Energy and Place Project
Essential Questions:
Scientific Paper
- How does energy production and consumption impact place?
- How does your sense of place, environmental ethic and understanding of our energy needs influence your perception and decisions relating to energy production and consumption?
Scientific Paper
Infographic
Reflection
Through this project I not only learned about energy, but also quite a bit about the scientific process and how important it is. The lab that I completed tested the efficiency of biodiesel vs. stereotypical diesel. One of the steps for this lab was to synthesize biodiesel. At first this task seemed very simple and like a minor process leading up to the actual lab. But it proved to be extremely difficult and the most strenuous portion of the lab. This was just one of many experiences this year in chemistry that has made me notice how much we take for granted in everyday life.
I thought that the most interesting thing that I learned throughout the course of this project was how much cleaner biodiesel seemed to be over diesel. Not only was the biodiesel made from mostly natural ingredients, it also burned cleaner. We could notice this just by looking at the smoke as the diesels burned. The typical diesel was pumping out very dark thick smoke at a fast rate, but the biodiesel was both producing less smoke and cleaner smoke. It gives me hope that there will be growing alternatives to our current fuels.
View The Humanities Portion of this Project Here
Through this project I not only learned about energy, but also quite a bit about the scientific process and how important it is. The lab that I completed tested the efficiency of biodiesel vs. stereotypical diesel. One of the steps for this lab was to synthesize biodiesel. At first this task seemed very simple and like a minor process leading up to the actual lab. But it proved to be extremely difficult and the most strenuous portion of the lab. This was just one of many experiences this year in chemistry that has made me notice how much we take for granted in everyday life.
I thought that the most interesting thing that I learned throughout the course of this project was how much cleaner biodiesel seemed to be over diesel. Not only was the biodiesel made from mostly natural ingredients, it also burned cleaner. We could notice this just by looking at the smoke as the diesels burned. The typical diesel was pumping out very dark thick smoke at a fast rate, but the biodiesel was both producing less smoke and cleaner smoke. It gives me hope that there will be growing alternatives to our current fuels.
View The Humanities Portion of this Project Here
Materials Unit Project
Joshua Jacques
Can Self-Healing Concrete Lead to a Greener Tomorrow?
Ever since the Romans invented concrete it has been a revolutionary idea. The ability to use a cheap substance to create almost anything. The results were life changing. From sculptures and buildings to waterways and plumbing concrete has only gotten better. Modern day buildings are constructed using huge amounts of concrete throughout the structures and in the foundation and must use excessive amounts of steel reinforcements because of one big problem. Concrete cracks, it slowly deteriorates until something has to be done about it. It is so difficult to repair cracked concrete in foundations that it has become more financially suitable to tear down entire buildings and complexes than to repair them. This makes it more expensive to find a place to live, and also add to carbon emissions greatly as five percent of carbon emissions are from concrete production.
Recently, a team of scientists at Newcastle have developed a concrete that will heal itself using a special kind of bacteria placed in a capsule. The capsules are put into the concrete mixture before it is poured. The capsule is designed to break apart when the concrete does. When the bacterium is exposed to water it begins to react and produce something very similar to glue made of calcite. This slowly grows and spreads out but once there isn’t enough water in contact with it will stop growing. That way there won’t be run away patches of concrete growing around buildings which could cause a serious problem. This design is particularly useful since most problems with concrete are caused by water corrosion.
Overall self-repairing concrete has great potential for the future. When buildings are constructed with self-repairing concrete the need for demolitions will be cut to a fraction of the usual amount, and carbon emissions will be cut by a fairly large percentage. Imagine a world with no cracked sidewalks, no fenced off buildings, and no crumbling walls.
Project Reflection:
"How has the chemistry of materials shaped our past, present and how may it shape our future?"
Material science has shaped our lives greatly through past discovery and modern miracles and will continue to do so. Humans have always used their surroundings. However in the past they have not had a complete understanding of the chemical composition of those materials and how it affected everything. One way that the chemistry of materials has aided us in modern times is silicon and its huge roll in electronics today. The future will certainly be affected by further changes in our knowledge of materials helping advance things such as robotics, space travel, and improving every day life. An example of how everyday life is being improved is the self healing concrete that I wrote my article about.
"How does the structure of matter on the atomic, molecular, microscopic and macroscopic levels determine a material's properties?"
A material's properties ultimately are dependent on how it is built on the subatomic level. Its structure in terms of protons, neutrons, and electrons determine a lot about its properties. Elements with the same amount of valence electrons exhibit similar properties. As the molecules of a substance grow, more properties are revealed. Such as aluminum, a single atom is not conductive but a sheet of aluminum is conductive.
Elevator Pitch for Exhibition:
Ever since the Romans invented concrete it has been a revolutionary idea. The ability to use a cheap substance to create almost anything. The results, as shown every day, have been life changing. From sculptures and buildings to waterways and plumbing concrete has only gotten better. Modern day buildings are constructed using huge amounts of concrete throughout the structures and in the foundation and must use excessive amounts of steel reinforcements because of one big problem. Concrete cracks, it slowly deteriorates until something has to be done about it. This can cause anything from building demolitions to even bridge collapses. It is so difficult to repair cracked concrete in foundations that it has become more financially suitable to tear down entire buildings and complexes than to repair them. This makes it more expensive to find a place to live, and also adds to carbon emissions. As much as five percent of carbon emissions are from concrete production. What I am here to show you is a new type of concrete that can heal itself! This revolutionary product was discovered by a team of scientists at Newcastle University. Self-healing concrete could have the potential to change the world to make a greener tomorrow! That’s where you come in, all I ask you to do is invest just 200 of your 400 researcher bucks to help move this forwards and get self-healing concrete into construction.
Can Self-Healing Concrete Lead to a Greener Tomorrow?
Ever since the Romans invented concrete it has been a revolutionary idea. The ability to use a cheap substance to create almost anything. The results were life changing. From sculptures and buildings to waterways and plumbing concrete has only gotten better. Modern day buildings are constructed using huge amounts of concrete throughout the structures and in the foundation and must use excessive amounts of steel reinforcements because of one big problem. Concrete cracks, it slowly deteriorates until something has to be done about it. It is so difficult to repair cracked concrete in foundations that it has become more financially suitable to tear down entire buildings and complexes than to repair them. This makes it more expensive to find a place to live, and also add to carbon emissions greatly as five percent of carbon emissions are from concrete production.
Recently, a team of scientists at Newcastle have developed a concrete that will heal itself using a special kind of bacteria placed in a capsule. The capsules are put into the concrete mixture before it is poured. The capsule is designed to break apart when the concrete does. When the bacterium is exposed to water it begins to react and produce something very similar to glue made of calcite. This slowly grows and spreads out but once there isn’t enough water in contact with it will stop growing. That way there won’t be run away patches of concrete growing around buildings which could cause a serious problem. This design is particularly useful since most problems with concrete are caused by water corrosion.
Overall self-repairing concrete has great potential for the future. When buildings are constructed with self-repairing concrete the need for demolitions will be cut to a fraction of the usual amount, and carbon emissions will be cut by a fairly large percentage. Imagine a world with no cracked sidewalks, no fenced off buildings, and no crumbling walls.
Project Reflection:
"How has the chemistry of materials shaped our past, present and how may it shape our future?"
Material science has shaped our lives greatly through past discovery and modern miracles and will continue to do so. Humans have always used their surroundings. However in the past they have not had a complete understanding of the chemical composition of those materials and how it affected everything. One way that the chemistry of materials has aided us in modern times is silicon and its huge roll in electronics today. The future will certainly be affected by further changes in our knowledge of materials helping advance things such as robotics, space travel, and improving every day life. An example of how everyday life is being improved is the self healing concrete that I wrote my article about.
"How does the structure of matter on the atomic, molecular, microscopic and macroscopic levels determine a material's properties?"
A material's properties ultimately are dependent on how it is built on the subatomic level. Its structure in terms of protons, neutrons, and electrons determine a lot about its properties. Elements with the same amount of valence electrons exhibit similar properties. As the molecules of a substance grow, more properties are revealed. Such as aluminum, a single atom is not conductive but a sheet of aluminum is conductive.
Elevator Pitch for Exhibition:
Ever since the Romans invented concrete it has been a revolutionary idea. The ability to use a cheap substance to create almost anything. The results, as shown every day, have been life changing. From sculptures and buildings to waterways and plumbing concrete has only gotten better. Modern day buildings are constructed using huge amounts of concrete throughout the structures and in the foundation and must use excessive amounts of steel reinforcements because of one big problem. Concrete cracks, it slowly deteriorates until something has to be done about it. This can cause anything from building demolitions to even bridge collapses. It is so difficult to repair cracked concrete in foundations that it has become more financially suitable to tear down entire buildings and complexes than to repair them. This makes it more expensive to find a place to live, and also adds to carbon emissions. As much as five percent of carbon emissions are from concrete production. What I am here to show you is a new type of concrete that can heal itself! This revolutionary product was discovered by a team of scientists at Newcastle University. Self-healing concrete could have the potential to change the world to make a greener tomorrow! That’s where you come in, all I ask you to do is invest just 200 of your 400 researcher bucks to help move this forwards and get self-healing concrete into construction.