Sensitisation Workshop 2014
Participating Countries
 Antigua
 Barbados
 Belize
 Dominica
 St. Lucia
 Guyana
 Tampa (Hillsborough County)
 Trinidad & Tobago
Overview
Target
• Secondary school students.
Challenge
• Identify a challenge facing your school or
community, and using science, technology,
engineering and mathematics (STEM),
develop effective, innovative and
sustainable solutions to the challenge
identified.
Systematic knowledge of the physical or material world
through observation and experimentation.
The application of scientific knowledge, processes and
devices for practical purposes.
The utilization of concepts in science, mathematics and technology
to design and build structures, machines, materials, processes,
systems and devices.
The study of measurements, properties and relationships
using numbers and symbols.
The integrated study of science, technology, engineering and
mathematics designed to encourage problem-solving
through discovery.
Meeting the needs of current generations without compromising
the needs of future ones, so that society can co-exist in
continuous harmony.
The 5 Pillars of Sustainability
SUSTAINABILITY
Environment
Implies that non-renewable and other natural resources are
not depleted nor destroyed for short-term improvements.
McConville and Mihelcic, Environmental Engineering Science, 24(7):937-948, 2007
The 5 Pillars of Sustainability
SUSTAINABILITY
Environment Economic
Implies that sufficient local resources and capacity exist to
continue the project in the absence of outside resources.
McConville and Mihelcic, Environmental Engineering Science, 24(7):937-948, 2007
The 5 Pillars of Sustainability
SUSTAINABILITY
Environment Economic
Community
Participation
Process which fosters empowerment and ownership within members of
the community through direct participation in decision-making.
McConville and Mihelcic, Environmental Engineering Science, 24(7):937-948, 2007
The 5 Pillars of Sustainability
SUSTAINABILITY
Environment
Economic
Community
Participation
Political
Cohesion
Involves increasing the alignment of development projects
with local priorities.
McConville and Mihelcic, Environmental Engineering Science, 24(7):937-948, 2007
The 5 Pillars of Sustainability
SUSTAINABILITY
Environment
Economic
Community
Participation
Political
Cohesion
Socio - Cultural
Respect
Implies that the project is socially acceptable because it is built on an
understanding of local traditions and core values.
McConville and Mihelcic, Environmental Engineering Science, 24(7):937-948, 2007
The 5 Pillars of Sustainability
SUSTAINABILITY
Environment
Economic
Community
Participation
Political
Cohesion
Socio- Cultural
Respect
Social
McConville and Mihelcic, Environmental Engineering Science, 24(7):937-948, 2007
Flow Chart
High Schools: Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Guyana, St. Lucia, Trinidad &
Tobago, Tampa (Hillsborough County)
STEP 1
Teacher Workshops
STEP 2 – May
Website Live
STEP 3 – SeptemberNovember
Apply, Vote
National Competition
Ambassador Programme to Florida
(Museum of Science & Industry, Kennedy Space Center, Disney’s EPCOT Center)
Ambassador Programme
The national winner and teacher who endorsed the
project from each Challenge Country will participate
in a 7-day trip to Florida
Kennedy Space Center
Lunch with an astronaut & tour
Museum of Science & Industry (MOSI)
Hurricane Simulator, Idea Zone, Bank of America
Butterfly Garden
Disney EPCOT Center
Living with the Land Tour; Imagination
EXPO
University of South Florida
Engineering Education; Patel School of
Global Sustainability
Prizes
 Learning Materials
 An all-expenses-paid STEM Ambassadors
Programme for student team leader +
supervising teacher
 Challenge Shields & Specialty Certificates
Who can Enter?
All private or public secondary educational institutions
recognised by the national Ministry of Education.
• Each institution may be represented by a student,
or group of students who are:
– full time students at the institution,
– legal residents
– home schooled students or those students
whose School is not entering the Competition
Each institution may enter multiple groups.
A student can only be entered in one project.
4/13/2015
Online Application
This will consist of an abstract and design proposal:
 Abstract – This should be 250 words in length
and includes the name of the school, the title and
description of the project.
 Design Proposal – This is due 2 weeks after
submission of the abstract and should be 6-12
pages in length.
Design Proposal
There are 10 compulsory components:
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Title page
Problem Statement and Significance of Problem
Objectives of the Project
Approach to Proposed Solution
The Competition
Resources Needed
Timetable
Use of STEM
Community Involvement and Community Impact
References
Project Categories
 Class A – Biology, Agriculture and
Environmental Sciences
 Class B – Engineering, Physical
Sciences and Computer Science
Entrants will be asked to indicate the
category in which they would like their
project to be judged.
4/13/2015
Presentation
 Oral Presentation:
•
‘Elevator Pitch’ – Entrants will be given 2
minutes to present their project
•
Power point presentation - 2/3 slides
 Online Voting:
4/13/2015
•
There will be a ‘People’s Choice’ Award
•
These points will not contribute to final
points for projects
Judging Criteria
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Relevance to Sustainable Communities
Creativity and Innovation
Content and Knowledge of Project
Project Plan and Design
Difficulty of project
STEM Linkage
Methods of Investigation
Presentation
Answering Questions
Public or Community Engagement
Entry Example Topics
Biology
Chemistry
Information technology
Integrated science
Geography
Physics
Technical Drawing
Lots of linkages to
CXC curricula
Math
Agriculture
Engineering
• Rain gardens for storm water
management.
• Mobile App for energy conservation in
buildings.
• Solar/wind energy systems for fans that
cool classrooms.
• Cafeteria waste separation &
composting for school garden.
Mentors
 Where possible a mentor will
• Provide feedback on ideas
• Answer questions related to ideas
• Review competition materials
• Share expertise & experiences.
 Mentors may be online or in person
 Mentors will be matched to teams based
on projects, location etc.. through the
website
4/13/2015
Project Example 1
Title: DRINKING CHAMP
The Challenge
We want to reduce the abundance of plastic used
and seen on my high school compound by
eliminating disposable plastic water bottles,
encouraging students and staff to use reusable
bottles, and developing new ways to provide safe
drinking water at my school.
Investigative Methods
•
•
•
Surveys
Cost Analysis
Online searches
Exact questions that I will put on my bottled water
use survey.
• Do you buy bottled water?
• How many bottles do buy on average per day?
• How much do you spend per week on bottled
water?
• Would you prefer to have free tap water more
readily available than buying bottled water?
• Do you support efforts to introduce water
fountains on campus to help the environment
and cut your spending?
Research Findings
Some facts about bottled water
Taken from Pacific Institute (2006) “Bottled Water and Energy A Pacific
Institute Fact Sheet”
• Roughly 3.4 MJ of energy makes a typical 1 L plastic
bottle.
• Manufacturing a ton of PET produces around 3 tons of
carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas.
• 3 L of water needed to make 1 L of bottled water.
• Total amount of energy required for every bottle is
equivalent, on average, to filling a plastic bottle ¼ full
with oil.
Research Findings
Percentage of persons at School X who would
drink fountain water. Total sample size n = 230.
The Solution
It would take less than two school terms to cover the
costs of 8 fountains if everyone who bought bottled
water donated their bottled water money to the
fountain fund instead.
Water fountain with refillable
station for bottles. Image
taken from elkayusa.com.
The Solution
Link to STEM
Project Topic
Link to STEM
Algebra, consumer arithmetic
Mathematics
Terrestrial environment, solid
waste, pollution
Water quality
Integrated Science
Chemistry
Project Example 2
Title: ELIMINATING FLOODING IN OUR SCHOOL YARD
The Challenge
Our school compound has little green space as the entire yard
is covered with concrete. When it rains the water runs off our
property and floods the street below, making it difficult for us
to access the school. We envision a series of projects that will
add beneficial green space to our school yard and provide live
laboratories for our classes, while simultaneously reducing
the amount of storm water that leaves our yard.
Observations
Design Solution
250 m
KEY
– Rain Barrel
RG – Rain Garden
BG – Butterfly Garden
The Solution
Harvest rainwater
The Solution
Pervious Walkways
The Solution
Rain Garden
Link to STEM
Project Topic
Link to STEM
Algebra, rounding of numbers, consumer
arithmetic, surface area and volume
Mathematics
Terrestrial environment, water and the
aquatic environment
Integrated Science
Mapping, scale drawings, water cycle, inland
pollution
Growth and reproduction
Geography
Biology
Project Example 3
Title: RELIABLE ELECTRICITY FOR OUR VILLAGE
The Challenge
Our school and its surrounding community do not have reliable
electricity. The electricity is sometimes off for more than 12 hours. At
school we often need to recharge the batteries of our two laptops or our
cell phones when the electricity supply is off. Our farmers and
fishermen have the same problem. There are several abandoned
vehicles in our village. Our proposal is to remove the alternators and
batteries from these vehicles and use them to generate and store
electricity. To do this we would make wind turbines by designing our
own blades and attaching them to the alternators. We will use the old
batteries to store the electricity produced, and we will design a circuit to
convert the DC power from the battery to 110 VAC.
Investigative Methods
• At the school fair, we will get community
participation by asking people to donate parts from
their abandoned vehicles, and we will also collect
donations for the purchase of the components for
the DC-AC converters
• We will study how: an alternator generates
electricity, simple electric circuits, and we will design
our DC-AC converter circuits with help from our
teacher and examples we see on the Internet.
The Solution
Alternator
Sample Circuit for DC-AC conversion
Battery
Turbine blade design
Our turbine blades will be made of wood and
will be shaped similar to those on large
industrial wind power systems. The structure
that supports the windmill will also be made
from wood
Expected Results
After we make the first prototype we will recruit other
school friends to help us build several of these wind
turbines for our community. The expected results are:
• Electricity at all times during the day in school to keep
our computers running
• Electricity at night in some homes so we can do our
homework with high quality light
• Electricity for a street light a busy street intersection in
our village
• Happy farmers who can keep their cell phones charged
at all times to check price fluctuations for their crops
and order supplies.
Link to STEM
Project Topic
Electricity and magnetism
Circuit design
Principles of operation of the
battery
Calculations of output power
Link to STEM
Physics
Physics
Chemistry
Mathematics
Acknowledgments
Hypothetical project scenarios developed by
Dr. Maya Trotz,
Dr. Sheena Francis
Ms. Anastasia Deonarinesingh
Prof. Cardinal Warde
Thank You
Sagicor Financial Corporation
Caribbean Science Foundation
Caribbean Examinations Council
More Information
info@sagicorvisionaries.com
http://caribbeanscience.org
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http://www.youtube.com/sagicorvisionaries