Over-view
There are many problems that the world faces. They can be as small as having to sit through traffic while going to work or school, to as big as world hunger. Everybody faces problems in their everyday life. This is why in STEM we were asked to brainstorm as many problems in the world that we could think of (no matter how big or small). After coming up with a good sized list, we marked which ones we would like to research and got into groups with people who had similar interests. Me and the rest of my group chose to focus on flooding, and more specifically levee breach. Next we spent a few days researching everything we could about flooding. We looked up different types of flooding, where the most flooding occurs, why levees are prone to breaching, current solutions for levees, etc. After learning as much as we could about flooding, we had to start brainstorming our own solutions to the problem. The most promising solution out of our list was to plant native grass to the sides of the levees. We tested this solution by making models of levee systems. We had one with packed dirt, one with the grass that currently covers some california levees, and one with native california grass. The model with the native grass held up the best against heavy rainfall and wave simulation. Finally we presented our research and solution to our class. This is the presentation:
The presentation shows some of the research we did, and the solutions we used or didn't use. It doesn't, however show what we would do if we were to continue on with the plan of this project. What we would do is that we would go to all of the levees in California, talk with the person/people in charge of it and ask them if they would be interested in having the grass planted in their levees. If they would like to, then we would send a team of gardeners out to the levee and have them till the soil, plant the grass seed, and grow the grass.
Concepts
Levee- an embankment built to prevent the overflow of a river
levee breach- a broken, or damaged levee
levee breach- a broken, or damaged levee
Reflection
Pits: My group should have spent more time rehersing our presentation. It could have been smoother and shorter. We spent a lot of time during our presentation which lost the audiences' attention.
Peaks: Me and my group were very focused. We stayed on task, and got all the work done that needed to be. We worked well together too.
I was a lot more focused during this project, as I said before. I didn't have any side conversations, nor did I get distracted by. I stayed on track throughout the whole project. I also enjoyed working with my team mates. I need to work on managing my time better. I need to make sure that I have enough time to complete everything that needs to be done, and do it well. I enjoyed working on this project, and I learned a lot from it.
Peaks: Me and my group were very focused. We stayed on task, and got all the work done that needed to be. We worked well together too.
I was a lot more focused during this project, as I said before. I didn't have any side conversations, nor did I get distracted by. I stayed on track throughout the whole project. I also enjoyed working with my team mates. I need to work on managing my time better. I need to make sure that I have enough time to complete everything that needs to be done, and do it well. I enjoyed working on this project, and I learned a lot from it.