Intro. to the Natural Sciences

Reflection

We did many projects and learned much different science knowledge during this semester. One project is to do an eco-house design and learn about carbon footprints. This project also connects to math class and English class, because I used measurement and area calculation in math and how to write an analysis in English (we had to write many writings in science that are similar to analyses). This project also connects to our PBL in the driving question part: How can we make the world a better place? Our eco-house has the same goal as PBL; we also want to build an eco-house that can make the world a better place. Maybe increasing biodiversity or reducing waste, science and PBL are using different ways to make the world a better place. I think I did well in explaining how my eco-house design helps biodiversity in the poster. I also used the engineering design process—planning, testing, and improving my ideas.  When we are working on the material picking and see which materials best fit the eco-house making, I will compare more about their insulation, strength, and environmental impact. In this project, my data collection and experimentation were not deep enough, so I want to apply this kind of process more clearly next time. I will make a testable question, form a hypothesis, collect more measurable data, and analyze results with evidence next time. There are still places for me to improve, such as my sketch; I can make it more clear, and the explanation part (gallery walk); I can't clearly tell my classmates my design idea. Also, my time management is not okay either. I often spend a lot of time on something that doesn't really matter in the project. Maybe some information that connects to the project but is not that relevant. I want to write a script next time to make my presentation smoother. Another thing I can improve is through this process, I learned about how biodiversity affects our world, materials we use to build eco-houses, and scientific knowledge like Newton's Law. When we are working on the material picking and see which materials best fit the eco-house making, I will compare more about teir insulation, strength, and environmental impact. During the engineering design process, I also brainstormed different design ideas and built a rough model before testing it. 

We were working on the final project through out these weeks. We first worked on the country profile. And this connects to our previous project -- how different soil influence the building process. We both had to do a climate research about the soil and had to figure out how to build an eco-house on it. Such as how to make sure the house can stand on a soil land, and what kind of materials I should use. My eco-house would use hempcrete as my main material because it is strong in insulating but also benefits our environment. Hempcrete is made of hemp fibers, lime, and water. It has holes so that it can trap air inside to make the air move slowly so the house build by hempcrete is cool in the summer but warm in the winter. Building studies show that hempcrete has a low thermal conductivity of about 0.05–0.07 W/m·K, this means it can slow down heat transfer and keeps the indoor temperature more comfortable all year. Because of this, the house needs less heating in winter and less cooling in summer, and make it energy-efficient and better for the environment. During the project, my classmates gave me feedback about adding natural ventilation and solar panels to make the eco-house more sustainable. After the conversation, I used their feedback and designed roof vents and placing windows for cross-ventilation. This helps keep the house cooler in summer. I also added a small solar panel system to provide clean energy for lights and basic appliances, and also for reducing the house’s need for electricity from non-renewable sources. Human activities like building process and using energy may harm our local ecosystems through polluting and resource use. So my design reduces these effects by using hempcrete—a renewable material that absorbs carbon dioxide and include energy saving features. The house will also collect rainwater for planting. I also anaylzed how energy moves through the house. Hempcrete walls slow down the heat transfer, and natural ventilation and solar panels make energy usage more efficient. By combining materials together, environmental care, and energy management, the house will be comfortable and sustainable. This project really helps me a lot in connecting what I learned before about soil and building with what I learned now about materials and climate-based eco-house designs. The feedback from my classmates are also very useful in making changes and helped me improve my design. My eco-house shows how careful planning can reduce human impact on ecosystems while keeping energy use low.