Solve a World Problem

Evidence of Work

My group and I chose to tackle the problem of clean water, or lack thereof unfortunately, in certain areas of the world. Our target areas include rural India, Africa, etc. In these areas, the main problem is simply the lack of purification methods.

Our project had to be of reasonable size, easy to build, and cost effective. The makeshift filter most definitely was all of the above. In the footprint of about a liter, we built a filter that visibly made the dirtiest water we could find, cleaner.

Content

• Identify Problem

  • Filters hard to make

  • Filters rare in villages

• Brainstorm Solutions

  • Sell filters to villages in exchange for goods

  • Airdrop affordable filters

  • Our choice: design a filter that is cheap and easy to make

• Plan a Solution

  • Use materials such as:

    • Coffee filters

    • Sand

    • Gravel

    • Charcoal

• Create a Prototype

  • Our initial prototype used only sand and coffee filters

• Improve the Original Design

  • While modifying our design, we:

    • Added layers

    • Changed materials

    • Changed placement of layers

Reflection

Over the course of this project, once again, I saw some of my strengths and weaknesses. For instance, I noticed that I have good Critical Thinking skills, shown when we had to analyze evidence and decide what to change in our project. I also noticed my own proficiency as a Collaborator, pitching in many ideas to move our team forward.

However, some of my weak points were also brought to my attention. I noticed that I need some improvements to my Conscientious Learner skills. I did not plan out my time too well. Also, a less serious weak point of mine would be Communication skills. This wasn't something that held our group back, but it certainly was something that kept us from moving forward quicker.