Biotechnology Product
In this project we had to research world problems pertaining to biotechnology, then develop a product to address that problem. After looking into a variety of issues facing our world today, including Energy, Ocean Pollution, & Climate Change, my group decided to focus on malnutrition and the deadly hunger crisis. Across the world, millions don't have enough food to survive and every single day 21,000 people die of malnutrition. This problem is still growing. If our population grows to 9 Billion by 2050 as predicted, the Earth will need to produce 50% more food.The current solutions have barely made a dent in the problem. Our solution followed the teachings of Rabbi Maimonides: "Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime."
Our solution, is to construct sealed biodomes all over Northern Africa and the Middle East for local communities to run farms in. These domes will be constructed of high tension steel rods and plastic sheeting on a concrete foundtation. Inside the dome will be a soil ground layer separated in quadrants for planting. A pond will provide water through evaporation and willow trees in the center will aid in soil retention. To maintain a seal within the dome, airlock doors will be installed for entry and exit of workers and crops. A pump will be used to fill and empty the pond if necessary. Solar panels will power the airlock and pump. Three medium apiaries will allow for pollination of all the plants.
The first step in this plan is to build a full pilot dome in the SF Bay Area to gain additional funding and conduct testing. After certification and fundraising, materials will begin to ship to third-world communities in need of more food and nutritional supplements. After completion of the dome, a team will teach the community everything they need to know to fully utilize the farms. Every 2 years after that, checks will be done to ensure everything is running smoothly.
Our solution, is to construct sealed biodomes all over Northern Africa and the Middle East for local communities to run farms in. These domes will be constructed of high tension steel rods and plastic sheeting on a concrete foundtation. Inside the dome will be a soil ground layer separated in quadrants for planting. A pond will provide water through evaporation and willow trees in the center will aid in soil retention. To maintain a seal within the dome, airlock doors will be installed for entry and exit of workers and crops. A pump will be used to fill and empty the pond if necessary. Solar panels will power the airlock and pump. Three medium apiaries will allow for pollination of all the plants.
The first step in this plan is to build a full pilot dome in the SF Bay Area to gain additional funding and conduct testing. After certification and fundraising, materials will begin to ship to third-world communities in need of more food and nutritional supplements. After completion of the dome, a team will teach the community everything they need to know to fully utilize the farms. Every 2 years after that, checks will be done to ensure everything is running smoothly.
Content
Biotechnology - The utilization of organic materials in manufacturing or testing
Engineering Design Cycle - A series of steps used to find the most thorough solution to a problem.
1. Define the Problem
2. Do Background Research
3. Specify Requirements
4. Brainstorm, Evaluate, & Choose Solutions
5. Develop and Prototype Solution
6. Test Solution
7. Repeat 4-6 as Needed
8. Communicate Results
Malnutrition - Lack of proper minerals and nutrients caused by poor food sources
Crop Rotation - The process of varying crops in a field for the purpose of actively replenishing nutrients in the soil
Photosynthesis - The process of using sunlight to create energy
Evaporation - The process of changing state from liquid to gas
Engineering Design Cycle - A series of steps used to find the most thorough solution to a problem.
1. Define the Problem
2. Do Background Research
3. Specify Requirements
4. Brainstorm, Evaluate, & Choose Solutions
5. Develop and Prototype Solution
6. Test Solution
7. Repeat 4-6 as Needed
8. Communicate Results
Malnutrition - Lack of proper minerals and nutrients caused by poor food sources
Crop Rotation - The process of varying crops in a field for the purpose of actively replenishing nutrients in the soil
Photosynthesis - The process of using sunlight to create energy
Evaporation - The process of changing state from liquid to gas
Reflection
This was a very interesting project for a few reasons. Primarily, this project allowed us to be creative in our solutions to these large, worldwide scale problems. However, with very little required direction it was difficult to fully understand the best way to approach this project. It took a few days to find direction and come up with a solid idea. Once we had finalized our idea we were able to distribute the work very evenly. Each of our group members researched specific aspects of the project completely giving us an overall better project. We could have improved our final project by continually referring back to our original purpose and problem. This would have made a much more focused solution to our problem. Personally, I am satisfied with our final result and was proud to present it to our judges.