WH GCE Portfolio

In this final unit of our STEAM class, Biomimicry, we learned about how to look at decomposers such as fungi and worms for inspiration for improving a product. The purpose of this Action Project was to draw inspiration from nature to create a closed-loop system for a product that people use in their daily lives. Below is my slideshow on the topic. In conclusion, this project was an interesting and challenging project. I learned that we make far more waste in our daily lives than we probably think we do, and that we need to be careful with how much we consume and waste.

For the second unit of my Biomimicry class, Like an Animal, we learned more about how we can use the processes, forms, and behaviors of animals through biomicry. In this Action Project, we learned about how we can take the form, process, or ecosystem of an animal and incorporate it into design. We had to take the aspects of an animal, and apply it to a structural design, and to a transport design. The animal species that I chose for a structural design was the African mound-building termite, Macrotermes jeanneli , as seen below. These termites live mainly within grasslands and savannas. Termites create unique mounds with unique ventilation systems that work very well, to act as a lung for the nest that is located beneath the mound. Thin outer channels of the mound heat up rapidly during the day when compared to the deeper tunnels in the mound, which causes air to circulate in a closed-loop convection cell. During the day, air moves up along the outer channels and down the center...

For our first unit of our winter STEAM class called Biomimicry, we learned about how to apply nature to human design. For the FE that we went on this unit, we went to a flooring company called Interface, that uses environmentally-friendly carpeting which is inspired by nature. There, we learned about sustainability and a little bit about how to run a business. For this Action Project, we were tasked with researching a plant, then figuring out how we could use that plant's specific attributes and apply them to human design. Below is my slideshow, which is on the Saguaro Cactus. In conclusion, I thought that this project was an interesting idea. I'm proud of my idea that I came up with, although it is quite obscure compared to my original plant inspiration. It's an interesting idea that could benefit many people. The most difficult part of this project was probably finding research for my idea. I eventually had to turn to government articles and research papers for idea...