Driving Question: How can I use photography to raise awareness about our human behavior’s impact on the environment?

Project Description

My personal project this term is a photography project about human behavior’s impact on the environment. While wondering why we are not acting as urgently as we should for the climate crisis, I found people often see the crisis as a distant challenge, both in time and in space. Through this project, I wanted to raise awareness about the impact of our daily and individual actions on the environment, and ultimately, bring people closer to the challenge.

Reflection:

“My main takeaway from this project is that, no matter how global any challenge is, the individual action will end up making the difference.”

Driving Question: How can I creatively document my journey of earning my PADI Advanced Open Water Diver, Rescue Diver, and Emergency First Responder certifications?

What was your initial idea and what did you want to do/learn with this project?

Going into the project, I already received my PADI Open Water Certification so I was only really looking towards finishing my Advanced Open Water. But a couple of weeks later, I ended up becoming a Rescue Diver and an Emergency First Respondent as well! Not only do I know how to handle myself and be cautious of my environment underwater, but I’m confident that I can save others if I needed to. Which is a pretty cool feeling, if you were wondering.

What do you hope people will get from looking at your page?

I would be satisfied with any of the following responses:

“Wow! Our oceans sure are magnificent. I am going to make a conscious effort to improve my actions to protect and preserve our precious environment.”

“The Philippines is unbelievably beautiful! I’m planning a trip to Puerto Galera right now. But not without watching Gigi’s other documentary on unsustainable tourism first.”

“Scuba diving looks like so much fun. Sign me up for an Open Water certification! I want to learn how to appreciate marine biodiversity in the best way.”

Driving Question: How can I raise awareness about pollution while building community and using videography to document the experience?

Final Product: My summative is a video that highlights all the clean walks and the work I have done with my team, as well as a visual representation of how we can help the environment.

What was your initial idea and what did you want to do/learn with this project?

My initial idea for this project was to involve people I know to take action and do something about the environmental situation here in Morocco. I also wanted to learn how to manage a team and lead them towards the same goal and discover the world of editing.

What are you passionate about that led you to choose this project?

This project is really important to me because pollution is a global issue that we and our planet are suffering from. I wanted to have even just a small impact on my community by acting upon that issue and raising awareness about it.

What do you hope people will get from looking at your page?

I hope that people could get inspired by the initiative I took, and maybe make them aware that even as simple individuals we can make a change.

What are your big takeaway lessons from this project?

My big takeaways are to not give up even if it is hard to perceive, to act upon issues that matter to us and be hopeful because change is possible.

Driving Question: How might I create a product that allows me to practice essential martial arts skills on the go?

Summative Product: A useable punching bag/device that I can take with me to term.

What are you passionate about that led you to choose this project?

I have been an avid martial arts fan since I was young, practicing arts from kung fu to boxing. Unfortunately, when I travel I’m not able to work on my skills. Losing valuable practice time while traveling greatly affects my performance when I get back to the ring. To remedy this, I hope I can create a product that allows me to travel and continue to hone my fighting techniques.

Making the conscious decision to dedicate myself to martial arts within the past year has positively affected my physical health. I constantly feel more energized, my stamina has improved considerably, and I’m able to channel my negative energy in a more positive way. This project will provide the tools to maintain these habits even while traveling.

What was your initial idea and what did you want to do/learn with this project?

My initial idea was to use a hat with a punching bag, but that didn’t work. I initially wanted to learn more about using different 3D platforms to create prototypes.

Driving Question: How might I use photomontage as a tool to foster socio-politic reflection?

What was your initial idea and what did you want to do/learn with this project?

I like to know what’s happening around the different corners of the world. Thus I read and watch a lot of the news. Then I thought: why don’t I make something out of it? That’s how I started it. It’s an ongoing project, and I’m mostly developing my research and multicultural literacy skills. Also, I have been improving my photoshop skills a lot, but it’s not my main focus.

Did your project development and change from your initial idea, if so how?

Initially, I did not know the topics I would work on; I just figured it out as I researched through newspapers and magazines. I also visited museums and memorials around different countries in Europe, which worked as an inspiration for some of my montages, which will be available next term.

What are your big takeaway lessons from this project?

It’s possible to transform a cabbage into a flower: raw and boring news can become interactive and interesting art pieces.

Driving Question: How can I learn about physics through designing and creating a Rube Goldberg Machine?

What was your final product?

My final product was a functioning Rube Goldberg Machine. A RGM is a machine that preforms a function with many pointless steps to get to it. In my case, my function was to feed my dogs. 

What are you passionate about that led you to choose this project?

I chose to do this project because I wanted to learn about basic physics laws and how they relate to everyday actions.

What do you hope people will get from looking at your page?

I hope people will watch the video of my machine and try to think about what physics it took to make it happen.

Did your project develop and change from your initial idea, if so how?

Although I always knew I wanted to make an RBM, the process changed quite a few times. Originally I was going to make it be vertical on a board, but after hours of failed attempts to make anything stick to the board, I decided to make it on a table instead. 

What are your big takeaway lessons from this project?

My biggest takeaway from this project is probably patience. It was very frustrating when every time I tried to run it something different would go wrong. I really had to persevere to complete this project.

Driving Question: How can I develop and combine a well-designed and written book which conveys, in a simple but significant way, part of someone’s TGS story and experiences, by the perspective of the others?

My final product: I created a book in which TGS community members (including alumni) share stories, moments and memories with Karen, Elyce and Jamie. We didn’t have the change to properly say goodbye, and show our appreciation. So, this is a way to convey our gratitude.

Driving Question: How can I grow my own indoor herb garden in Finland’s dark winter?

What are you passionate about that lead you to choosing this project?

Being home so much allowed me to reflect on my personal actions and how I was contributing to the environment. I had in the past wanted to do a gardening project however traveling and limited outdoor space prevented that. 

What do you hope people will get from looking at your page?

I hope people will be inspired to possibly start their own mini herb gardens and realize that even having limited space won’t prevent you.

What was your initial idea and what did you want to do/learn with this project?

My initial idea was to just grow a herb garden and learn about the various herbs and how they grew from seed. 

Did your project develop and change from your initial idea, if so how?

Upon looking at the different learning targets I could possibly utilize I ended up adapting my project into a more of a science project where I explored how different soil types would effect growth. In my research, I ended up using 2 main variables: the soil type and 3 different herb seeds so that I may achieve the best results.

What are your big takeaway lessons from this project?

I think my biggest take away is that it was fun. I enjoyed observing and taking pictures of the plants growing. Watching something grow from seed is extremely rewarding and a beautiful part of life. 

Driving Question: How do local people feel about tourism and environmental regulations in Puerto Galera?

Project Description: A couple of months ago, our family went on a trip to an island in the Philippines called Puerto Galera, so my sister and I decided to film a short documentary. It’s our little passion project to spread awareness on unsustainable tourism in the Philippines. We wanted it to highlight the unique perspectives of four local residents we got the opportunity to spend time with. Hopefully, it gives justice to an island that we and our entire family love.

What were your goals for this project? We wanted our documentary to inspire a call to action on unsustainable tourism. The effects of unsustainable tourism can cause an entire island to shut down, resulting in thousands of people losing their livelihoods. By interviewing the residents of Puerto Galera, we want to show our audience the people that are directly affected by this issue, which will hopefully create a sense of urgency to protect our environment.

What were your takeaways from the project? Working on the project reminded me of how unbelievable our world could be. I was reminded of how important it was to make sure that we sustain the beauty of our environment, especially in a small country like the Philippines. This project was a big wake up call for me and I hope that it can be the same to our audience.

Driving Question: How can I build a modern recurve bow with the available materials in Panama City and be able to explain the physics behind archery in a simplified way to my audience during showcase?

Project Overview: I have been practicing archery since 2016 and my passion for archery never stopped after joining TGS.

During the Panama term, after finding out about the opportunities the “Fab Lab” (fabrication lab) offered, I couldn’t miss the chance to build and design my own bow. With Educator Dan Garvey’s help I was able to make the “skeleton” of a recurve bow and understand some basics of wood working and lamination.

While working on the project I faced many challenges. The first try of making the bow failed because the wood strips were too thick, so Dan and I made thinner wood strips and experimented with it until the lamination of the bow succeeded. I learnt so much out of this passion project, from real life application of geometrical translations in planes, scaling, wood working to patience and learning how not to give up when something doesn’t succeed during the first try.