Hi there, here is my Data Visualization Project for Science 10 Honours. In this project, I worked with Ellen and Leticia.
Here is my concept paragraph (broken down for easier reading)-
Our data visualization project highlights the impact of various infectious and parasitic diseases ( the proper term would be epidemiology) over a certain period of time, focusing mainly on identifying at-risk populations and the death rates.
The structure of our project is made up of a long PVC pipe, which is divided into two colours- pink for the females and blue for the males. This allows for a easy side-by side analysis.
Along the pipe, 20 age groups are shown with wooden dowels, ranging from under 1 year old to 90+ (with a 5 year interval), showing how different age groups are affected. Each stick is goes through the pipe and comes out on either side of the pink and blue divide. All of them will have 5 strings with different colour representing the annual given data form 2019 to 2023: green-2019, blue-2020, purple-2021, pink-2022, orange-2023.
To further enhance our visualisation, Perler beads (generously provided by my little sister) will be used to represent different parasitic and infectious diseases. These beads will be threaded onto the strings in the display, adding an additional layer of information about what specific type disease caused death in each specific year, age group and gender.
Each bead’s colour is synchronous with a specific parasitic or infectious disease. Please refer to our guide below to see the different colours.
This visual representation helps us to see how mortality rates rise and fall over the years, directly emphasizing which age groups and genders may be the most susceptible to diseases such as tuberculosis, HIV, hepatitis, and others. By mapping deaths this way, we provide a clear and impactful way to analyze health risks and patterns across different demographics.
Here is my core competency self-assessment (used in a more informal format for reasons of difficulty and simplicity.)
Core Competency Reflection:
Creative and Critical thinking
I can get new ideas or build on or combine other people’s ideas to create new things within the constraints of a form, a problem, or materials.
I chose this “I can” statement because when we started our initial planning process (see planning documents below) we were quite stuck on how to display our data in a conventional way until we noticed another group using a cylindrical shape and that is what sparked our creativity. We utilized the “ping- pong” method in order to further improve our ideas. As for the creation of our project, we scrounged around the school to find every item that we could use. In the end, we used a PVC pipe, string, and Perler beads to visually represent the disease-related deaths over a period. This response also ties in with this “I can” statement- I can get new ideas or reinterpret others’ ideas in novel ways.
I get ideas when I play.
Throughout this project, I was able to explore different ways to visualize data and experimented with different materials that I wasn’t entirely familiar with such as using/drilling a PVC pipe, paints and string. By thinking creatively, we were able to design a model that effectively shows many disease-related deaths cross-referenced with ages and genders. I believe this entire process was a form of play-testing different designs, arranging colours, and seeing how best to present the data in a clear and understandable way.
I can use evidence to make simple judgements.
While creating this project, I analyzed the parasitic and infectious disease-related deaths by gender and age group form 2019-2023. By comparing certain “highs and lows”, I was able to identify which age groups were most at risk for certain diseases. I also had to make certain decisions on how we could represent our information clearly, using different colour beads and structures to highlight the key patterns.
Here is a copy of our science guide for string colours and beads.
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Below here are just a few photos of our process as well as some funny obstacles.
All of us took the project home to work on it at least twice. This was me desperately hoping that the strings wouldn’t get longer (spoiler: they did)
The universe loved our project so much that they had decided to shut down our data site for a long time. This obstacle was easily overcome by waiting impatiently.
This here is a photo of our slightly panicked bead organizing after facing multiple obstacles such as Ms. No-Apply Ellen, Ms. Wrong Year/Category Leticia, Ms. No-Motor Skills Diva, and peers with the lack of utmost care when it came to our project.
Overall, this was a very fun and informational project, I learned a lot of skills and became closer with a lot of my peers.
Thanks for reading!
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