Creative Engineering Design Cycle
For this project, our task was to research and solve a part of a major problem in our world today while using our knowledge in engineering. We followed the engineering design cycle to make finding a solution easier, and to answer more precisely with more detail. By having such a limited number of boundaries for this project,
really enabled our creative minds to think outside the box. After brainstorming ideas, our group decided to tackle the problem of the continuous deaths of coral reefs. Two requirements that had to be met were creating a prototype of our solution, and presenting our product to our classmates. We presented our project through a powerpoint and a short video. Some slides of our powerpoint, along with the video are seen below.
really enabled our creative minds to think outside the box. After brainstorming ideas, our group decided to tackle the problem of the continuous deaths of coral reefs. Two requirements that had to be met were creating a prototype of our solution, and presenting our product to our classmates. We presented our project through a powerpoint and a short video. Some slides of our powerpoint, along with the video are seen below.
Engineering Design Cycle: a series of steps that lead to the development of a new product or system. Here is how our group used the engineering design cycle to complete our project.
1). Identify the problem: After looking at some ideas of what world problems to solve, such as natural disasters, world hunger,and fossil fuel, our group then agreed upon the idea of saving coral reefs because it was unique and seemed interesting to research.
2). Research: Then we had to research to fully understand the essence of our our problem and how we should go about solving it. We explored multiple websites and jotted down notes so when it came to making our PowerPoint we would be well prepared with information.
3). Brainstorm Ideas: Based of our previous research on coral reefs, we brainstormed solutions on how we can decrease deaths among coral reefs, specifically The Great Barrier Reef.
4). Select a Solution: Our final solution was to build coral bleaching shades. We came up with this solution by seeing a similar idea on the Internet, but we wanted to better the design. The purpose of the shades is to block the harmful UV rays from the sun from bleaching the coral. Coral bleaching occurs when the zooxanthellae (coral bacteria) is expelled from the coral tissue which not only bleaches the coral, but also kills it. So these coral bleaching shades will solve a major contribution to the deaths of coral reefs.
5). Build Item: Next, we had to build our prototype. The materials my group decided to use are PVC pipes for the structure of the shade because they are cheap, won't rust, and are sturdy once filled with cement; umbrella-material for the canopy because it is waterproof and is known to block 77% of the sun's UV rays; and sturdy wires to further stabilize the structure.
6). Refine the Design: We refined our design by connecting the PVC pipes with pipe connectors, instead of just wire. We also decided to elevate our shade to resemble more of a tent, as opposed to an underwater shade. By doing this, it will prevent disturbance with the marine wildlife. Then we had the idea to put a neon ball at the top of our bleaching shade to warn off ships to not interfere with this area. We also had to take into consideration the color of our shade. We originally wanted the shade to be blue because that was the most material we had, but we then realized that with the yellow rays of the sun, mixing with the blue shade, would create a green color. The reason why this is a problem is because the green color would interfere with the photosynthesis of the plants living with the coral, which could harm the underwater environment. We then went with the color red because that was the only colored material we had enough of. Although, we suggest that white would be the best option because it will still block the UV rays and let in enough sunlight for the coral to live off of.
7). Communicate Results: Our group then communicated our design to the class and contacted a marine biology company in Australia that is highly involved in saving The Great Barrier Reef, along with all the other global reefs.
1). Identify the problem: After looking at some ideas of what world problems to solve, such as natural disasters, world hunger,and fossil fuel, our group then agreed upon the idea of saving coral reefs because it was unique and seemed interesting to research.
2). Research: Then we had to research to fully understand the essence of our our problem and how we should go about solving it. We explored multiple websites and jotted down notes so when it came to making our PowerPoint we would be well prepared with information.
3). Brainstorm Ideas: Based of our previous research on coral reefs, we brainstormed solutions on how we can decrease deaths among coral reefs, specifically The Great Barrier Reef.
4). Select a Solution: Our final solution was to build coral bleaching shades. We came up with this solution by seeing a similar idea on the Internet, but we wanted to better the design. The purpose of the shades is to block the harmful UV rays from the sun from bleaching the coral. Coral bleaching occurs when the zooxanthellae (coral bacteria) is expelled from the coral tissue which not only bleaches the coral, but also kills it. So these coral bleaching shades will solve a major contribution to the deaths of coral reefs.
5). Build Item: Next, we had to build our prototype. The materials my group decided to use are PVC pipes for the structure of the shade because they are cheap, won't rust, and are sturdy once filled with cement; umbrella-material for the canopy because it is waterproof and is known to block 77% of the sun's UV rays; and sturdy wires to further stabilize the structure.
6). Refine the Design: We refined our design by connecting the PVC pipes with pipe connectors, instead of just wire. We also decided to elevate our shade to resemble more of a tent, as opposed to an underwater shade. By doing this, it will prevent disturbance with the marine wildlife. Then we had the idea to put a neon ball at the top of our bleaching shade to warn off ships to not interfere with this area. We also had to take into consideration the color of our shade. We originally wanted the shade to be blue because that was the most material we had, but we then realized that with the yellow rays of the sun, mixing with the blue shade, would create a green color. The reason why this is a problem is because the green color would interfere with the photosynthesis of the plants living with the coral, which could harm the underwater environment. We then went with the color red because that was the only colored material we had enough of. Although, we suggest that white would be the best option because it will still block the UV rays and let in enough sunlight for the coral to live off of.
7). Communicate Results: Our group then communicated our design to the class and contacted a marine biology company in Australia that is highly involved in saving The Great Barrier Reef, along with all the other global reefs.
Reflection
I had a wonderful experience with this project. There were definitely some parts that went well and poorly, but overall it was a success. Two things that I thought went extremely well was one our effortless ability to work together, and two, the communication between the three of us made it easy to be on the same page. Two things that didn't seem to go our way were the difficulty of building our first prototype, and the numerous issues that arose and needed to be taken into consideration (such as the aspect of ocean waves and powerful costal winds). Throughout this project, I've learned a lot about myself and gained new skills to put into good use in the future. I have learned that it is definitely acceptable to mess up the first time, because science is all about fixing what was wrong before to further better your creation. I also learned that the majority of solving problems, is not the building aspect, but the research that goes into it. Two skills I have gain throughout this project are knowing what to research when solving an issue, and how to incorporate the engineering design cycle to future projects.
Despite the many useful tools I have come to grasp, there are still a few things that I could have done better and still need to work on. Such as accepting the fact that there are always going to be problems in your way, and that I need to improve on my attitude when problems do occur and stay positive for my group. As said before, there were pits and there were peaks during the process of the project. A specific example of a setback that occurred was trying to come up with a solution on how to make our coral bleaching shades withstand to Mother Nature. We realized there is no cheap solution, so we agreed that if a coral shade does happen to get destroyed, it would be easy and cheap to build another. An example of a peak we encountered was when we found out that because the sun is a moving point, the coral would still get enough sunlight during the sunrise and sunset hours because of the angle the sun is at compared to the shade. Because this project was so similar to what real engineers do, made it that much more enjoyable.
Recap
Peaks:
1. Great teamwork
2. Successful results of our product
Pits:
1. Trying to solve problems with Mother Nature
2. Difficulty building first prototype
Despite the many useful tools I have come to grasp, there are still a few things that I could have done better and still need to work on. Such as accepting the fact that there are always going to be problems in your way, and that I need to improve on my attitude when problems do occur and stay positive for my group. As said before, there were pits and there were peaks during the process of the project. A specific example of a setback that occurred was trying to come up with a solution on how to make our coral bleaching shades withstand to Mother Nature. We realized there is no cheap solution, so we agreed that if a coral shade does happen to get destroyed, it would be easy and cheap to build another. An example of a peak we encountered was when we found out that because the sun is a moving point, the coral would still get enough sunlight during the sunrise and sunset hours because of the angle the sun is at compared to the shade. Because this project was so similar to what real engineers do, made it that much more enjoyable.
Recap
Peaks:
1. Great teamwork
2. Successful results of our product
Pits:
1. Trying to solve problems with Mother Nature
2. Difficulty building first prototype