EnviroDIY
Info
Overview
The technology we build often results in our waterways being overlooked; fast roads and bridges have us crossing creeks and rivers without notice. But water is every bit as important in the age of technology as it was prior, so why not build and use technology to highlight this critical resource and help raise awareness of the quality of our streams?
This camp will turn 8 high school students into citizen scientists as they work together to build 4 Mayfly water monitoring stations and install them in the nearby creeks of Lynchburg. The data these stations collect will be transmitted in real-time to a publicly available website.
Curriculum
In the process of building Mayfly monitoring stations, students will learn about,
- Water data and its uses
- Arduino programming
- Water data instrumentation and collection
- Map reading and environmental importance
- Basic electronics
- Batteries and solar power systems
- Making a waterproof enclosure and stand
- Station installation and maintenance
Schedule
This camp is from 9:00am - 3:00pm starting Monday, July 19 and ending Friday, July 23.
Friday will be spent traveling to chosen installation locations and getting our hands dirty installing the stations.
Eligibility
This project is for students ages 14 to 19. The early registration fee is $225 until June 14th, and $250 afterwards.
Scholarships are available by application on the Scholarships tab. The application period closes July 5th and the applicants will be notified by July 12th.
Additional Information
Face masks and frequent hand washing will be required during this program. Social distancing will be implemented as often as possible, but students will sometimes need to work closely in a shared space with shared tools. Tools will be cleaned prior to use by students, and the health of each student will be assessed regularly. With this small group (eight students) we will be able to quickly alert participants of any known COVID exposures and the program will be halted if such a situation arises. Camp instructors are fully vaccinated. Parents and students will need to review and sign this COVID-19 Student Behavior Agreement prior to project participation.
Sponsors
This project is a partnership with the Lynchburg Department of Water Resources.
Instructors
Adam Spontarelli
Adam began his career as a Mechanical Engineer in the Nuclear Industry, modeling the flow of fluid and heat through pipes and debris, around baffles and impellers, across differing liquids, gasses, and solids. If the laws of Thermodynamics seemed to misbehave and joules of energy went missing, Adam helped find them.
After nearly a decade in the field, he left his desk job to pursue his passion for science, engineering, and making by founding Vector Space. Adam has built coffee roasters, drones, thermally conductive LED boards, arcade machines, childrens' bikes, robotic painting pianos, smart thermostats, and everything in between. He's fascinated by the way things works, and the more technical it gets, the better.
The only thing he enjoys as much as making things is teaching others to make things. As the Director of Education, Adam is responsible for crafting educational programming that excites and engages students. He incorporates the compelling work of Makiguchi, Dewey, and Papert into his teaching methods, placing experiential learning at the forefront of his efforts. Adam has led students to build their own quadcopter, launch capsules into space, race RC cars at 60 mph, build giant flip books, custom bicycles, skateboards, autonomous boats, and so much more. His programs have been nationally recognized by the Nation of Makers and shared with the maker education community through Maker Ed. Adam is always coming up with new ideas and looking forward to the next adventure.
Nancy Lilly
Nancy has been an environmental educator for 11 years. Her passion and creativity align and thrive at the conjunction of humanity and nature. She will be teaching about base science of Climate Change and Water Quality and guide students to think about local problems that might be solved with some creative collaboration. The only thing Nancy likes more than talking about the environment is being outside in it! She's an avid boater, biker, and hiker who also dabbles in art and science and wherever the two tend to meet.
Participants
These are the makers who are going to bring this project to life!