complete the final part of our project, were a lot of mini projects about our lessons we had in class. We had to create a model of our solar system, design a day lighting model, learn about atomic structures, and create a class justification document that was about why we would want to reduce the amount of electricity we use and how electricity is produced. After all of these mini projects, my group and I had a greater understanding of the earth and how to produce a well thought out design for a final product.
Earth's Layers:
The first section we covered in class was the Earth's layers. The main thing we learned was that no one actually knows what the Earth looks like beyond our crust, but we have an idea of what it may look like. We had a lesson about earthquakes and how seismographs showed us that the Earth has a solid core in the center. We also covered the Richter Scale and how it works. The Earth's crust is about 4,000 miles from the solid core, 700 miles from the mantle, and 3,200 miles from the outer core, which is liquid. Many scientists have tried to dig down into the Earth, and through the layers, but have never been able to go down past 7.5 miles. This expedition was carried out by Russian scientists, and it took them about 20 years to complete before they ended their experiments.
Model of Orbits:
The first thing we covered in this project was universal gravitation, that covered tangential velocity. Tangential velocity is the velocity of an object turning, so this was helpful when learning about orbiting. We also learned about satellite motion which explains why satellites do not just fall into what they are orbiting, how they are launched, and how they orbit something. For this, we were instructed to draw a model of our solar system any way we wanted, then our teacher continued to keep asking us to redesign our model to make it more specific each time, until it was much more detailed than the original model we made. Every time we added a new part to our model, we used a different color so we could see our progress. The third part of this lesson was choosing a phenomena using three or more factors of space from a NASA link about our solar system and planets. The four planets we used as factors with my group and I were the Sun, Earth, Mars, and Jupiter, because they are all different sizes and in different places in the solar system. We used the equation, F= G (m1m2)/ r^2, for the phenomena, and after we solved it, we presented it to our class in our groups.
Day Lighting Model:
Before my group and I created our model, we learned about different solar angles. We were also given a packet that showed us different kinds of lighting techniques that we could include in our design. We spent about two weeks building our model, which was a 1,000 ft^2 home. We used all of the natural lighting techniques we learned about in our model. We included a light shelf, two solar tubes, a skylight, and a clerestory window. The materials we used to build our model were plastic cups, PVC tubes, hot glue, cardboard, and white paper for a reflective ceiling, The last part of our project was to shine a light bulb that represented the sun at different times of the day from different angles over our model. We collected data by estimating how much light was being shined in each room of the model with percentages. We took this data and wrote a CLEAR paragraph explaining what the most effective time of day was, and which lighting techniques worked the most efficiently. This lab helped my group and I experiment which day lighting technique worked the best and most consistently. We used this knowledge in the final project, and we were able to include some of the day lighting techniques in our STEM building design.
Atomic Structure:
In this section of the project, we took notes on atoms, molecules, heat, and subatomic particles. Our class learned that atoms are extremely small, and that humans don't exactly know what they look like, although we have some ideas of what they could look like. We learned that molecules are two or more atoms bonded together. Next, we took notes about heat and molecules. We also talked about how heat is a form of energy, and that all heat is due to the movement or the vibration of molecules.
Justification Document: The whole class wrote a justification document together. My group and I researched the pros and cons of solar power and wind power, and how they both work. Here is the class document below.
Science Building:
The final part of this project was our STEM/science building design. Below, is my groups presentation we made. Our design includes two chemistry classrooms, two biology rooms, six regular science classrooms, a student center, a prep room, and bathrooms. Each classroom had certain requirements and specific aspects the teachers wanted to have. Our design included day lighting techniques, such as clerestories, solar tubes, LED lights, and windows. The last step in this project was to present our design ideas to a panel of architects who will actually be designing and building our new science building.
Reflection:
Overall, I feel this project wasn't one of my bests, although I still enjoyed it. One of the things I need to work on is cooperation. I didn't communicate with group as much as I should have, and I could've done more on the project. Another thing I need to work on is my work ethic and productivity. I feel there were more days where I didn't do much on the project than there were days where I accomplished a lot.