3D Model of Blueprint - Stage Chemistry AP 2

In Stage Chemistry, we were assigned to build a 3D model of the theatre in our first Action Project (see the blueprints from Unit 1, here). We were assigned to play the role of a set designer, also known as the scenic designer. The scenic designer established an overall visual concept for the production and design the stage environment. We had to incorporate the scale and proportions determined in Unit 1, add working miniatures to demonstrate motion that will occur on stage, and an explanation of how & why the elements in our 3D model optimizes our adaptation. The purpose of this action project was to build a 3D model. I learned how to build stairs with the help of JR.

The stage has been set with a functioning star trap style door, and a rotating scenery flats.

Areal view of stage. GN, 2014

Stage. GN, 2014

Stage. GN, 2014

Rotary Scenery Flats:

The adaptation is split into three important locations in the story - Scrooge's residence, graveyard, Scrooge's business. Any other scenes will take place without the scenery on the stage. It would either be projected or very reliant on props. 

Inspired by Aaron Moring-D'angier's equilateral triangular prism, I too constructed an equilateral triangular prism that is made of three 3'x8' flats attached on the sides. The triangular prism rests on a raked based, which accounts for the raked stage. The rotary scenery would be moved mechanically by a computer. It would already be programmed in terms of the time at which the prism will rotate. I thought that having an actor or someone physically move it would pose a risk I was not willing to take (perfect timing would of been an issue).  

GN, with the help of Aaron Moring-D'angier

Star Trap: 

In theatre, a trap is a concealed opening usually in the stage floor. Traps are used to create a great variety of stage effects, such as the sudden appearance and disappearance of characters or objects on stage. There are many types of traps. The star trap is a circular opening with lids composed of wedge-shaped sections individually hinged to the circumference. 

GN, with the help of Aaron Moring-D'angier

Trap Safety Protocols: 

• Prepared yourself (timing) 
• Make sure the wedge-shaped section functions properly
• Stabilize yourself after going through the star trap

Works Cited: 

• "Trap | Stage Machinery." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 19 Dec. 2014.

Staggering - Five Faces of Genius AP2

Five Faces of Genius is a course that allows us to explore our personal creativity and teaches us about different tools and skills that help unlock more creativity. It also gives you the tools necessary to answer the question of how creativity can help us and our community. In the second unit, we explored the Five Faces of Genius in depth and discovered our strengths and challenges with each Face. Our task was to condense what we have learned for the past few weeks about the Five Faces of Genius into chapters. We explained the Five Faces and related them to ourselves, we highlighted three geniuses and their Five Faces, and we applied our Five Faces to create two potential service projects. The purpose of this project was to learn about the Five Faces of Genius.

The Five Faces of Genius are: Seer, Observer, Alchemist, Fool, and Sage. A Seer is someone who see pictures in their mind’s eye and uses those images to lead to new ideas. A Seer navigates their imagination through visualization. Observers are sensitive to the world around them. An Observer notices the tiny details and realizes their creative significance. They make creative conclusions from their collection of facts. Observers don’t just collect and critique, they create. An Alchemist uses analogy as a way to generate to new ideas. Alchemists use different areas of interest and use what may seem dissimilar and develop a great idea from that dissimilarity. A Fool is someone who realizes that brilliant ideas lurk in the shadows of weakness. A Fool knows how to use absurdity and inverts weakness into strength. Sages use the past as a springboard for inspiration. Those who master the Sage know the wisdom of what has gone before and the power of simplicity.

According to the Five Faces survey, I seem to have very strong Observer and Seer characteristics. I disagree with the Seer assessment, because a Seer relies on the power of visualization to image creative ideas. I cannot visualize. Every time I close my eyes all I see is darkness. I can’t picture images of my family or friends in my head. And when faced with a challenge, I don’t strive to “image” a solution. I have not yet tapped the full wisdom the Sage has to offer, which was my weakest face with an 8%. I agree with the Sage assessment. I tend to complicate things and quite frankly all of the ideas are not simple ideas. They require lots of work, time and dedication. Overall, my Five Faces assessment was fairly accurate in assessing my genius traits.

I interviewed my friend AJ to determine which of the Five Faces she resembles. I think that AJ has very strong Sage characteristics. She is extremely motivated by her past. AJ finds good ideas from the past and keeps a mental record of the stories that intrigue and inspire her. I find that she is constantly asking herself what has worked in the past, and how can I rekindle it and bring it to the present with a refreshed vitality? She is an excellent storyteller, which is Sage trait. Also, I think AJ has very strong Seer characteristics. About two weeks ago, AJ came up with this idea of a doughnut museum. She instantly had a clear image of the exterior and interior design of the museum in her head. And that is exactly what a Seer does.

“History doesn’t have to be the history we learn in textbooks at school, but it can be our own past experiences”.

Selfie, AJ 2014

One person we studied in class was Walt Disney. "Walt Disney was an American business magnate, cartoonist, theme park designer, and filmmaker," (WIKIPEDIA). Disney co-founded The Walt Disney Company, and is regarded as a cultural icon. He is a perfect example of an Observer. It is said that Disney was inspired to create Disneyland in the park Republic of the Children located in Manuel B. Gonnet, La Plata after observing how unhappy and bored the children seemed (WIKIPEDIA). "Whenever I go on a ride, I'm always thinking of what's wrong with the thing and how it can be improved". He is also a Seer. He is a visual person considering he is a cartoonist. He envisioned the cartoon before drawing it.

"Whenever I go on a ride, I'm always thinking of what's wrong with the thing and how it can be improved".

"Walt Disney." Disney Wiki. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2014. 

Dame Jane Morris Goodall, also known as Jane Goodall is an English primatologist, ethologist, and anthropologist. Goodall is considered to be the world's most foremost expert on chimpanzees. I think Goodall is an Observer. She is best known for a 55-year study of social and family interactions of wild chimpanzees in Gombe Stream National Park, Tanzania in which she observed chimpanzees. She is also a Fool. She began studying the Kasakela chimpanzee community in Gombe Stream National Park, Tanzania in 1960, but Goodall did not have collegiate training directing her. She was able to invert that "weakness" into a strength. Without collegiate training directing her research, Goodall observed things that strict scientific doctrines may have overlooked. She observed that each chimpanzee has unique and individual personalities, which was an unconventional idea at the time.

“I was brought up to understand Darwin's theory of evolution. I spent hours and hours in the Natural History Museum in London looking at the descriptions of how different kinds of animals had evolved, looking at the sequence of fossil bones looking gradually more and more and more and more like the modern fossil”.

Jane Goodall and Her Chimps. Watch 60 Minutes Free. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2014.

The Five Faces of Genius will be very helpful when designing my service project. I plan on using the Seer traits by visualizing the outcome of my project. I will also be using the Observer traits, by paying close attention to details to ensure my projects' success. As I am formulating/coming up with ideas, the Sage and Fool traits will be very helpful. I hope to come up with both simple and absurd ideas. By combining both of those faces and different elements/topics, I will be using the Alchemist face.

I combined two of my passions (Alchemist), which are CTA/trains and homelessness to create a service project. Seeing the occasional homeless person sleeping in a train car has become a common thing for any habitual CTA commuter. The CTA has tried to addressed the problem by apologizing to riders and by adding more patrollers. However, encouraging homeless people to seek shelter elsewhere is not solving the problem. It only removes them from sight. For my service project, I would like to create a train service that is homeless people friendly. This is kind of an adaptation of the Holiday Train, imagine having a special train offering shelter to the homeless. The train would route to the places with the highest homelessness percentages in the Chicagoland Area. Another service project idea I had was to have an art exhibition promoting stereotype discussions. I plan on inverting my age, which is a weakness into a strength. I want to excite people about the change a “young person or child” can do in the world (Fool).

Work Cited:

• Jane Goodall. (2014). The Biography.com website. Retrieved 11:33, Dec 14, 2014. 
• "Jane Goodall, Primatologist Information (Emeritus), Facts, News, Photos -- National Geographic." National Geographic. N.p., 2000-2002. Web. 15 Dec. 2014. 
• Jane Goodall. (2014, December 13). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 05:58, December 15, 2014. 
• Walt Disney. (2014, December 2). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 04:32, December 18, 2014. 

The Blueprint - A Stage Chemistry

In my Stage Chemistry course, which is a course about learning the production process of theatre and how learning about theatre production changes your perception and experience of the world. This course has come to exist through the partnership with The Goodman Theatre in Chicago. For our first action project, we were assigned to pick a place, adapt that place into a theatre and create a blueprint for it. The purpose of this action project was to create a blueprint of our theatre and use logic and mathematics to justify the decisions we made along the way. I learned how to use conditional statements. A conditional statement is a If-then statement (a logical connector). Even though, this project required tedious work, I enjoyed working on this project. I am proud of the drawings on my blueprint.

Below is my blueprint, and my reflection.


The Fassaes Theatre Blueprint

The Monomonee Club is a not-for profit boys and girls club that help children have fun by offering a variety of recreational programs. The building is located downtown and is near nice restaurants and other theatres such as the IO and the Steppenwolf Theatre. It also has a large parking lot. I chose the Fassaes studio in the Menomonee building because I had easy access to it. Conveniently enough, the Fassaes studio also had many of the theatrical components I wanted in my theatre, such as a lighting system and the sound quality. Since people already attend the Monomonee Club I would already have a customer source. I encountered a lot of problems measuring, but I solved it by collaborating with other classmates.

Modeling Creatively

In my Five Faces of Genius course, we are exploring personal creativity, and learning different tools and skills that help unlock more creativity, and how creativity can help us and our community. In our first unit, we developed an appreciation for creative genius, established a range of individuals who demonstrate genius, and discussed the difference between creativity and genius. Along the way our class created a Genius Gallery, showcasing a range of people who demonstrated genius or creativity. For our first Action Project, we were asked to observe and articulate patterns of genius and creativity. The purpose of this action project was to learn the true meaning of genius. I learned a lot about creativity, and am very proud of completing this project on time.

There are several patterns in our Genius Gallery. One of the patterns is that almost all of the geniuses in our gallery are frequently in the media. This pattern does not really produce geniuses, but can someone truly be a genius if no one knows about them? People are drawn to geniuses, and want to know more about them, thus putting them in the spotlight. Some geniuses that are in the public spotlight are: Michael Jackson, J.K. Rowling, and Kanye West. Another pattern I have discovered is that most of the geniuses in our gallery come from a low income family. In my opinion, people that come from a low income family tend to work harder to break the cycle of poverty. Some examples are: J.K. Rowling, Kanye West/Jay Z, and Eminem. The last pattern I noticed was that some of these geniuses went through some type of struggles. Kurt Vonnegut for example was a prisoner of war. Jay Z grew up without a father in a housing in Brooklyn. Eminem also grew up without a father, and worked several jobs to help his mother with the bills.

Kpriss. "Naomi Campbell Endless In NUmero Russia March 2013. "StyleFrizz. N.p., 11 Mar.2013.Web. 16 Nov. 2014.

Model Naomi Campbell is another example of a powerful creative genius. No discussion of supermodels would be complete without a mention of Naomi Campbell. She breathed life into the term supermodel. Campbell is not just another pretty girl, she broke ground as the first black woman to ever appear on the cover of Time magazine and French and British Vogue (Naomi Campbell). Being a successful model requires a multitude of skills, such as creativity, perseverance, strong sense of self, self-worth, confidence and determination. Though Campbell was discovered by one of the top modeling agencies, she worked extremely hard to achieve success. She embarked on other ventures, which included an R&B-pop studio album, several acting appearances in film and television and a novel.

Models need a strong sense of self and confidence. The modeling industry is a very competitive field. There is always going to be someone thinner and prettier; therefore, you need to have a strong sense of what you bring to the table. Campbell is extremely confident in herself and exerts self-examination, an examination of one’s own behavior and motivation.

Fashion is a very creative field. Clothing designers and models are visual artists, and clothing and the body are their medium. Although Campbell has many strengths, she faced countless obstacles. She suffered from a cocaine addiction and faced multiple legal issues. Unfortunately, drug addictions come with the fame territory. "I was having fun. I was living this life of traveling the world and having people just give you anything," said Naomi Campbell. This quote just shows her strong sense of self-examination and self-identity. Also, she faced multiple legal issues all about assaults.Though she didn't use any of her strength to overcome this obstacle, she realizes that she was wrong and has apologized for it (self-examination). “I am a human, being and I make mistakes,” Naomi Campbell at a CBS interview. 

Three strengths that I possess are: determination, conscientiousness, and open-mindedness. There is creativity in being open-minded. Open-mindedness is not just the receptiveness of new ideas, it is the acknowledgement and consideration of one's view, which then leads to the evolution of one’s thoughts. And creativity is evolution. Conscientiousness is the personality trait of being careful and organized. You can be creative with the way you organize things. For example, I have used a magazine rack as a pot lid holder in my house. One challenge that I faced was doing action projects as a main mode of evaluation. Through determination, I pushed through and have gotten used to doing them. The way in which someone shows determination is a creative pursuit. A challenge that the world faces is stereotyping. I want to tap into my creative genius to find more ways to encourage people to be more open-minded like myself, as I feel this will lead to more people looking at the world in a new perceptive.

"A genius is a person who displays exceptional intellectual ability, creativity or originality, typically to a degree that is associated with the achievement of now advances in a domain of knowledge," (Wikipedia). The widely regarded genius, Albert Einstein said that creativity is intelligence having fun. Then is there creativity without intelligence and vice versa? The truth is, for the human species creativity is an instinct. If you have ever doodled on a piece of paper during a lecture, or if you have ever drawn on a window filled with condensation, then you are creative. "Don't fall into the trap of associating creativity with artistry" said Mark, an IIT student. We image, envision, and daydream, and because of these thought habits humanity/world is always evolving and changing, which is why things are never stagnant.

Works Cited:

Naomi Campbell. (2014, November 11). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 03:11, November 17, 2014.

"Naomi Campbell." Naomi Campbell. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.

Jess Cartner-Morley. "Naomi Campbell: 'Everyone Has a Temper'" The Guardian. The Guardian, 7 Sept. 2013. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.

Kpriss. "Naomi Campbell Endless Legs In Numero Russia March 2013."StyleFrizz. N.p., 11 Mar. 2013. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.

Stereotype. (2014, November 14). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 06:10, November 17, 2014.

MJ, Face-to-face interview, 2014.

Tu Ne T'intéresses Pas Au Sexe?

For our last action project in Rhetoric, we were assigned to create an artistic representation of your feelings about an important social issue. The purpose of this action project was to produce a compelling work of art that transcends speech, one that “breaks the sound barrier”. My topic is adolescent sexuality, specifically teenage girls' sexuality. Ironically enough, I was afraid to choose this topic because of it's mature content and nature. I am proud of completing this project on time because I struggled with the timeline that was given.

GN (Print), 2014 

 I understand that it can be especially hard to talk about sex, but this can be very detrimental to teens. Yes, we have sex education classes at school, but as a teenager myself I don't feel like those classes answer all of our questions. Sex Ed focuses on the physical and the consequential aspects of sex, some teens including myself are interested in knowing about the emotional aspect of sex. What does it feel like? "Human sexuality is much more complex than the biological forces that initiate the sexual maturation process, " (The Development of Adolescent Sexuality). Adolescent sexuality does not only include physical development, but also emotional, social, moral, and cognitive development. Adolescent sexuality is usually associated with various risks, including unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases, and this negative focus can be especially harmful because it can scare or prevent people from talking about it. No one said that having the "talk" is not awkward, but there is no reason to put off that discussion.

Related to this issue, I am also interested in how gender affects your view towards sex. Because of the way society frames female sexuality, girls generally think of virginity as sacred. "Researchers found that girls typically think of virginity as a gift, while boys think of virginity as a stigma (meaning they often seek to cover up the fact that they are virgins). In interviews, girls said that they viewed giving someone their virginity like giving them a very special gift" (Adolescent sexuality. (2014, October 21). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia).

AMK (Skirt), 2014

The purpose of my piece is to get people thinking and talking. I was inspired by Lisa Anne Auerbach, an artist based in Los Angeles who is interested in the way time changes the meaning of things and how fabric can outlast sentiments to create my artistic representation of adolescent sexuality. I didn't want a piece that was graphic. I wanted to make a loud political statement and encourage people to talk about sex, and so I decided to make my piece/artwork a wearable one.

GN (mannequin), 2014

I designed the pattern and created the print and skirt myself. With the help of a family friend I was able to print my pattern on the fabric. Squares are a major part of my print. They represent grounding because of their fixed lines. They also represent foundations (homes) because that is where, in my opinion, teens should be getting a foundation about sex.

My print/pattern has a very African vibe to it because I am African. Red represents sexuality which correlates with my topic, adolescent sexuality. Blue is considered beneficial to the mind and body, and learning about sexuality benefits you both mentally and physically. Many of us think of the color green as the color of nature, but green also has strong emotional correspondence with safety, which communicates a message of safe sex to the viewer. Skirts are considered very feminine, and in the 1910-1912, women were only allowed to wear ankle-length skirt with no slit. I wanted my piece I utilized repetition because I am using the same color pallet over and over again. I also employ description because my print is vibrant and utilizes the sense of sight to capture people's attention. I would love for everyone to be wearing my art piece, instead of it being confined in a museum.

Statistics:

• A new study from Harvard finds that more than 40 percent of parents don't get around to talking to their kids about safe sex practices until after their kids are sexually active.
• Each year, U.S. teens experience as many as 850,000 pregnancies, and youth under age 25 experience about 9.1 million sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
• A study on examining sexual messages in popular TV shows found that 2 out of 3 programs contained sexually related actions. 1 out of 15 shows included scenes of sexual intercourse itself.

Materials for skirt:

- Fabric: Cotton

- Needles

- Sewing machine

- Thread

- Buttons

- Scissors

- Color pencils

- Ruler

- Measuring Tape

- Fabric Printer

- HP Intel, a 3rd generation Intel core i5 processor
Works Cited:

1. Adolescent sexuality. (2014, October 21). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 15:16, October 22, 2014.
2. Unit, Courtney Hutchisonabc News Medical. "Don't Let the 'Sex Talk' Come Too Little, Too Late for Your Teen." ABC News. ABC News Network, 07 Dec. 2009. Web. 27 Oct. 2014. 
3. Angela Oswalt, MSW, Edited by C. E. Zupanick, Psy.D. "The Development of Adolescent Sexuality - Child Development Theory: Adolescence." The Development of Adolescent Sexuality - Child Development Theory: Adolescence. Sevencountries, n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2014.
4. McKeon, Brigid. "Effective Sex Education." Effective Sex Education. Advocates for Youth, 2016. Web. 24 Oct. 2014. 

Aluminum Cans

BKJ (Earth), 2014

Humans throw so much away with so little thought as to where that trash is going and how it affects us in the future. In my Design and Engineering course, we were assigned to collect samples of a product that was being wasted and assemble the samples into a visual representation of an issue. The purpose of this action project was to create something that represents and illustrates a global issue we are facing: material waste. Our waste material was aluminum, particularly aluminum cans. I learned and appreciate trial and error and I am proud of the way my partner and I worked together.

A beverage can is a metal container designed to hold a fixed portion of liquid such as carbonated soft drinks, alcoholic beverages, fruit juices, teas, herbal teas, energy drinks, etc. Beverage cans are made of aluminum (75% of worldwide production) or tin-plated steel (25% worldwide production)(Wikipedia).

Aluminum is a slippery-white metal and the second most abundant metallic element in the earth's crust. It weighs about 1/3 as much as steel, and is remarkable for its excellent corrosion resistance, durability, ability to be easily machined or cast and its volumetric mass density (density) (Wikipedia). Some of the uses for aluminum are in electrical transmission, packaging, and transportation.

Here are some interesting facts about aluminum waste from Lehighcounty: 

• It takes about 80-200 years for an aluminum can to biodegrade.
• In 2012, 55 percent of aluminum beer and soft drink containers generated were recycled, which is about 0.7 million tons.
• The largest source of aluminum in the MSW (municipal solid waste) stream is used beverage containers and other packaging containers.
• There is no limit to the amount of times aluminum can be recycled. 
• It is estimated that over the past twenty years, we've trashed more than 11 million tons of aluminum beverage cans worth over $12 billion on today's market.
• Americans throw away enough aluminum every three months to rebuild our entire commercial air fleet.

"Liquid Candy: How Softdrinks Are Harming America's Health ~ CSPI." Liquid Candy: How Softdrinks Are Harming America's Health ~ CSPI. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2014. 

Our installation shows a model earth made almost entirely out of aluminum beverage cans, glue, strings, and a Styrofoam ball as our base. Our installation depicts a model earth with silver representing water, green and brown representing earth. The strings represents how many times the total number of aluminum cans wasted in 2012 would go around the earth. There are 5 string around our earth installation, each string represents 7385.285408 times the number of cans goes around the earth. This piece was inspired by the amount of soda cans our school wastes each year, which is roughly about 29,850 aluminum cans. On average, a person will use 597 cans of soda pop each year.

BKJ and GN (Earth), 2014

BKJ and GN (Earth), 2014

Logistics for cans used in our installation:
2 Diet coca cola cans
7 Root beer cans
4 Sprite cans
1 Coca cola cans
1 Sparking water can
* All of our materials comes from either staffs or students from GCE (Global Citizenship Experience).

Calculations: 
On average each American drinks 597 cans of soda a year. The average life expectancy of an American in 2012 was about 78 years (World Bank). This means that over a lifetime, an American would drink 46566 cans of soda. In 2012, the United States population was 312,780,968 (US. News). Number of aluminum cans of soda drank in 2012: 312,780,968 x 46566 = 1.456495856e13 (14,564,958,560,000 cans).

Amount of times the number of aluminum cans went around earth calculations: 
- Earth's circumference: 24,901 miles.
- Conversion to miles/space: 14,564,958,560,000 cans x 4 (height of a can) x 12 ft/5280 = 919504959.6 miles
- Number of times United States' waste of 2012 goes around the earth: 919504959.6 miles/24,901 miles (circumference of earth) = 36926.42704 times.

Recycling is an important part of a sustainable lifestyle and is a solution to this aluminum waste problem. It’s important for the future of the planet that we all live sustainably. Recycling aluminum saves an enormous amount of energy, because the aluminum is already in its metallic state. Recycling was a low-profile activity until the late 1960's when the growing use of aluminum cans brought it to the public's attention.

Here are some facts about the importance of recycling aluminum:

• Tossing away an aluminum can wastes as much energy as pouring out half of that can's volume of gasoline.
• Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a TV for three hours, this is the equivalent of a half a gallon of gasoline.
• Making beverage cans from recycled aluminum cuts air pollution by about 95%.
• The pollutants created in producing one ton of aluminum include 3,290 pounds of red mud, 2,900 pounds of carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas), 81 pounds of air pollutants and 789 pounds of solid wastes.

Works Cited:

1. "Aluminum Recycling Facts." Aluminum Recycling Facts. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2014.
2. "Aluminum, Common Wastes & Materials." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2014. 
3. Aluminium. (2014, October 15). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 02:47, October 24, 2014.
4. "Chemical of the Week -- Aluminum." Chemical of the Week -- Aluminum. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2014. 
5. "Aluminum Statistics and Information." USGS Minerals Information: Aluminum. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2014. 
6. "Liquid Candy: How Softdrinks Are Harming America's Health ~ CSPI." Liquid Candy: How Softdrinks Are Harming America's Health ~ CSPI. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2014.
7. Robert Schlesinger. "U.S. Population 2012: Nearly 313 Million People." US News. U.S.News & World Report, 30 Dec. 2011. Web. 26 Oct. 2014. 
8. "Life Expectancy at Birth, Total (years)." Data. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.

 

A Dream of Science

In my Rhetoric course, we were assigned to articulate a dream that we have for our city and write a speech about it. We identified obstacles to our dream and envisioned solutions to them. We drafted, edited, and revised our three drafts of our speech. The purpose for this action project was to write a persuasive speech about an issues you feel strongly about facing your community. The topic I felt most strongly about was women and minorities in STEM. Science affects us all, and we need to support students who are interested in science and change some of science stereotypes.
Below is my Speech!

"Chicago | US2020." Chicago | US2020. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2014.

AUDIO:

Designed With The User In Mind

SJ, The Diamond Bike 2014

In my Design and Engineering course, we were assigned to brainstorm ideas with our partners to design a reliable bicycle that suits a specific user’s needs. We sketched our three strongest ideas and built a prototype. The purpose of this action project is to create a better bicycle for a particular user. I learned to harness empathy (understand and share the feelings of another) to do things better, and appreciate trial and error. I am proud of completing this project on time, given the deadline.
We were assigned to design a bike for Vanessa, a 17 year old high school student who lives in Oak Park. Vanessa travels a total amount of 9 miles from home to school. She has a baby brother, whom she drops off at daycare everyday. She rides down Lake street, which is a noisy (given the fact that it is under a train track) and busy street filled with potholes. Her apartment has no storage room, so she has to lock her bike outside everyday.

After many ideas and complications my partner and I came up with the Diamond Bike. Its main purposes are safety, durability, maneuverability, speed, and a baby carrier. Although the Diamond Bike was designed specially for Vanessa, there is no reason why it cannot be used or adopted for other demographics.

GN, The 3D Model 2014

The Diamond Bike features:

• Detachable Baby bassinet 

The stroller is detachable, so that the user has a choice of either detaching the stroller or keeping it once they are done using it. There’s a twist type lock that’s a part of the frame.

AJ, Main Feature 2015

•  Built In frame U-lock 

In the top tube of the bike frame, there are two U-locks at the end of each side. The two U-locks are extendable, and are used to lock up the two wheels by them interlocking.

•  Detachable U-lock handlebar

We were inspired by the Denny bike made by Teague and Sizemore Bicycle, to create our own U-lock handlebar that locks the frame.

AJ, U-lock Frame 2014

•  Pneumatic tires with small iron pins

We were inspired by Schwalbe, Marathon winter tires, which have small iron pins that gives the user full control on icy roads. Pneumatic (containing or operated by air or gas under pressure) tires help reduce the effect of bumps.

• Light signals

A lot of cyclist worry about their safety, the Diamond Bike has a lighting system attached above the breaks, that allows the user to signal the driver behind them that they will be making a turn. There are two turning signals, a left turning signal and a right turning signal.

•  Motion detectors 

Our bike is safer than other bikes with our sensor in the back. The sensor will beep whenever a car is coming up fast behind, to alert the user.

•  Triangular frame

The Diamond Bike has a triangular/wedge bike frame which allows the weight of the bike to be equally distributed. For light weightiness, The Diamond Bike is made out of aluminum.

•  Comfortable seat

The Diamond Bike has extra cushion on the bike seat for comfort while riding long or short distances.

Calculations

Distance: 9 miles

Diameter: 26 inches

Circumference: (D x pi) 26 x pi = 81.68 inches

Speed: (Distance/Time) 9mi/50min = 10.8 mph or 4.827 m/s

Wheel Rotations: (Distance/Circumference) 6,981.39 rotations in 9 miles.

P.S. The scale used is for our 3D model is a 13 inches, meaning for every 3 inches in our model equals 13 inches in real life. The diameter of the wheels in our model is 2 inches and in real life they are 26 inches.    

                 

In conclusion, when investing in a bike you expect it to be suitable to your needs, "A good bike should pay itself off" said Joey a bike repairer. The Diamond Bike doesn't just cater to the spectrum of people with children, but other consumers that value safety, sturdiness, and easy mobility. The Diamond Bike is not only a form of transportation, but a way of life!

A Commencement Speech Analysis

Rhetoric is a course about effective writing. For our first action project, we were instructed to identify an example of a text and argue for the text inclusion our school's library. The purpose of this action project was to demonstrate mastery of Aristotle's model of rhetoric. I learned to apply Aristotle's model to a text and evaluate a rhetorical text using that model.

McGEE. Van Dusen. A Morman and his wives dancing to the devil's tune. 1850. Web: Wikipedia

 


Works Cited:
Fundamentalism. (2013, July 24). Wikipedia, . Retrieved 02:01, September 23, 2014 from http://simple.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fundamentalism&oldid=4510965.

The Evolution a Wheelbarrow

Design and Engineering is a STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) course that focuses on building things well: user-friendly, and sustainable. For our first action project, we were assigned to use physics concepts to sketch an easier to use gardening tool for senior citizens. My partner and I chose to redesign a wheelbarrow. I learned to harness empathy (understand and share the feelings of another) to do things better, and appreciate trial and error.

The Gucci Wheelbarrow

GN (2014)

Vectors

GN (2014)

Storyboard:

GN (2014)

GN (2014)

Gardening is a fun outdoor activity, as the spare time provides exercise, and has various therapeutic qualities. Stephanie Leite believes that "It is just satisfying I think, to see what grows. It's totally unpredictable." There is no reason why a lifelong love of gardening should end as mobility and other limitations arise in senior citizens. Adaptive garden tools, allow senior citizens to continue to pursue their love of gardening. The Gucci Wheelbarrow is an adaptive tool that my partner and I have designed.

A wheelbarrow consists of an inclined plane, lever (handles), axle, and wheels. The wheelbarrow’s handles extend the length of the wheelbarrow and acts as a lever. A lever is a rigid bar resting on a pivot at a fixed hinge, called a fulcrum. The axle, raised up by the wheels, acts as the fulcrum point.

Many wheelbarrow manufacturers emphasize comfort in the grip handles and weight to minimize the force and energy needed to push the wheelbarrow, both in the visual design and in the production descriptions. The more expensive wheelbarrows differentiate themselves by their high quality materials, in the tray, handles, and wheels. The Gucci Wheelbarrow emphasizes high quality, affordability, comfort, and minimization of force and energy used while using the item.

Unlike other wheelbarrow manufacturers, the Gucci Wheelbarrow specifically favors the need of senior citizens. Our design affords strength and stability with the double T-bar handle, which allows the user to maneuver the heaviest load lightly and comfortably. It also permits greater control of deposition of the load on emptying. The Gucci Wheelbarrow handle is designed to keep elbows tucked while using the wheelbarrow, which reduces the strain on the user's shoulders. It also has a spongy rubber sleeve over the T-bar handle to increase grip, therefore reducing the strain on the user's knuckles and joints.

Although, the two-wheeled wheelbarrows are more stable, and the one wheeled wheelbarrows are more maneuverable, the Gucci Wheelbarrow design has managed to blur the line between the one and two wheeled wheelbarrows. The T-bar handle allows the Gucci Wheelbarrow to be more maneuverable and the two low-ground flat free tires make the Gucci Wheelbarrow more stable. One feature that make the Gucci Wheelbarrow special is our lever release system and push or pull handle. The lever release system allows to content/things in the wheelbarrow tray to be easily dumped. The push or pull handle gives the user the option of either pulling or pushing the wheelbarrow.

In conclusion, the Gucci Wheelbarrow design keeps in mind the physical restrictions of senior citizens and accommodates to their needs and limitation.

Works Cited:

"OXO Good Grips." Smart Design. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2014. <http://smartdesignworldwide.com/work/oxo-good-grips/>.

"Protecting Your Joints When You're Gardening." Arthritis Research UK. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2014. <http://www.arthritisresearchuk.org/arthritis-information/arthritis-and-daily-life/gardening-and-arthritis/protecting-your-joints.aspx>.

"Effects of Aging -OrthoInfo - AAOS." Effects of Aging -OrthoInfo - AAOS. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2014. <http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00191>.

A Chorus

"A Raisin in the Sun (2013)." Clarence Brown Theatre. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 June 2014. 

In my Drama course, we were assigned to compiled data from our external investigation, where we collected opinions from the public on a guiding question we developed inspired by a scene from The Raisin in the Sun. Using this data, so we could speak for the public, we were challenged with writing a chorus. We used the traditional Greek chorus template to provide commentary on the "A Raisin In the Sun" play's events from a modern perspective. We chose one scene from the original script from "A Raisin In the Sun" where a social issue was presented through the characters’ interaction and create a guiding question in which the commentary was in response to. I enjoyed my groups' writing process and I am proud of completing this action project on time because we had a little amount of time to complete it. I struggled with writing the chorus, but eventually overcame my struggle but just following the the greek chorus template.

Below is my chorus and video of my chorus being performed:

Image Citation:
"A Raisin in the Sun (2013)." Clarence Brown Theatre. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 June 2014.

Constipation

In my Cure course, we were instructed to write a "prevention doctor" dialogue between a patient and a doctor. In our dialogue, the doctor had to empower the patient to make healthy choices regarding nutrition and complementary approaches that lead to a healthy life. We also had to role-play and record our "prevention doctor" dialogue. The purpose of this action project was to take on the role of a very specific kind doctor who reinforces his patients to ask question and not be intimidate by his "doctor status". I enjoyed learning about indigenous medicines and making herbal medicine. I am proud of completing this homework on time because the amount of time given to us for this project was very short, and I struggled with time management a little.

Below is my videos and script.



Script:

Doctor: Hello. I am Dr. Smith. I will be the physician taking care of you today. What seems to be the problem?

Patient: Hi Dr. Smith. I am Phillip and I am here because recently I have been having some issues. I am fine right now, but recently I have been having some abdominal pain, I’ve been vomiting and (touching his abdomen) my abdomen sometimes is swollen.

Doctor: How long have you been feeling this way?

Patient: I'd say for about three days now. I felt so bad last night that I came decided to pay you a visit. I wish I hadn't because I have horrible insurance. My premiums are high and hardly anything is covered.

Doctor: I'm sorry to hear that. Are you part of PPO or do you have private insurance?

Patient: I have private insurance. Anyway, is there anything you can do for me? I don't seem to be getting any better.

Doctor: (stands jauntily, walks towards the sink and washes his hands) Well, I'll have to check you out to be able to make a diagnosis. (uses his stethoscope again and listens closely) Let me listen to your breathing . (silence for about five seconds) Nothing seems wrong, but based on the symptoms you have just described, I would have to perform a sigmoidoscopy to determine whether my assumption is right.

Patient: (confused and panicked) A sigmoid what-now? (stands up and paces across the room) Wait wait doctor I am just feeling a little pain that’s all. Now tell me doctor what do you think is wrong with me, you are talking about sigmoid whatever scopy. What is that? (sits back down) !!!

Doctor: (calmly) Now lets stay calm Mr. Phillips. A sigmoidoscopy is a test that provides an inside look at your rectum and the first part of your colon, which is the main part of your large intestine. Does your family have a history of colon cancer?

Patient: (quickly stands) Cancer? No, none of my family members have ever been diagnosed with cancer… at least none that I know of. (sacred) Am I really that sick doctor?

Doctor: Well, I would have to perform the sigmoidoscopy to find out. Please Mr. Phillips let’s not get ahead of ourselves, everything will be okay.

(Dr. Smith exits the room and Mrs. Dobby, the nurse practitioner prepares Mr. Phillips for the sigmoidoscopy. The Doctor performs the sigmoidoscopy.)

Doctor: I have the results from the sigmoidoscopy Mr. Phillips. (looking through the database) Do you get a regular checkup each year? You may have had this for months now.

Patient: No. I never go to the doctor. I cannot afford to get sick with my bad insurance. The only time I recall seeing a doctor was two years ago when I sprained my elbow. I wasn't even going to come in then, but it was so swollen that my wife made me go.

Doctor: Well, I understand that medical care can be expensive nowadays. Be that as it may be, when you are suffering from any kind of ailment, especially one this severe it is worth the money. Based on the results of the sigmoidoscopy, you are feeling constipated.

Patient: (sarcastically) Constipation, that’s it? I was worried for nothing doctor.

Doctor: Constipation is not just a mere nuisance Mr. Phillips, it is rather a serious medical condition. Constipation predisposes you to major colorectal disorders such as enlarged hemorrhoids and colorectal cancer.

Patient: (surprised) Wow!

Doctor: We can easily avoid getting constipated. How is your diet like Mr. Phillips?

Patient: I would have to say it is not the most nutritious diet, but it keeps me full. Most of my meal consist of steak, ribs, or chicken. I do not like vegetables!

Doctor: That is quite a diet you have there! Unless you would like to visit me again, you have to make some changes in your diet. The average male adult should get 38 grams of fiber daily. You need to start eating foods that are high in fiber, such as cooked black beans which contains about 15 grams of fiber. Fiber will make it easier for you to have bowel movement. Make sure to drink plenty of water and exercise. That will prevent you from getting constipated again.

Patient: (happily) I will make sure to eat more food that are high in fiber!

Doctor: (hesitant) Also Mr. Phillips Cascara, Aloe, and Sena are some herbal remedies you can try. If you are open to trying it then you should give it a go. My sister tell’s me that they help a great deal. But be cautious though, there are potent irritant laxative and can have great affect on the colon.

Patient: (confidently) Thank you so much doctor for answering my questions and helping me!

Doctor: You are welcome!



(The Doctor exits. Mr. Phillips happily gets up from his chair grabs some documents and exits the consultation room.)

The Dinner Party

"Katharine Hepburn." PRINT AND PATTERN. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 May 2014.

In my Drama course, we were assigned to create our own dialogue that investigates the question " Should men and women have different roles in society"?. Our dialogue had to feature three characters, ourselves, Nora, a character from Henrik Ibsen’s play A Doll’s house. We read A Doll’s House to analyze women’s roles in Norwegian society around the 1800s. Also, our dialogue had to feature one mythical or historical woman featured in The Dinner Party. The Dinner Party is an artwork installation depicting place settings for famous historical and mythical women, created by feminist artist Judy Chicago. The purpose of this action project was to create our own dialogue that investigates the question “ Should women and men have different roles in society”?.

I had troubles coming up with a concrete story line, which made my script writing process challenging. Completing this script was such an accomplishment. Though, I faced lots of challenges I enjoyed researching and analyzing my characters and figuring out their answers to question our script was based upon. 

Please see my script acted below and read the script.

Citations: 

"Katharine Hepburn." PRINT AND PATTERN. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 May 2014. <http://printandpattern.net/welcome-to-hollywood/katharine-hepburn/>.

The adventures of Benzoyl peroxide

In my Cure course we were assigned to create our own comic strip focused on a specific medicament and the treatment to a specific disease/disorder. We were instructed to developed our story and characters, following the rubric. The purpose of this action project is to represent the collateral effects of a medicament and its active agent/principle in our comic strip. My comic strip follows the adventures of Benzoyl peroxide, a medicament used to treat acne. I enjoyed learning how to develop a story line. I am proud of completing my comic strip in time.

Below is my comic strip and script, enjoy!

Script:

ACNE

THE ADVENTURES OF BENZOYL PEROXIDE

Characters :

- Michael - A thirty year old ma

- Marshall - Michael's friend

- Benzoyl Peroxide - Represented in the comic strip as a ninja

- Monica - Michael's date

- Hair - Represented in the comic as hair

- Benzoyl peroxide bottle - It's a representation of the benzoyl peroxide bottle.

- Pimple family

- Pimple father

Michael: ( waking up) I am so excited for my date!! (yawning haauughh!)

(walks to the bathroom, and notices a bunch of pimples on his face)

Michael: (trying to pop the zits) OMG!! (angrily) This zit is huge! Monica does not like men with pimples.                                                   What to do?

Michael: (gets an idea) Let me text Marshall, maybe he could help.

(Texting)

Michael: Hey, bro. Have a date, but got a zit. Need help!

(one minute later Michael receives a text back from Marshall)

Marshall: Use benzoyl peroxide!!

Michael: Let's check the cabinet.

(after receiving the text message from Marshall, Michael searches for benzoyl peroxide in his medicine cabinet. He founds the benzoyl peroxide)

Michael: (he applies the cream on his face) Let's see how fast you work.

Benzoyl peroxide bottle: Go soldiers fight, go fight these pinheads!!

Benzoyl peroxide(ninja): I am going to kill these suckers! (loudly) World star.

Mr. Pimple: (frighteningly) Dear god, it is here! Pimples evacuate!!

Mr. Pimple: (angrily) You murdered so many of us already! What have we ever done to you? When will this end?

Mr. Pimple: (bravely) Hey! Over here! It's me you want.

Mr. Pimple: God I return to you!

(As Mr. Pimple is killed Mrs. Pimple wishes her husband farewell)

Pimple family: (crying)  Farewell my love

(After killing all of the pimples, the benzoyl peroxide ninja has a conversation with Hairies (hair))

Hair: (mesmerized by benzoyl peroxide ninja's strength) Benzoyl peroxide you are so cool!

       Why are you so powerful?

Benzoyl peroxide ninja: (proudly) It is because of our active agent Benzoyl peroxide.

                                   Benzoyl peroxide is a topical treatment. It kills bacteria by changing the bacteria anaerobic system into an aerobic system.

                                    Unfortunately, we can also cause some damages.

Side effects:

- Dry skin

- Redness

- Swollen

Michael: (happily) OMG! My confidence is through the roof!!
Yes, the benzoyl peroxide left my skin dry and a little red, but I can use Aveeno, my moisturizing lotion to solve that.

             OMG, my date with Monica will be great!!