I guess you could say this AP is pretty smelly

For this last AP we dove deeper into decomposition. During this unit we went on multiple FEs. My favorite was, The Plant. We were able to explore throughout the building, and we were able to see the process of aquaponics which was very interesting to see. Another FE guest came in, Sharayu, who gave a presentation on Vermi-composting. Vermi-composting is very impactful on the environment, and you will see why throughout my presentation.  We learned about different fungi, and the beneficial effects that they have on the environment. Without decomposers we wouldn't have closed loop systems. Closed loop systems are used in multiple environmental friendly business that think of Earth's resources as a system that could be reused. They believe that waste can be recycled and transformed into something else for their company that benefits everyone. Less waste leads to more possibilities.

For my final AP, I was looking into how long it takes a disposable diaper to decompose. The information I got back was quite surprising. Working with the idea of a closed loop system, I decided to create an efficient diaper that would work with the closed loop system.  Continue reading to learn more about the effect disposable diapers have on the environment, and how we could change that.



To conclude, I believe that it's important to think about the overall life of things. We as a society should be thinking about where our trash goes after we have thrown it out. Our landfills are getting way to cluttered, and we tend to think that composting is a hassle. Composting, especially vermicomposting, is an efficient way to throw away biodegradable materials and the leftover soil can be used as nutrients for your garden. There are many ways to close the loop on products we use in our everday lives, start doing it!

Swordfish 1.0 & The Underwater Office

In Unit 2 of my STEAM course, Biomimicry, the subject was based off animals. Throughout this course, we looked into different animal adaptations that influenced the design to solve real world problems. While looking into the adaptations, we also looked into different animal architects that create structures for themselves to help them in their habitats. For this AP, we were asked to choose two different animals, and create two structures for housing and transportation influenced by the animals you chose. I chose the Japanese Puffer Fish and the Swordfish, and you will see how I incorporated the two to create a unique design.


To conclude, I found that we as a society should be looking deeper into animal architecture, and what purposes they serve in the environment that they are found in. I found that there were multiple types of animal architecture which were used for mating. We should be thinking more about how we can incorporate these ideas into our everyday lives. Some of these ideas are already being used for housing and transportation. This AP allowed me to look into more of that in depth, and think about the way society is changing along with the direction in which we are going.

The Rose Bowl

For this class, Biomimicry, we looked into how humans have been influenced by nature in order to create designs.  We visited a company called Interface Flor and met with one of the workers, Mikhel Davis. He spoke about the company and how they use nature in order to create their carpeting design and different patterns found in nature. We also went to the Lincoln Park Conservatory where we observed plants. We chose a couple to look into closely. For this action project, we were asked to choose one plant in nature and create a design. I decided to look into the Rose of Jericho which is found in the Middle East. The design that I made also works with the Sustainable Development Goals created by the UN. Look at my slideshow in order to learn more about this plant and my design!


To conclude, this action project made me think more about how much nature has an impact on the designs we have made as humans. It made me think about how society should be influenced more by nature than the designs created by desire.  When we make designs, we should think about the people we are surrounded with day by day. We should make our designs based on world struggles. Zero Hunger should never be an issue. People like you should use engineering and the inspiration of other life forms to solve real-world problems.