Night Time Snacks

For our final STEAM unit, Pitch in Entrepreneurship, we researched all the skills needed to pitch or sell your business. We started out with 15 second pitches, later made 30 second pitches, and finally for our action project made 3-4 minute pitches, that covered all the important facts an investor would need to know about our businesses. This unit was fun, because it was taking all of the work we did in the first two units, and combining it into a video. I'm proud of my video because I did a lot of extra editing, which was challenging for me, but I really liked the final result and think it was more than worth it.

Yummy Business

For our second action project in our Entrepreneurship class we took all the information we learned in the first unit and applied it to the real world. We looked at many examples and then made it more personalized by either creating our own business or working on an existing one. I chose to look into Insomnia Cookies and make many improvements. We then had to each create a business plan for those businesses, as our action project. The project was pretty difficult but I'm proud of all the work I did and that I completed it.

Blue Booking It

For the first unit of our Entrepreneurship course, Know, we learned about all the fundamental concepts of business. We studied entrepreneurs, missions, visions, accounting, marketing, legal structures, investments, sales, management, and exit plans. I’m proud of myself in this unit because there was so much different information but I think I mastered them all. I showed this mastery with our action project. This project was a lot different than ones I’ve previously done at GCE. For this unit, our action project was taking a blue book test, showing that we are ready for the upcoming units, as well as the immense amount of preparations that happened prior to the test.

AMD . Untitled . 2016

The purpose of the entire first unit was to prepare us for the next two where we will be creating our own business plan. Without this basic knowledge of business that we learned, we’d be going in blind. I also got to see specific ways all the different information we learned is actually used. I I researched and spoke to over 15 different entrepreneurs and businesses. The ones that stuck out to me the most were all the entrepreneurs I spoke to directly, because I think you can get a much better sense of a business when you speak to the founders directly. The person who inspired me the most is the founder of GCE, Eric Davis. He is making strides every day to reinvent education and to improve the the way kids are taught. It was crazy that even though I have gone to this school the past 2 years, there was so much I had no idea about that Eric was able to shed a light on. From the way it was started to where we are now, there was so much I found out about GCE and what I am a part of. It was an interesting perspective to hear, as well, because of how honest he was and how he was able to address the mistakes that he’s made, not just the successes. When he spoke about himself personally, we were able to see what a motivated person he was, and it inspired me to be the same.

For the actual action project we spent 3 weeks learning about the 10 concepts I mentioned earlier--entrepreneurs, missions, visions, accounting, marketing, legal structures, investments, sales, management, and exit plans. We also did our own research, created our own study guide, made our own test questions, planned and participated in group study sessions, taught our own lessons, and then took an hour and a half long test showing the mastery of all those concepts and that we know how to apply them to the real world.

I’m nervous going into this next unit because it’s one thing to learn all these concepts and see how other people use them, and it’s another to have to use them yourself. I’m not yet sure what I want my business to be, or how I will plan everything out, but I’m excited to figure it out. I know that whatever I choose it will be an intense yet extremely useful two units. I’m looking forward to creating my own business plan and maybe even follow through with making it happen.

Closer Look at the Council

For our final unit in Systems and Models, we studied I-O Psychology, specifically its history, relevance, systems dynamics, and an organization’s ability to attract and serve its employees. Psychology has been around since the 4th century but wasn't considered a legitimate science until the APA was formed in 1892. I enjoyed this unit because it made me think more about what is important to look for when getting a job and what types of places I may want to work for in the future. For our last action project we each chose a part of the school to focus on and then were assigned to create a SWOT based on that part. I’m proud of my final result because it was about a part of the school that I am a part of and think is very important, so I was glad I got to represent it.

AG . Examples of Maslow's hierarchy implemented by Student Council . 2016

For my SWOT I focused on the Student Council. As President of the Student Council, I have a great insight on how everything is run and what strengths and weaknesses there are. When thinking about this group, you must also think about the “Tragedy of the Commons,” which is the potential to abuse a shared opportunity and everyone shares the consequences. There are multiple different commons in my scenario. One of those would be time; the Student Council meets each Thursday during lunch, which is an hour long. However, Falcon Fiesta got added to the schedule making lunch 55 mins. We then allow the Council members 10 minutes to get lunch, cutting our time down to 45 minutes. If Falcon Fiesta runs longer, or if members take extra time getting lunch, that affects everyone else on the Council because we can’t fully start without all the members. It also interrupts the discussion every time someone walks in late. Another example of the commons would be the entire student body. The Student Council is the student body’s representation on any issues; if the representatives of the school aren’t doing their job, then the entire student body, and in turn the entire school, is impacted.

The way the Council solves problems reminded me of Six Sigma. They have two processes for improvement, DMAIC process consists of: define, measure, analyze, improve, and control; the DMADV process consists of: define, measure, analyze, design, and verify. The DMAIC is for existing processes that aren’t meeting expectations and the DMADV is to develop new processes or products. I compared this to the way we look at issues in Student Council and how we implement policies, we pretty much used the same steps. I also saw similarities to Total Quality. A part of the Total Quality Management definition is “In a TQM effort, all members of an organization participate in improving processes, products, services, and the culture in which they work,” this is what members of the Council do as well. I was glad to notice these comparisons because I feel that it validates how the Council works. If this is how these big, well known, companies run things, it must be effective.

When interviewing people about the Student Council, I got a lot of positive comments which reminded me of all the strengths the Council has. I wanted to get a range of feedback so I made sure to interview a student on the Council as well as one that is not on the Council. Similarly when interviewing the staff, I wanted to interview the teacher who is present at all Council meetings as well as someone who only sees the external effects of the Council. JM, the Student Council Vice-President, stated that “The Student Council is a really helpful tool for communicating with teachers. A lot of times there are issues in classes that have easy solutions but the class doesn’t feel comfortable telling the teacher because we don’t want to negatively affect the classroom dynamic. Through the Council, we’re able to respectfully let a teacher know about any issues and what solutions we have come up with.” BKJ said “I feel like it finally gives us a voice” which I was very glad to hear. Hiu told me that “Spirit week was awesome” but also suggested that “more events like that should be put on, not enough community action from the Student Council”. I thought her suggestion was really good and decided to get some more advice from people on how to improve the Council. Jamie who is present at all meetings suggested: “The Council should collaborate more frequently on projects that will directly engage students and staff to build community.” Eric also pointed out to me a really interesting opportunity I had never considered before, the opportunity to meet and talk with Student Councils at other schools in order to learn from each other.

I was thinking about possible solutions to the Council’s weaknesses and possible threats. I wanted a solution that related to systems thinking, so that we really solved the root of the problems. One of the issues that I thought was really important to think about more closely was the lack of communication between the Council and the rest of the student body. I thought a good solution that would actually solve the issue is a mandatory sort of exit slip at the end of every two weeks. This way everyone would get a chance to say what they think, and it would be anonymous so they would be able to tell us things that they might not have felt comfortable letting us know one on one. This would be really beneficial to the entire school because it will address more issues to the Council and give us the opportunity to help come up with solutions for these issues. Another issue I came up with a systems thinking solution for was not having a designated space, which causes confusion and some members to not show up due to not knowing where to go. A solution to this would be to have a set space in the new building where we are already scheduled to meet each week and cannot have the space taken from us. This will remove confusion and thanks to that more members will show up. The more members show up, the more insight the Council has on new issues and the more minds we have available to help brainstorm solutions.


Works Cited

• Koppes, Laura L. "What Is I-O?" A Brief History of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Inc.-. SIOP. Web. 18 Mar. 2016.
• McLeod, Saul. "Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs." Simply Psychology. 2007. Web. 18 Mar. 2016.
• T.L. Brink. (2008) Psychology: A Student Friendly Approach. "Unit One: The Definition and History of Psychology." pp 9 Web. 18 Mar. 2016
• "Total Quality Management (TQM)." TQM. ASQ. Web. 18 Mar. 2016.
• "What Is Six Sigma?" ISixSigma. ISixSigma. Web. 18 Mar. 2016.

Prohibition

For our second unit of Systems and Models, Groups, we looked at how ones’ behavior changes when in the presence of others and whether or not they are aware of this change. We looked at trends and group dynamics and what makes them work. My favorite part of this unit was the different team building activities we tried out, they were really fun and really helped us come together. For our action project we had to conduct an experiment for a research study. I’m proud of how my action project turned out, because it was a topic difficult for people to discuss sometimes, and I know my form made some people uncomfortable, so I’m really glad I was able to complete it and how it turned out.

Giving

For our first unit of Systems and Models, a STEAM class that studies people and their roles in society, we self-reflected by taking a range of personality assessments. Each of these assessments brought to light something new such as how we deal with conflict or what our motivations are. I very much enjoyed taking these tests because they made me realize things that I wouldn’t have otherwise. For our action project, we were assigned to create a self portrait using any type of art that shows how we see ourselves and reflects some of the information we gained from this unit. I’m proud of the things I’ve learned this unit because, after reflecting on them, I have been striving to be more conscious of my actions and reasonings.

Title: Giving
Medium: Video
Length of Video: 2 minutes and 9 seconds

With all the tests we took, I had results that reflected how social I am. One of the tests we took was the Enneagram test which tests your motivations. My result was a Six - Loyalist, which is someone who would do anything for their closest friends. I was also very close to being a Two - Helper, which is someone who strives to help people and be kind to everyone. Both of these are very true for me; I’m a very social person who always tried to help others and I definitely would do anything for those closest to me. Sixes are described as “reliable, hard-working, responsible, and trustworthy” and Twos are described as “friendly, generous, and self-sacrificing,” again all traits that the people in my life tend to describe me as. I care about helping others and making sure others are happy, because other people’s happiness leads to my own.

In the work setting, I got similar results: someone who is very social. The DiSC test, an assessment of how one interacts with others in a work environment, reinforced that. I got the result S/i a blend of Supportive and Inspiring traits, which describes me as people-oriented and as trying to solve conflict. At work, this is exactly how I am; in fact my actual job is basically that. Instead of having an exact role, I just help with everything around the office. Anything my boss and coworker need me to do, I do. Any issues that arrive, I solve. I have a number of roles depending on who needs what each day, and that just shows even more so, that I am someone who does all that I can to help others.

Another test we took in class was the Myers Briggs Test which tells you which personality type you are out of 16. My result was ENFP, which is Extraverted, Intuitive, Feeling, and Prospecting. Some of the terms used in a longer explanation of my personality were “compassionate”, “connect emotionally with others, giving them cherished insight into what motivates their friends and colleagues”, “empathy and sociability”, “ such strong people skills”, and “supportive”. Once again, the results showed that I am a social person who cares about the wellbeing of others. There were different categories that you could choose to look at deeper, I explored all of them to see how I related to others. It told me that outgoing types gravitate towards me but that I also strive to get to know more reserved people. It also stated that I am someone who knows how to be friends with all different types of people and all types of different groups and that I am someone who boosts moral in different types of settings.

One of the tests I that took outside of class, was What Divergent Faction Would You Be In? While this may not be as accurate as the ones assigned to us in class, it showed me similar results. I was put in the faction Candor, which revolves around Honesty above all else and doing the right thing. I don’t think I value this as seriously as those in the movie who can come off as cold and putting honesty before people’s well-being, but I do think honesty is important and that it is an important trait to have when it comes to others.

Aside from all the tests we took, we also looked at many different case studies. The one that grabbed my attention the most was the Stanford Prison Experiment because it showed that, in the right situation, everyone has an evil side. I tried to put myself in that scenario and I can’t imagine myself ever acting the way the guards did; I couldn’t even inflict any sort of psychological torture. I’m sure I’d enjoy being in power but I know my limit and what line not to cross and I don’t understand how some people don’t have that restraint or why anyone would want to act that way. Similarly, there was a study done at Yale, with a “teacher” and “learner” where the teacher is being told to shock the learner. I understand this one more because you assume that authoritative people know what they are talking about and we are taught to listen to them. However, I know myself and know that I wouldn’t be able to do that to anyone. I am a vegetarian because I can’t think of animals being hurt and if I can’t hurt animals I definitely couldn’t personally cause pain to any people either.

My self portrait is a video clip of my life: an action of service for the people around me. I decided to bake, wrap, and give my loved ones cookies, which I felt it perfectly represents my life, and all the results I got. I am someone who does things for others to try to make them happy and just to be nice. The reason I chose to give them to the few people that I did is because they are the people in my life closest to me and the people I care about the most; they are the people whose happiness I care about the most. As a Loyalist, it is hard to become someone who is very close to me, but once you are one of those people, I would do anything for you. While I have hundreds of friends, I didn’t go and give them all cookies because there are less than a handful of those friends who are a part of my close circle.

The purpose of my project was to show what kind of a person I am while at the same time making the people I love happy. I wanted to do something that wasn’t just ordinary art, and something that would allow me to go out into the world and do something positive. In an interview I conducted with an experienced artist, I was advised to create something with a purpose and make it clear why it is important to me. I might not have made a huge impact on the world with this project, but I know I made four people’s days a little bit brighter and that all I need to make me happy. I hope watching this video provokes people to think about their loved ones, and inspires them to take the time to go out and do something nice for those loved ones.


Works Cited

• Abel, A. (2015, March 05). Quiz Alert: What Divergent Faction Would You Be In? Retrieved February 09, 2016
• ENFP Personality (“The Campaigner”). (n.d.). Retrieved February 09, 2016
• Free DISC Test - DISC Personality Testing. (n.d.). Retrieved February 09, 2016
• Gregoire, C. (2013, October 18). 10 Psychological Studies That Will Change What You Think You Know About Yourself. Retrieved February 09, 2016
• RHETI Sampler - The Enneagram Institute. (n.d.). Retrieved February 09, 2016

Money, Money, Money, Must Be Funny, In The Rich Man's World

For our second unit of Economics, Wealth and Wages, we looked into how wealth is accumulated and how it is distributed. We gained knowledge on how to invest our money and increase our money as much as possible, and we were assigned to put this knowledge into use for our Action Project by making a portfolio. This project was challenging because it required a lot of planning and calculating but I really enjoyed it and plan to use some of these skills in real life.

For this project, we received a scenario where 18 years ago, our “guardian angel” set up a college savings plan for us with an initial investment of $8,500. They then would continue to add $50 each month ($600 yearly). After 18 years, at an average annual interest rate of 7%, compounded annually, the plan is now worth $50,556.80. We then had to decide what we do with the money after cashing it out and depositing the money in a brokerage account to invest on our own.

My investment philosophy is to invest when a stock is lower than the annual stock rate, for example when Disney’s stock dropped in July of 2015, and cash out when it’s really high up, but also to wait a long amount of time, because the more years you wait the more likely you are to profit. I also don't care for big fluctuations and prefer stability in my investments, the more fluctuations the less likely I am to invest.

According to a risk assessment quiz I took, by Rutgers, I have an average tolerance for risk. I agree with that result. While, I am willing to take some risks, they aren’t usually aren’t very large risks. If I don’t feel it is almost certain that I will profit, I am not willing to invest my money. I’m more willing to invest in something that I will make less of a profit on it it’s less risky, than to invest in something that I would make a much larger profit on but that has high risk.

AG Screenshot Risk Assessment 2015

I chose three investment goals I have over different periods of time. 1 year, 5 years, and 25 years.

1-year goal: Own a used car - Jeep ($6,500)
5-year goal: Rent an apartment for one year without having to work ($12,000)
25-year goal: Pay off all my student loans ($120,000) Own a house ($400,000)

When choosing which companies to invest in I looked at how well they have done over the course of 1 year, 3 years, 5 years, and since the company first started. I also paid attention to fluctuations and how big they were. If a company’s stocks would change constantly, I automatically crossed them off my list. If they were a sure and steady company for years and continued to have a steady increase the past year, I took a closer look at them. This way I could be almost positive that I would make a large profit and I knew that they would be the least risky. I also was only willing to invest in companies that don’t do anything that harms animals, people, or the environment. I decided that when it comes to money, I think the most important thing to look at is what will make money, not what is the nicest or friendliest, but I also have morals and harming others isn’t acceptable to me.

The two companies I chose were the Walt Disney Company and Amazon. The reason I chose these two companies is because I felt could invest in them both no matter what time horizon, since they both have had a steady increase over the years and I think they’re a safe bet no matter what time frame you choose.

• Walt Disney Company has a great competitive advantage over other companies in the entertainment industry. They have one of the largest shares in animation, television, film, theme park, and merchandising industries and over 10 years of a steady growth. They also offer dividends, $0.66/share biannually, but what’s more impressive is their steady growth, with an ROI of over 200% in just the past 5 years. They are constantly releasing new movies, TV shows, merchandise, and attractions. 

Disney Stock Price. 2015. Via Google

• Similarly to Walt Disney Company, Amazon has a competitive advantage over other companies in their industry. It is the largest Internet-based retailer in the United States. They are not likely to fail because of how many different things they offer, such as entertainment or retail. There is almost nothing you can’t find on Amazon and they find you the cheapest prices which is something consumers love, so I doubt they would drop in the market anytime soon. While Amazon itself hasn’t profited that much, people who invest in them have because of their good business model that customers like so much. Like Disney, they have had a steady growth over the years and also have an ROI of over 200% which is incredible. 

Amazon Stock Price. 2015. Via Google

I then organized my investments into three portfolios, one for each goal.

Portfolio I- 1 Year Goal

$3,954.24

      4 shares of Amazon @ $563.91 ($2,255.64 total) (57.0% of portfolio)

      15 shares of Disney @ $113.24 ($1,698.60 total) (43.0% of portfolio)

This grouping of Amazon and Disney has an expected ROI of 64.4%. After one year, I should have enough money for the car I want- $6,500.

Portfolio II- 5 Year Goal

$2,033.74

      2 shares of Amazon @ $563.91 ($1,127.82 total) (55.5% of portfolio)

      8 shares of Disney @ $113.24 ($905.92 total) (44.5% of portfolio)

This grouping of Amazon and Disney has an expected ROI of 490%. After 5 years I should be able to have enough money to pay rent for an apartment for an entire year without having to work- $12,000.

Portfolio III- 25 Year Goal

$44,980.21

      39 shares of Amazon @ $563.91 ($21,992.49 total) (48.9% of portfolio)

      203 shares of Disney @ $113.24 ($22,987.72 total) (51.1% of portfolio)

This grouping of Amazon and Disney has an expected ROI of 1056.06%. After 25 years I should have enough money to pay off my student loans- $120,000 and own a house- $400,000.

Total Investment Portfolios Value- $50,968.19 (This is $411.39 over how much my guardian angel gave me to invest but I have my own $411.39 to invest already saved so it’s ok👍)

If you look at my Stock Sector, you see that I have chosen two companies that are very different and would branch into two very different sectors. A sector is a type of business that a company deals with, basically the category or industry, for example Disney’s Stock Sector is entertainment. The reason I chose entertainment and retail was because, while I doubt either of these sectors would fail anytime soon; if they were to for some reason, some of my money would still be safe in another stock so my loss won’t be as detrimental.

With each portfolio I tried to put in as close to a 50/50 balance in each company as I could, so that if one were to fail I would still have half of my money. I put the majority of the money I’m investing into my 25 year goal, since that is where I need the most amount of money.

Financial Advisor Nathan Aldinger came to speak to our class and a big part of what he does and what he talks about it financial planning. He also talked about how things happen a lot that you just can’t account for with the government, banks, and just money in general. You can never really plan something because you don’t know what might happen. So I think it’s important to keep that in mind while investing, because even if everything were to go perfectly in the stock market for me, I never know if something like what happened in Greece will happen in America, where I won’t be able to get my money out of the banks. I think it’s important to have another back up plan with the money I make on my own, not from my guardian angel.

Three assumptions I made while doing this project were that:

• These companies will continue to flourish and their stocks will continue to rise at a steady rate.
• That nothing major will happen with American money or the value of the dollar or my bank (Chase)
• That Disney’s recent drop is just an anomaly and won’t happen multiple times.

If this scenario were in real life I would definitely choose to actually do this project and put in it the stocks the way I did. The only thing I would change is the time horizon, because I would rather focus on my long term goals rather than my long term goals, so I would most likely just cash out the majority of the stocks after 25 years if not longer.

Works Cited

• Amazon.com. (2015, October 16). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 15:35, October 16, 2015
• Douglas Satterfield. "Core Values: Amazon.com." Theleadermaker.com. N.p., 15 June 2014. Web. 16 Oct. 2015
• Investopedia. "Who Are Amazon's (AMZN) Main Competitors?"Investopedia.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2015
• Peter Roff. "The Man, the Medium and Message." US News. U.S.News & World Report, 06 Aug. 2013. Web. 20 Oct. 2015 
• Rutgers. Investment Risk Tolerance Quiz. 2015. NA
• "Company Overview | The Walt Disney Company." Company Overview | The Walt Disney Company. Web. 25 Oct. 2015. 
• "Why The Walt Disney Co Is Investing In This Startup." The Motley Fool. Web. 25 Oct. 2015. 
• "Potential Competitive Advantage over the past 10 Years." Walt Disney Company (The) (DIS) Economic Moat. Web. 25 Oct. 2015. 
• "Spider-Man Arrives at Disneyland Park November 16 in the New Super Hero HQ." Disney Parks Blog RSS. Web. 25 Oct. 2015. 
• "Growing Dividends Are Great News for Investors in The Walt Disney Company -- The Motley Fool." The Motley Fool. Web. 25 Oct. 2015. 
• "Walt Disney Co." Google Search: NYSE:DIS Quotes & News. Web. 25 Oct. 2015. 
• "Amazon Never Makes Money But No One Cares (AMZN,AAPL,WAG,AZO)." Investopedia. 14 Mar. 2014. Web. 25 Oct. 2015. 

Planning Ahead

Our first STEAM class as seniors in Economics. The unit this course starts with is Utility and Value which mainly looked at how and why people made decisions, and the economic value behind these decisions. For our action project, we were assigned to chose two post-high school paths leading to our careers. I personally, want to be a lawyer, so both my path required college and a further education. This action project was a lot of work and quite time consuming, but I'm so glad we got to do it because not only was it interesting, but it gave me a sense of what kind of money I'll be paying for college and how long I'll be paying it.

Perfecting A Neighborhood

The third unit of Urban Planning, Flow, is about what a city needs to function and what makes a city ideal. We learned about how different cities evolved, and what makes “good” or “bad” urban planning. This action project is asking us to select a block that needs improvement, analyze the location, and then make improvements and build a 3D model of it. I’m most proud of how much I learned in this unit because it was a lot of information and the test was difficult, but I still did well on it.

The area I selected is around Division & Halsted. The neighborhood in general is really nice but the block I chose is basically just a bunch of empty lots with electric stuff. It's strengths are that is has a lot of room to work with and you wouldn’t have to tear down a bunch of stuff. It's main weakness is that it’s next to a river which might smell,driving people away, and it could be dangerous. The space would be better if it had nice park, like for kids with swings and stuff, as well as bike paths.

The area I chose is a quadrilateral shape, specifically a trapezoid. The southern side is 525.82 ft, the eastern side is 984.97 ft, the northern side is 753.25 ft, and the western side is 1350.87 ft. To find the area I multiplied the height, 535 ft, by the two bases divided by two:
Area = (535 x [984.97 + 1350.87 /2] ) = 624,837.2 squared ft

AG Labeled Map (2015)

5 physical alterations/redesigned sections that I improved in this space are:

1. Bike paths - because it is safer and more convenient for bikers to have their own space 
2. Turn the open green space into a park - because it gives the space a purpose and puts it to good use, also it is good for the community 
3. Add a fence alongside the river - for safety 
4. Add a library, soccer field, basketball court, and tennis court where parking lots are - because again it gives the space a purpose and it is good for the community 
5. Adding solar panels to all the buildings in the area - because it is good for the environment and our planet

AG Sketch (2015)

The Conrad Sulzer Regional Library & Wells Park inspired my design because the area has a library right next to a baseball field. They also have tennis courts and a playground like I do. I chose this space as my inspiration because I went there when I was younger and it always gave me a strong sense of community, and I think that's something every neighborhood should have. Another area that inspired me is the area I live in in Poland, Gdynia, because of the way their streets are. The driving cars are in the middle, and then there are parked cars, and then there are bikes and pedestrians on the side walk. This inspired me to do something very similar, but with separate space for bikers and pedestrians, because I believe that is safer and less confusing.

My area related to transportation because I added bike lanes and made the different parts of the street more distinct and safe. It relates to housing because I added houses in part of my area, and there are houses in the blocks next to my area. It relates to infrastructures because there are two bridges right next to my area. And it relates to services because there are many electric things; however, I am removing them. I think, if possible, they should be moved somewhere indoors because they are very unappealing to look at.

Two of the volumes of buildings I designed are:
(Library) Rectangular prism with a rectangular pyramid on top = (l*w*h) + (l*w*h/3) = (475.27' * 140.67' * 46.5') + (475.27' * 140.67' * 22.98' / 3) = 3,108,814.74' + 512,118.73' = 3,620,933.47' cubed
(House) Rectangular prism with a rectangular pyramid on top = (l*w*h) + (l*w*h/3) = (20.69' * 60.23' * 22.86') + (20.69' * 60.23' * 11.18' / 3) = 28,487.19' + 4,644.02' = 33,131.21' cubed

The most difficult problem I encountered was with using the sketchup app because it was very complicated and difficult to use, however, I overcame this when I got help from a former GCE student. Once he taught me how to use the app it became easy to use. This speed-bump taught me that it’s okay to ask others for help and it tends to be to your advantage when you do. If I were to redo this project I would probably chose a space that was a simpler shape, such as a rectangle, because my sides were all at angle which made the project much more difficult.

Circuit Circus

Our second Urban Planning unit is called Power, it is about powering cities and electricity. We learned about different parts of a circuit and how electricity works. Our action project is to design our own efficient electrical plan and to build a circuit with five resistors and two switches. I’m most proud of actually making the circuit work, because it was difficult and there were a lot of wires, but we finally made it work.

AG Circuit (2015)

AG Diagram (2015)

The LED light represents an LED lamp which saves about 16% of the energy that a regular lamp would use. The transformer represents a solar generator which creates 300 Joules per second. The speaker represents a hand-crank radio which saves 100% of the energy that a regular radio would use because you would crank it yourself, therefore it doesn't use any energy. The resistor represents an energy efficient washer which saves 50% of the energy that a regular washing machine would use. The second resistor represents an energy efficient dryer which saves 15% of the energy that a regular dryer would use.

MV Cover (2015)

Our circuit uses a total of 6 Volts
An example of Ohm’s Law would be if the speaker had a current of 3 amps, then the resistance is 2 Ohms because:
6V = 3A * x Ohms
x Ohms = 6V / 3A
x = 2 Ohms


There are two types of currents: AC which is an alternating current, and DC which is a direct current. Our circuit is DC because batteries are always DC. 


The circuit board had many options and we came up with our design by simply choosing the options we liked the most. We used the transformer because it distributes energy, the speaker because the sound was fun to mess around with, and the LED light because we wanted to be able to see something happen. Then we added the two resistors, which take up energy, at the end because we needed to have five total. The design changed a lot over time, especially towards the end where we tried to make it work with two different switches.

During the process of building our circuit we encountered a few problems, such as figuring out where to connect the wires in a way to make it all work. But we just remained persistent, kept trying different things, and followed the instructions. Doing that allows you to solve any problem however difficult it may be, so eventually we figured out the wiring and built our amazing circuit.

Work Cited

• Ballad, Tricia, and Demand Media. "How Much Do Energy Efficient Bulbs Save?" Home Guides. Web. 10 May 2015. 
• "Clothes Dryers." Consumer Energy Center -. Web. 10 May 2015.
• "Clothes Washers." Consumer Energy Center -. Web. 10 May 2015.  
• "Goal Zero Yeti 400 300-Watt Solar Powered Generator-23000 - The Home Depot." The Home Depot. Web. 10 May 2015. 
• "Watts to Joules Calculator." Watts to Joules (J) Conversion Calculator. Web. 10 May 2015.   

Bridge(t)

Urban Planning is the third and final class in the STEAM Global Design curriculum. The class, in a nutshell, is about how to create an ecosystem fit for a city. In the first unit we learned how an architectural structure can hold large amounts of weight by focusing on bridges. The main objective of this action project is to explore the various design options and resources to create a durable bridge. I’m most proud of the bridge (Bridget) that my partner and I built because everyone doubted us, but in the end our design did exactly what is was supposed to and more.

The bridge that inspired me and my partner was the Gazela Bridge. Our model resembles the Gazela Bridge because it is a flat and straight structure and looks like it has three layers just like our bridge.

Wikipedia contributors. "Gazela Bridge." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 7 Mar. 2014. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.

The Gazela Bridge is the most important bridge in Belgrade, Serbia, across the Sava river. It is a part of the city highway and passes through the wider city center, connecting Belgrade with Niš to the south, and Novi Sad to the north. The bridge was designed by a group of engineers led by Milan Đurić, and built by the Mostogradnja company.

Our bridge is very simple and to the point. It is your basic straight across, flat, beam bridge. At first glance it’s very deceiving, but our bridge divides the strength along its length, leaving no room for weak links where the bridge can collapse. 

Bridge Sketch (2015)

The scale in the image above only applies to the length, but 1 inch on the drawing equals 1.8 inches on the model. We only made the length to scale because we wanted to be able to show the layers, but the popsicle sticks are so thin they would just be drawn as lines, which isn’t very clear.

AG Labeled Picture (2015)

AG Compression and Tension (2015)

AG Body Diagram (2015)

Our final product ended up using only 49 popsicle sticks. Our bridge is 13.375 inches long and 625 inches tall. It is 180 degrees across (a straight angle).

AG Side View (2015)

AG Top View (2015)

We came up with our structure because we knew that with the length and amount of popsicle sticks given, this was the thickest possibility for the body of the bridge. We thought that the thicker it would be the more weight it would hold. After building our original design, we had an extra 5 sticks left, and we decided to use 4 of those 5 leftover sticks to make the joints sturdier.

The main problem we encountered were the joints, because if they were all to be in the same place they could easily snap. We fixed this by shifting the middle layer so it had joints in a different position on the bottom and top layer, and we also the used 4 extra sticks, which we cut in half, to strengthen the top and bottom layers’ joints.

Work Cited

• "Bridges - WD-STEM." Bridges - WD-STEM. Buncombe County Schools. Web. 21 Apr. 2015 from https://sites.google.com/a/bcsemail.org/wdstem/bridges. 
• "New York State Covered Bridges - Truss Diagrams." New York State Covered Bridges - Truss Diagrams. 30 Sept. 2005. Web. 20 Apr. 2015 from http://www.coveredbridgesite.com/ny/truss.html.
• Wikipedia contributors. "Gazela Bridge." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 7 Mar. 2014. Web. 20 Apr. 2015 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gazela_Bridge.

The Clock for Everyone

For our final Light and Sound unit we learned about time. We found out about time works, how it is measured, how the world started, and much more. We then focused on methods of telling time and learned about pendulums, sundials, geographic coordinates, etc. For our action project we were challenged to design a unique clock. I’m proud of the type of clock I invented, because it is to help people with disabilities which I think is important.

On the FE our class went on, to the Chicago Light House, something one of the head people of the organization said, stuck with me. He said "Blind people can do anything, as long as you give them a chance." So this was my way of trying to give them a chance to do something new.

Work Cited

-Aftelier Natural Perfume Wheel." Essential Oil UniversityRSS. Web. 16 Mar. 2015.

-Goodrich, Ward. "The Modern Clock; a Study of Time Keeping Mechanism; Its Construction, Regulation, and Repair : Goodrich, Ward L : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive." Internet Archive. Web. 16 Mar. 2015.

- Falcon, A. (n.d.). 20 Alarm Clocks To Wake You Up Creatively. Retrieved March 16, 2015, from http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/creative-alarm-clocks/

LEGO Guitar

In our second Light & Sound unit we learned about what sound is, how it is made and heard, how it travels, and other fundamentals of sound. I am most proud of the science concepts learned such as how to graph sound waves and learning what each variable stood for. Our action project is about about creating sound waves and making an instrument that can be played by the Landfill Harmonic. We were each instructed to build a guitar from scratch. This would show how sound is produced and amplified.

The guitars we built work like a normal guitar: the strings vibrate the air, and the body amplifies the vibrations, projecting a louder sound. When you press on the strings you change the length of the vibrating which changes the pitch. The lower on the neck you go the higher the pitch.

The sounds the guitar makes show all the principles we learned. Sound waves are molecules contracting and expanding, which is shown on the guitar with the vibrating strings. They make vibrations in the air which are just contracting and expanding molecules. Wavelength is the distance from one peak/crest/trough to the next peak/crest/trough. The shorter the guitar string length the shorter the wavelength. Pitch/frequency is how fast a wave travels (how many cycles there are per second). Each string has a different pitch, and if you change the length of the string by putting your finger down, it will change the pitch. Amplitude is how high/low the wave is, the guitar’s body demonstrates this by amplifying the sound the strings make.The amplitude is how loud the sound is, the higher the amplitude, the louder the sound is.

All the dimensions are shown in the picture below. The rubber band width was .26 mm and the fishing wire width was .47mm. The volume of the body was 74 7/32 squared inches and the volume of the sound hole was 15 5/8 squared inches.

AG Guitar Sketch (2015)

After building the guitar we also found the frequencies and wavelengths of the open notes and the octave notes of both strings. The rubber band string was a G note, the open note frequency was 403.4 Hz and the wavelength was 185.8 cm, the octave note frequency was 806.8 Hz and the wavelength was 92.9 cm.The fishing wire string was an A# note, the open note frequency was 455.9 Hz and the wavelength was 657.6 cm, the octave note frequency was 911.8 Hz and the wavelength was 328.8 cm.

AG Guitar Front (2015)

AG Guitar Side (2015)

Another thing we learned about in this unit was the Doppler Effect; this is the phenomenon that makes a sound’s pitch seem to get higher as it travels towards you and lower as it travels away from you. Really the pitch stays the same the whole time, but it sounds like it changes because the waves get pushed together and overlap when the sound is moving towards you, and spread out when moving away from you.

I really enjoyed this action project and had fun making the guitar. However, if I could do this project again I would add more strings and add tuning pegs so I could change the tension of the strings as well. That way it would be even more like a real guitar.

Pin the Hole on the Camera

Our Light and Sound course is about, as stated, light and sound but also time, and how they all relate. It has to do with our perspective on the world and how it would be different if those three elements were different. Our first unit is Light where we discussed how light affects us and how we are able to see it. We learned about how we see light with our eyes, and how cameras make photos with a similar process. We also learned about lenses and the visible spectrum and many other things having to do with vision. I’m most proud of the science parts I learned in this class since it isn’t my strong suit.

For our action project we made pinhole cameras. A pinhole camera is pretty simple: you choose an object, such as a shoe box, that is completely black on the inside, and cut a hole in it. You then place a sanded down piece of tin with a tiny hole poked in it that acts as a lens. The light will shine through that lens when you uncover it, and when there is photo-sensitive paper inside, it will a picture will appear based on the light that comes through the lens.

AG Inside Pinhole Camera (2015)

AG Pinhole Camera (2015)

The math concept we used for this project was similar triangles.

x^2+y^2=z^2                             a^2+b^2=c^2                             

1 15/16^2+11 1/2^2 = 136^2     4 3/4^2+16 43/62^2 = 302.24^2

   z = 11.66                                   c =17.36                                     

The height of my pinhole is x which equals 1 15/16 inches

The distance from the lens to my paper is y which equals 11 ½ inches
The height of my subject is a which equals 4 ¾ inches
The distance from the back of my camera to my object is b+y which equals 28 6/31 inches
The distance from the lens to my object is b which equals 16 43/62 inches

The shutter speed that I tried the first time was 2 minutes and the second time was 4 minutes. Unfortunately the pictures didn’t show up because the pinhole wasn’t the right size, it was a little too small so the light didn’t come through enough. If I were to get a chance to redo the project I would make sure to fix that mistake.

JS Pinhole (2015)

This project shows the relationship between light and energy because when the light makes touches the paper it causes it to change color, which shows that is transferred its energy to it. I didn’t however think that the camera illustrated the idea of refraction because there wasn’t anything like water that would slow down the light, there was only air. Refraction involves light slowing down and bending so if that didn’t happen, refraction wasn’t shown.

As an addition we got to make photograms.This also involves using light sensitive paper, however you don’t use the camera and the pictures show up differently.

AG Photogram (2015)

Costumes For Days

For our final Stage Chemistry unit, we made our own adaptation of A Christmas Carol. We were put into groups as opposed to working individually and, instead of focusing on the staging area, we focused more on what goes into the actual play. Each group got their own aspect, and they had to choose two or three roles that have vested interest in our aspect. We then had to build an item that represents these roles and their needs. We learned about the different roles there are in the theater and I was proud of how my group and I represented our roles. 

The aspect my group was assigned to was characters. We chose to represent this with a clothing rack with the characters’ outfits on them. In our opinion, clothes are an extremely important part of a character and are vital even more so in theater because not only can it help you tell apart the different characters but also, because often times, the the clothing says something about who the character is. Costumes are really essential to different characters, and are what set each character apart.

The roles we thought tied together most with this item were costume designers and actors. Costume designers would be the ones designing and making the costumes for the actors who would be wearing them during the performance. Moreover, costumes really help actors get into character and could make a huge difference in their mind set during the performance. There could be some causes for concern however, so we listed out what those could be as well as solutions to these problems.

A costume designer needs to make sure that the outfits they design fit the time period and look realistic, so our group did research on clothing in that time period. They also need to measure the actors so that everything fits correctly. Another important thing they would need is materials, so we made sure that they would be provided to them. Lastly, they would need for the clothes to not tear and rip easily so these costumes would need to made from good materials.

An actor will require comfortable clothes so it will be important that the right materials are chosen for the costumes. Furthermore, to help keep everything organized and to avoid mix ups labels with the name of the character will be sewn on the inside of the costume. Aside from that, it is important that the clothing fits, so they will need to be custom made and fitted. Another potential issue was the rack being bulky, so we decided to make the rack large enough for both the costumes and some extra space. This way they can easily find their costume and they can quickly put on, or take off, clothing from the rack.

All needs into consideration resulting in this rack. We found a good height for the model, 9.5 inches, because it would allow for bigger clothes than if we were to build a smaller rack. In real life we imagined it to be about 6.5 feet. We also made sure to add one hanger per character. We also wrote out, on a separate page, what the clothes would look like for each character, and added sketches for some of them. We chose which colors we wanted for the clothing, as well.

GS Prototype Rack (2015)

JF Costumes Sketch (2015)

The first model was made out of thin sticks that we had available in class. The hangers were made using the 3Doodler, which is a pen that draws with plastic. Thanks to this we were about to make the hook part of the hanger any size we wanted, so we made it perfect size for fitting the rack. However, this took too much time and the hangers were flimsy so we decided to use paper clips instead that we could bend to the shape we wanted, with the help of pliers. We also decided to change what the rack was made of and chose to use dowels instead. This made the model both more aesthetically pleasing and sturdier.

JF Prototype (2015)

GS Prototype II (2015)

The sketch and first model were a great start but there was still a lot more we needed to fix. We decided to make a pros cons list to help us decide which ideas were good and wanted to include in our final model.

Our final model has some things that our first model and sketch did not. We made sure to incorporate the good things from the original racks onto our final racks. This resulted in a sturdier and much nicer looking model.

GS Costumes on Rack (2015)

For our last model, we added two hooks for somewhere to place the hats. We also actually made the clothes which we had not done before. There was one for each character, and we made it based on the actors size (for example, Tiny Tim is much smaller so his clothes are, too). This shows all the clothes were fitted correctly and custom made.

GS Costumes on Rack II (2015)

The fabric used for the model represent much nicer fabric in real life. We made things different colors to represent the different cloth and materials the costume designer would be using.

GS Costumes on Rack III (2015)

As shown, each costume is quite different and made from different colors. We tried to make the costumes represent what kind of a person the character was. Scrooge was in pajamas that we made beige, because of his bland personality. Marley was also in pajamas but his were light blue, so that the audience could tell the two of them apart. For the Ghost of the Past, we made a dress out of swirling purple colors. We chose this for her because we wanted her to seem gentle and kind because in the past Scrooge was a nicer person than who he was now. The Ghost of the Present was dressed as a protester, we used just a brown material but envisioned him to have a sign on his shirt as well. We made him a protester because of the time period that this was set in. We gave the Ghost of the Future the typical dark cloak to make him seem scary and mysterious. Bob and Tiny Tim both have just a shirt and pants that we imagined to be raggedy in real life. Tiny Tim also had a little cap. Our last character, Fred, wore a long coat to keep him warm in the winter, with a red sweater underneath, and a cap. We chose this outfit for him to show that he was wealthy enough to afford winter clothes unlike Bob and Tiny Tim, and because red reflects his cheery personality.

The project was done entirely during class time where we brainstormed and then built. After recording everything here is the time-lapse video of the entire process.

Model Stage

In our second Stage Chemistry unit, we learned about how different motion happens on the stage and the safety protocols to help accomplish them. This required not only looking at what happens on stage but also above and under the stage. We went to see A Christmas Carol at the Goodman Theatre. Then for our second action project we were to build a model of out own theaters that we made blueprints of in unit one (see here), for our own performance of A Christmas Carol. We also had to design two pieces of motion for the performance and safety protocols for them. I’m proud of both of the motion pieces I made because they required me to think more, so I was proud when I succeeded to make the models of them.

AG Empty Room (2014)

AG Room With Movement (2014)

On the top is an image of the room and stage area alone; on the bottom is an image of the room with all the different parts.

AG Deck Gif (2014)

The moving deck is to show a setting. On it will be Scrooge’s house which is used in many scenes. It will be similar to the Goodman Theatre’s version of Scrooge’s house, where the left side shows the outside of the house, and the right part it Scrooge’s bedroom. However, it will be decorated differently. The deck will be towards the back of the stage so when it isn’t being used, a screen with different scenery painted on can be put in front of it.

AG Deck Warning (2014)

The Safety Protocols for the Moving Deck are:

• If you are near the track (while it is still) be careful not to get anything stuck in it
• Watch deck while pushing controls so that not to make it move while someone is in front of it
• Be careful not to fall off deck
• The deck is set to not go fast - do not try to change the speed
• There will be an emergency button to kill the engine - be aware of how to use it

The deck is mechanical and has a motor to make it move. There will be a control in the backstage area so someone has the power to make it move back and fourth. The control will have a safety warning on the back as well.

AG Force Calculations (2014)

The deck will need to hold three people at most, with the expectation of around 550 lbs maximum, so it will be designed to hold twice that, 1100 lbs.

AG Bottom of Deck (2014)

AG Deck With Track (2014)

AG Deck In Trap (2014)

The model of the moving deck has two cut popsicle sticks on the back side. One on the left the other on the right. They stick out about a centimeter. In real life these are called the knives. On the model, those sticks insert into a slit in the stage model which represents the track. This is what keeps the deck in place and from going too far.

AG Divider Gif (2014)

The dividers have two main purposes. The first is that they hide off the area that isn’t considered the stage, which provides for a backstage area. The second purpose is it works as a curtain. If you pull the divider out, it hides the stage area just like a curtain would. It won’t be done mechanically; someone will pull it out themselves.

AG Divider Warning (2014)

The Safety Protocols for the Dividers are:

• Watch your fingers
• Be careful where you are rolling the dividers
• Be careful not to knock dividers over since they are light