Driving Question: How can I use my passion for applied physics to create an omni-directional treadmill?

Project Description: Nebula Model O is an omni-directional treadmill specified for virtual-reality gaming.

My goal was to design a functional, beautiful, and structurally sound omni-directional treadmill. Moreover, I wanted to use sustainable, very accessible materials like carbon-glass and other used in 3D printing.

Njeri’s Process Portfolio

The Fool’s Journey: A Look at my Creative Process

I will say, the look of the audience when I lead my presentation with “Hi I’m Njeri, and I am presenting an omni-directional treadmill I devised,” was very close to the best part of it all. It was a look that I am well accustomed to receiving; the look in between intrigue, and “what the heck is she on about?” The key, however, I have learned, is maintaining that perfect balance between eccentricity and conventionality to hold the intrigue of the audience. You see, the eccentricity is what feeds intrigue, but should it not be fed with the spoon of conventionality; you risk losing intrigue in favor of being tossed in the looney bin. It appears, however, that this process of maintaining a balance between sanity and insanity only applies to my presentation technique and not my decision-making process.

Till this day, it both haunts and fascinates me that, inspired by the Australia VR module, I decided to develop an omni-directional treadmill holding only a laughable amount of the prerequisites necessary for such a task.

Expert level understanding of engineering concepts, an understanding of how to use complex virtual engineering software, an advanced understanding of statistical mechanics, material physics? Allow me to laugh in announcing I had none of these.

Zero, zip, zilch.

Quite literally, all I had was an idea of how I wanted it to look, work, and feel, paired with an understanding of classical mechanics in my intellectual toolkit. For lack of a better way to phrase this, in terms of knowledge and skills, this project required a crane, a forklift, and an array of construction equipment, while I only had a small tool kit with a single screwdriver. So my decision, in choosing to build an Omni-directional treadmill may look like one of great hubris, it was one of a much more formidable nature; foolish.

As I embarked on my project, I had to painstakingly learn a six-month formal course on how to use the engineering software Fusion 360 in less than a month. This program served to communicate my idea into a physical form but did nothing to prove it’s functionality. And I was much more interested in functionality than I was in physical design.

In fact, the guiding question throughout the entire project was “Can spherical motion provide an Omni-directional experience, and to what extent is it feasible for the human gait?” The former part, I could only answer through countless simulations I ran. The overwhelming answer was a screeching yes. The answer to the latter, however, can only be theorized for now until a physical human-sized-model is printed and assembled. For now, the assumption is yes.

But you see, in presenting the burning questions that fuelled me through this project, I gloss over the most important part of it all: I had to stumble through it all like a fool. Because I did not exactly have someone to guide me through the janky technical aspects of it, I had to discover things for myself. Moreover, because I was essentially a blank slate in terms of scientific knowledge (in comparison to what I needed to know), I had to treat everything experimentally.

One example of this is when one component would exert far too much pressure on another, a singularity would occur every time I ran a simulation. So I observed it, recorded graphs based on this behavior, then googled it and found out that this phenomenon was statistical strain. It had been discovered more than 100 years ago and sat on the coattails of the theory of thermodynamics. I realized I was in a very unique position where these concepts were not just formulas on a university textbook, but rather something I was actively observing and working with in the most practical sense.

So while I was stumbling through this desert of knowledge as a directionless fool, my lack of direction allowed me to do what science is all about: ask and observe free of any biases. My acceptance of being a complete fool allowed me to skip the Dunning-Kruger curve all together in embracing that I know nothing, and thus birthing my greatest ambition — I want to know.

The truth of the matter is that from a surface level I did it. Against my own expectation (and anyone with even a sliver of reason), I actually managed to do it. Should I have the funds tomorrow, I could print out the human-sized version of the device and begin working on the electrical aspect of it. I could easily have a finished product in less than a year. But that doesn’t matter to me. Nebula is just a device, its inventor, however, as I discovered, is the most foolish, audacious, stupidly curious person who will get it done. That is the greatest discovery I got from this project.

And from this project, I have realized one thing for certain: as long as I live, I will create things, fail, and succeed, allowing the ocean of curiosity to guide my foolish mind.

So I shall leave you with this rhetoric that I continually ask myself: Does it take one to know, to do? or does it take one to do, to know?

Driving Question: How can I create a portrait photo essay which summarizes my senior year?

Project Website: https://charlottesteckart.wixsite.com/mysite

Project Overview: In this mastery project, I made a photo essay on people in my life who contributed to who I am today.  I wanted to photograph family/friends/teachers/and relatives. This wrapped up my senior year and the last year of a six-year journey. I also added written reflections and poetry to each of the portraits I took.

Sample Photos from the Project:

Driving Question: How might I grow my creativity during the COVID-19 crisis through exploring the science of creativity and innovation and experimenting with art?

Project Title: The World and Its Viruses

Location: Wuhan, China

What were your goals for this module? How did you achieve them? I wanted captivate and express my creativity, something which I had been struggling with lately. So I decided to create a series of art pieces to express my perspectives and thoughts on the COVID-19 crisis through maps. By extensively researching my theme, receiving and applying feedback, as well as trying different techniques, I managed to express my creativity and perspectives through this unusual type of art.

What did you learn about yourself, your creative process, or your medium? I learned that creativity is not a state of mind, but an innate condition that people just do not cultivate.

Driving Question: How to grow in Spanish in a fun and unique way?

Project Description: For my project, I wrote a short story in Spanish using the skills I developed this school year. For inspiration, I used the nights spent under the stars in Patagonia and the odd assortment of dreams that came with them.

What were your goals for this project? How did you achieve them? My first and foremost goal was to learn Spanish, but I had no idea it would evolve to what it ended up becoming! To achieve this rather ambitious but straight forward goal I ended up employing multiple different techniques.

First I used the tried and true Duolingo learning app. While it did help it did not cover the topics I wanted to explore nor did it start at the level of Spanish I was at. For most of my Australia term, I ended up using the Duolingo stories since they contextualised the language more and were more interactive for my style of learning. I also ended up watching multiple Spanish language movies that were provided on Netflix with English subtitles. One that stood out to me was ‘El Hoyo’ about a futuristic prison.

Eventually, I ended up just writing and revising my Spanish with native Spanish speakers as they were able to answer my specific questions.

What are you passionate about that lead you to choosing this project? I wanted to challenge myself and as someone who did not excel in language studies in my previous school and even went as far as to quit Spanish and get a Pass in French to avoid my grade. I wanted to prove my past self wrong and to prove my present self that I could learn to love languages.

Did your project develop and change from your initial idea, if so how? My project changed significantly from primarily focusing on speaking to writing once the Chile term was changed. I previously hoped that my Spanish would improve once in an environment that forced me to start using the words I learned. However, later on I opted to focus on writing as it was something I could do more independently.

Driving Question: How might I create an uplifting documentary that shows how deafness adds value and diversity to our society?

Project Description: For my second mastery project, I decided to improve my filmmaking skills by making a documentary about deaf artists living in Melbourne. The main objective of this was to tell a story of a group that’s not often talked about and to portray it in a positive, inspiring way. The film sheds light on what it’s like to be a deaf artist in a hearing world and the struggles that come with it. But most importantly, it shows that deafness brings a valuable perspective to our society by showcasing the talent and passion of two Australian artists.

What are the biggest lessons you learned through the process of your mastery project? I think the main thing I’ve learned through this project is the importance of being adaptable and flexible when things don’t go as planned, and knowing that some things are just outside of my control.

Driving Question: In what ways can the philosophy of decentralization and blockchain technologies be catalysts for disruption and efficiency for the modern business world?

Project Description: For our Panama module, we gamified the backend of blockchain technology to educate users on how blockchain works.

To do so, we developed the game concept of Metaminers with the aim of having users build their very own blockchain on a multiplayer platform. The goal of the game is to simplify blockchain technology in an approachable and fun way.

Players would play minigames to add blocks to their chain and receive rewards for completing blocks as they progress. Adding blocks to the chain leads players to chests containing rewardables that can be used to help solve problems. Players can also place rewardables in a marketplace where others can buy these cryptocollectibles and experience blockchain transactions on the Ethereum blockchain in the process. Throughout our process we spent time developing a wireframe of Metaminers including the game graphics and other assets. We also developed the structure for the games smart contract safeguarding our outlined game ethics with the aim to primarily ensure positive user experiences on the Ethereum blockchain.

Scott’s Process Portfolio

Che’s Process Portfolio

Driving Question: How can we create and design a mobile game that is marketed as fun but also portrays themes of entrepreneurship and science?

Full Project Link: https://sites.google.com/view/independentstudymodule/home

Project Overview: Throughout this module, we designed, coded, and built a tycoon clicker-based game that educates users on concepts of business and biology whilst maintaining a fun marketing campaign.

First, we studied game design by recreating an arcade game of our choice including code and user interface. The next step was to continue the development of our game, which we created the base concept and plan for in China. We built the wireframe, sound design, and rest of the graphics for the game throughout the Blockchain module.

Game Concept Summary: Our game is an idle clicker/tycoon game. The main concept behind this genre is that you collect money in order to spend money on making money faster. The genre follows this loop consistently, but we have put our own little twist on it. In the game, the player starts off by getting their own restaurant. In this restaurant the player has to keep upgrading to keep bringing in more customers, selling better food and making more money. This restaurant is a special one that uses Genetically Modified Food (GMOs) to make the restaurant more efficient.

Formative 1: Recoded Arcade Game To practice creating and finishing a product, we wanted to recode an arcade game. We chose space invaders, and simplified it to its core mechanics. We coded this and drew the visual assets over the process of around 3 days.

Formative 2: Hi-Fi Wireframe In order to plan our game effectively, we needed to create a wireframe. This helps us to test the UI and how users will move around the game. This began with a Lo-Fi wireframe but developed into our Hi-Fi Wireframe.

Formative 3: Sample of Soundtrack We looked into the process of creating a video game soundtrack in order to begin designing our own one. We ended up creating a quick sample of a soundtrack for our game.

Formative 4: Marketing Plan We investigated how to market video games, and the best methods to do so. We also investigated to work out the best target demographic for our game. Eventually we used this research to create a marketing plan.

Driving Question: How can we teach the concepts of branding, marketing, and project management to build a fashion brand?

Project Overview: We developed this service project to help local Panamanian fashion entrepreneurs Maale & Lorena build their streetwear brand, Sure. We did so by designing a website, graphics, and by offering business strategy through regular phone calls. We found the work to be more rewarding than initially expected. In this process, we not only discovered a passion for graphic design but also became passionate about the future of the project. Are You Sure refers to the branding we came up with in conjunction with the two young women.

During the fifth week, right before heading to WeXplore in Venao, Principal Russell Cailey asked for volunteers to help two of the girls at Hairarchy build a business website for a fashion brand. There we realized they were missing other important elements of their business so we decided to help.

As to who they are exactly, Maale and Lore are two Colombian girls that moved to Panama and began working in Hairarchy Casco. Lore is a bartender at La Bárbara, the speakeasy that operates at the back of the salon and Maale is the receptionist for the salon. They are both passionate, creative, and entrepreneurial people that love to use art to communicate with the world around them and they both love music!

It was also great to have our hard work recognized by two of the other members of their team, Ryan and Dave. One thing led to another, and Levith and I got offered a part in the brand if we continued with the project. The service project has become a passion project, and we very eager to see its development in the future.

Driving Question: How can we improve our health using Chinese concepts?

Project Overview: In the this module, we investigated how traditional Chinese medicine concepts can use artificial intelligence to improve our health. Through our two months in Shanghai, we learned about the core concepts behind traditional Chinese medicine, and in many instances we explored their uses ourselves.

With this background knowledge, we applied it to the creation of a software similar to a chatbot. The chatbot is used to diagnose and treat people using traditional Chinese medicine techniques and practices. NaiBot hopes to make eastern medicine accessible for newer generations as well as western audiences. We hope you take some time to see how the chatbot works and try it for yourself!

Test the NaiBot: https://bot.dialogflow.com/NAIBOT

Liam Davis Bosch’s Process Portfolio:

Driving Question: Why is the average person not aware of food miles? How can I make people more aware?

Project Overview: Over the course of the last summer, I became aware of how many issues there are in modern agriculture. I focused specifically on the issue of “food miles” which are the carbon emissions produced through transporting food from farm to table. That’s where I got the idea for my mastery project.

The core idea of my mastery project is to teach people about the food miles problem and give them ideas on how to counteract it, through a science kit. I made an urban agriculture science kit that uses hydroponics to teach about food miles and how they can be mitigated using urban agriculture.

Throughout this project, I did a lot of research on urban agriculture and plant growth, for the kit, and a lot of research on marketing and branding, as a method of spreading the message

How to Build Your Own Hydroponics Kit:

How do Hydroponics work?

How to build a hydroponics station