Here is my reflection for my Dragon’s Den project.
Category: Science 9
Solution Fluency Reflection
In your group Define/Discover:
Restate the problem.
Our problem was concerning the health and safety of the public during this pandemic. Specifically, the problem with sick people entering public spaces and further spreading Covid-19 or others viruses.
Research how this problem has been solved in the past.
Currently a common solution for this problem is having a person stand outside of the entrances with a thermometer. Also, I believe that vaccines are also a solution to this problem as both are contributing to trying to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
In your group Dream:
Consider the problem solved. What would it look like?
If the spread of Covid-19 stopped, there would be no worldwide pandemic. We would not need to wear masks, social distance and could travel internationally. Realistically, this problem would be solved by getting vaccinated but we decided to focus more on limiting interaction with sick people.
In your group Design/Deliver:
What is your plan? Make it happen.
Our plan was to make a circuit that connects measuring your temperature and triggering something like a door opening. Our circuit functions by having a sensor that will record your temperature before entering a building. If it detects a heightened temperature signifying a fever, it will trigger a mechanism, in this case it’s the opening of a door. We called it the Thermonitor as it is a device that checks your temperature for a fever and would open the door if you didn’t have a heightened temperature. It’s created to prevent sick people, who potentially have Covid-19 or other viruses, from entering public spaces and further spreading the virus.
In your group Debrief:
How could you have improved your plan?
I believe that we could have made a solution that doesn’t require physical touch on an object because that can contribute to the spread of Covid-19.
Sources:
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Symptoms and treatment – Canada.ca
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Prevention and risks – Canada.ca
Ask – The critical questions I researched to answer my wonder question?
- What impacts did the Industrial Revolution have on our pollution/waste levels?
- What is the main factor that is responsible for climate change?
- When was the awareness of climate changed first introduced?
Acquire – The digital tools that I used
- Pexels
- Citation Machine
- Microsoft Bing
Analyze – Here is how I got my information and cited my sources.
The process I used to make my Sway was to research the information for my critical questions and write them on paper in note form. I then organized and converted all my information into full sentences and kept track of all the sources I used. I made sure to not copy from my sources and to put needed information in my own words. I used royalty free pictures from Pexels to add to my sway and used a Citation Machine to cite all my sources correctly.
Assess – Here is how the product and process went.
Regarding my end product, I think I could’ve spent more time coming up with more critical questions. I did finish the assignment, but overall I believe I could’ve gone in more depth answering the questions. For my information fluency process, I think I followed the process for the most part and using this process helped me better understand the impacts the Industrial Revolution had on our climate. I believe knowing how to research reliable information will help me for future research projects.
Aquatic Field Studies Blog
During our fields studies, we learned how to measure water quality and what factors are important to invertebrate life.
We tested the water quality of 2 local bodies of water – the Coquitlam River and the Oxbow pond. We determined the water quality of the river and the pond by having students take small samples of water from our two study sites. We used scientific methods to determine the pH level, the temperature and amount of nitrates and phosphates. After receiving the results, we used the same data to figure out the water quality index value of the Coquitlam River and the Oxbow pond.
Our next step while doing our field studies was to record what invertebrate and aquatic life we can find in the Coquitlam River and the Oxbow Pond. We used similar methods to find out what types of invertebrates live in the river and pond. Students used nets to catch small critters and bring them back to white tubs filled with water. We recorded and identified what invertebrates or other life we found and released them back into their habitats.
- What was the objective of our field studies?
The objective of our field studies was to determine the water quality of the two sites we were studying: the Coquitlam River and the Oxbow Pond. The water quality of our two study sites can help us determine what types of invertebrates you may find in them.
- How does it connect to our study of the 4 spheres?
Our field studies connect to our study of the 4 spheres because the hydrosphere and biosphere include rivers, ponds and all living things, which can all be located at the Coquitlam River and the Oxbow Pond.
Coquitlam River Site:
- Report your findings for water quality
Dissolved Oxygen: 92% saturation
pH: 6 pH units
Temperature change: 4.5°C
Nitrates: 10 ppm mg/L NO₃
Phosphates: 0.4 mg/L PO₄
Turbidity: 2 NTU
Total Dissolved Salts: 50 mg/L
- What does the water quality index tell us about the health of the river?
Healthy river ecosystems rely on good water quality. The water quality is a way we can measure its ability to support invertebrate and aquatic life. The water quality we measured for the Coquitlam River scored 76.9, which falls under “good” water quality, which means that the Coquitlam River is in good health.
- Report your findings on invertebrate life and other life observed
Invertebrate life we found in the Coquitlam River were stonefly nymph, mayfly nymph, caddisfly larvae, riffle beetle, and dragonfly nymph.
- What does the invertebrate community tell us about the health of the river?
Depending on what kind of invertebrates you find in a body of water, they can tell us if the water quality is excellent, good, average or poor. This is because certain invertebrates require different qualities of water. Because we were able to find stonefly nymphs, mayfly nymphs, caddisfly larvae, riffle beetles, and dragonfly nymphs in the Coquitlam River, which are invertebrates that require good quality water, this tells us that the pond is healthy and has good quality water.
Oxbow Pond Site:
- Report your findings for water quality
Dissolved Oxygen: 90% saturation
pH: 6.5 pH units
Temperature change: 1°C
Nitrates: 10 ppm mg/L NO₃
Phosphates: 5 mg/L PO₄
Turbidity: 8 NTU
Total Dissolved Salts: 100 mg/L
- What does the water quality index tell us about the health of the pond?
Healthy pond ecosystems rely on good water quality. The water quality is a way we can measure its ability to support invertebrate and aquatic life. The water quality we measured for the Oxbow Pond scored 71.3, which falls under “good” water quality, which means that the Oxbow Pond is in good health.
- Report your findings (& that of the class) on invertebrate life and other life observed
Invertebrate life we found in the Oxbow Pond were scud, mayfly nymph, caddisfly larvae, riffle beetle, dragonfly larvae, water mite, gilled snail, watersnipe fly larvae, damselfly larvae, and gastropoda. Other life we found were fish, water boatmen, tadpole, stick bug, dragonfly adult, ladybug adult, chipmunk and other insects on the water’s surface.
- What does the invertebrate community tell us about the health of the pond?
Depending on what kind of invertebrates you find in a body of water, they can tell us if the water quality is excellent, good, average or poor. This is because certain invertebrates require different qualities of water. Because we were able to find mayfly nymphs, caddisfly larvae, riffle beetle, and gilled snail in the Oxbow Pond, which are invertebrates that require good quality water, this tells us that the pond is healthy and has good quality water.
Your water quality test, and the overall water quality index value:
- Comment on the water quality value of the pond and the river
–> what do these values say about the health of the water in the pond? The river?
The water quality value of the Coquitlam River and the Oxbow Pond both scored a “good” water quality index value. This us telling us that the water quality of both the river and the pond are quite healthy with minor amount of impairments. They are both able to support a high diversity of invertebrate and aquatic life.
Comparing the Two Sites:
- How do the water quality & invertebrate life in the river & pond compare?
The water quality of the Oxbow Pond was slightly worse than the Coquitlam River. The pond’s turbidity was much higher than the river’s as well as the amount of total dissolved solids, which doubles the amount for the river. Even though the water quality of the Oxbow Pond is slightly worse than the Coquitlam River, we found way more invertebrate and aquatic life in the Oxbow Pond than we did at the Coquitlam River.
- What might be responsible for similarities / differences?
I believe the reason the river’s temperature was cooler than the pond’s was because it water was constantly flowing, not giving enough time for the sun to warm the water, unlike the pond. I think the reason we found way more invertebrate in the pond than the river was because the warmer temperature of the pond. The warmer temperature was a perfect environment for more abundant plant and algae growth, which could support more invertebrate and aquatic life.
- How do you think water quality is related to the diversity and number of invertebrates found in a water way?
The water quality directly affects what invertebrates can be found there because all invertebrates, and any aquatic life, depend on their environment for basic necessities like their source of food and habitat. Every invertebrate requires different things that determines
Reflection:
- What did you think of these activities? What did you learn? What would make these activities more meaningful?
I enjoyed doing these field studies at the Coquitlam River and the Oxbow Pond. I learned a lot of new things because I had never done field studies before. Taking the samples of water or invertebrates was interesting and allowed me to learn about the Coquitlam River and Oxbow pond. I think being able to take samples from different areas could make these activities more meaningful because we would be able to learn from a wider range of bodies of water.