Our team’s grand challenge is investigating and comparing indoor and outdoor air quality in reference to particulate matter. Since PM particles are microscopic, they can be easily inhaled and can cause severe respiratory problems and heart malfunctions that can lead to death. Consequently, we decided to collect and analyze the air quality present and surrounding
In 2017, 348 million metric tons, which is equivalent to the weight of 1,051 Empire State Buildings, of plastic were produced worldwide (PlasticsEurope). The most broad solution to the plastic problem is recycling. In our project, we try to attempt a more profitable and effective solution to help reuse the plastics from the ocean. 3D
Parallax seeks to be a learning experience that combines traditional teaching methods with virtual reality supplements to enhance student understanding of traditionally taught astronomy concepts. Lecture order and content is based upon the California Department of Education’s standards for 8th graders’ knowledge of astronomy. Lectures are followed by virtual reality sessions which aim to grant
We have conducted an experiment that directly compares the growth of alfalfa plants in Terran soil, No Nutrient sand, and Martian soil, both with and without the presence of inoculant. These six soil types were given a few weeks to grow and then were harvested to be analyzed. An R program was written to analyze
Our grand challenge is to solve the problem of microplastic pollution in the ocean. We sought to find an efficient method to identify microplastics in natural seawater samples as current sampling methods are costly and time-consuming. Fluorescence spectroscopy was explored and showed promising results as a quick way to differentiate between and identify specific plastic
30-50% of foster parents leave the program within a year (Gibbs). This unfortunate trend can be seen across the country, and it is largely due to lack of appropriate training among foster parents (Newton). This lack of training is what prompted our project, designed to promote accessible and quality education to foster parents anywhere. For
Our project aims to reduce the number of fatal car accidents caused by drunk driving. To do this, we created a simulation that detects whether a person is driving safely or unsafely based on changes in vehicle-based driving measures. We found that this simulation could be implemented into a car’s CAN bus system in the
This team began their project in their Freshmen Foundations Course of the Grand Challenges Initiative in Fall 2017. At the time, the team was made up of students majoring in biological sciences and biochemistry who had never written a line of code. By the end of their experience, they had learned how to create a
As our students put the final touches on this year’s posters, let’s take a look back at the work done by last year’s cohort. First up, a team who took on the grand challenge of providing clean water to the world. Take a look at their poster below! CleanWaterPoster.pdf