Solve a World Problem

Our Goal

Our goal for this project was to come up with a practical, long term solution for a problem that has been ruining lives all over the world. The problem we chose was vaping. My group and I had about a week and a half to come up with a presentation that explains what our world problem is, how it is affecting the world, how we can solve the problem, and the research we did to back it up. Vaping is an epidemic that has been spreading all over the world in teens and young adults. A solution to this problem is very needed because of the degree of severity. So, my group and I decided to make a device that would stop the use of all e-cigarettes at school.

Evidence of Work:

Our Process:

At the very start of the project, our whole class came together and brainstormed all the world problems we could think of. Then we wrote down three that sparked interest to us. After that we found people who had similar choices to our interest and that would be the people who we worked with. I ended up with two people who had the same topic as me, so we got started researching right away. We researched about why vaping was bad, the risks, how they are used, and basically everything we would need to know in order to find a solid solution. After finishing all our research, we brainstormed possible solutions, however with the current information we had, none of the solutions we were thinking of were doable. So, that night I went home and did extensive research to try and find a form of detection that would solve the problem in a safe way without causing problems. That's when I came across a video about photoelectric sensors. The video informed me that there were three different types of sensors, opposed, retro-reflective, and proximity sensing. I chose photoelectric retro-reflective sensors with polarized light because it was the most sensible for a high school bathroom setting. I printed out the information and brought it to share with my group the next day. After that we were on a roll and started working on our presentation. We made a physical model, a 3D model, and a slide show. After we finished the presentation we practiced presenting until the presentation day.

The you tube video and articles I read were:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QE25-TV1Nm0
• https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2019/02/vaping-rises-among-teens
• https://www.yalemedicine.org/stories/teen-vaping
• https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/e-cigarettes/severe-lung-disease.html
• https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/vaping-devices-electronic-cigarettes

Content:

Engineering Design Cycle

1. Identify the Need- We did this by coming up with as many world problems that we could think of. Then we chose vaping and the health issues it causes.

2. Research the Problem- Every member of our group chose three or more sources to annotate and analyze. Each member was instructed to write 45 annotations so that they understood the problem and their research.

3. Develop Possible Solutions (Brainstorm)- Our group brainstormed by putting on a timer for five minutes and writing down every idea that came into our heads. It din't matter how 'good' or 'bad' the idea was because there are no dad ideas when brainstorming.

4. Select the most Promising Solution- We then looked over each idea and asked ourselves it was reasonable for us to achieve, if would solve the problem well, if it was moral, and if it was over the best possible solution. My group and I decided the best solution possible was bathroom vape detectors.

5. Construct a Prototype- My group and I constructed a real life model of a photoelectric senor vape detector design and figured out how one works. The model was made out of wood, paint, and string to represent what our device would look like in real life. I also made a 3-D model online to better help people understand the design. (The 3-D model is shown on slide seven of the slideshow).

6. Test and Evaluate Prototype- After we constructed our prototype, we made sure we knew everything we could possibly know about our model, and we also went over as many situations as possible to make sure that our detector was good enough for the job.

7. Communicate the Design- My group and I created a slideshow and presentation that explained vaping and the health dangers. We then provided evidence about our sensors, and how they work, where they would go, and how they would be used.

8. Redesign and Repeat- After our presentation we reflected on the feedback and questions we got from our teacher and peers. We are now working on how we could improve our solution, and how to make our sensors spray water on the students who vape in the bathrooms.

Reflection:

I was very proud of the end product my group and I came up with. I believe it was very creative and different from other vape detector designs. I also think it is much more practical and safe for school bathroom use. However, one of my peers did have a question about radiation. While there were no warning signs and it is very unlikely that the materials used in making our device would release much radiation it is still a valid question that my group and I would need to do more research on. Next time I will try harder to make sure that I think of every hazard possible and research it to make sure that the product is the safest, best product possible.

During this project I think that I did a good job growing my critical thinking skills and my conscientious learning skills. I worked on my critical thinking skills by realizing that there was more than one way to make a vape detector. I worked on thinking outside the box by making a vape detector design that focused on catching the physical vapor in the air instead of the elements in the vapor. I worked on my conscientious learning skills by setting goals for myself that I needed to get done with by a certain time in order to finish my project on time.

However, I do think that i can work on communication with my group and collaborating. I think this project I could have communicated my idea to my group members better, because they had a hard time understanding what I had come up with. Instead of walking them through it slowly, I rushed through it so that I could continue working on the presentation. Now I know that I should have talked them through what I was working on so that they could have understood better. I think that I could work on collaboration throughout the group by telling my group members what they could be doing instead of doing everything by myself and not letting them hmb Next project I am really going to work on trusting my partners.