Energy and Place Project
Essential Questions
a. How does energy production and consumption impact place?
b. How does your sense of place, environmental ethic and understanding of our energy needs influence your perception and decisions relating to energy production and consumption?
Reflection
1. What did you learn about energy or energy resources from the research and design of your infographic? How has your perspective around energy production and use changed as a result of what you have learned?
For my infographic I represented the immense amount of energy found in our energy resources by comparing that to the calories burned in various activities. For the scientific paper, our group focused on the potential energy of energy resources. I thought it was interesting to compare how coal, uranium, wind, etc. rank in terms of energy production, and wanted to create an infographic for that. During my research, I discovered that uranium is the best source for creating energy but is not used because of the waste produced by it. I think this made me rethink the morality of energy production and “what the right thing to do” is when it comes down to powering our earth.
2. What were you trying to convey to your audience through the creation of your infographic? Explain your rationale for focusing on this particular topic/question.
I knew that I wanted to show the energy produced from natural resources, but I wanted to do it in an interesting way. I thought the best way to represent this information would be to compare it to popular activities (who doesn’t love bird watching?) we do. So I calculated the amount of days it would take for a 130 lb. person exercising to burn the amount of energy found in one kilowatt hour and the amount of coal, petroleum and oil it takes as well. I was surprised by what I found and that the amount of energy was clearer when I compared it to something I knew. I think that it is important to understand the world around us, and the best way to do that is to compare complex concepts to things that we need.
To read the scientific paper, click HERE!
To get more information about the project and to see the humanities part, click HERE!
a. How does energy production and consumption impact place?
b. How does your sense of place, environmental ethic and understanding of our energy needs influence your perception and decisions relating to energy production and consumption?
Reflection
1. What did you learn about energy or energy resources from the research and design of your infographic? How has your perspective around energy production and use changed as a result of what you have learned?
For my infographic I represented the immense amount of energy found in our energy resources by comparing that to the calories burned in various activities. For the scientific paper, our group focused on the potential energy of energy resources. I thought it was interesting to compare how coal, uranium, wind, etc. rank in terms of energy production, and wanted to create an infographic for that. During my research, I discovered that uranium is the best source for creating energy but is not used because of the waste produced by it. I think this made me rethink the morality of energy production and “what the right thing to do” is when it comes down to powering our earth.
2. What were you trying to convey to your audience through the creation of your infographic? Explain your rationale for focusing on this particular topic/question.
I knew that I wanted to show the energy produced from natural resources, but I wanted to do it in an interesting way. I thought the best way to represent this information would be to compare it to popular activities (who doesn’t love bird watching?) we do. So I calculated the amount of days it would take for a 130 lb. person exercising to burn the amount of energy found in one kilowatt hour and the amount of coal, petroleum and oil it takes as well. I was surprised by what I found and that the amount of energy was clearer when I compared it to something I knew. I think that it is important to understand the world around us, and the best way to do that is to compare complex concepts to things that we need.
To read the scientific paper, click HERE!
To get more information about the project and to see the humanities part, click HERE!
Material Science Project
Depending on the chemical make-up of materials, their properties will change accordingly. Have you ever noticed that a metal plate conducts heat better than a ceramic plate? That’s all because of the atoms and molecules that make them up. A material like salt, which is made of a nonmetal (chlorine) and a metal (sodium), exhibits properties like a high melting point and a crystalline structure. Sugar, on the other hand, is usually three nonmetals (carbon, hydrogen and oxygen) and shows properties like a low melting point and amorphous structure. These two materials show different properties based on what they are made of and how they are bonded. Understanding that the chemistry of materials can affect their properties helps material scientists develop better, stronger and more efficient products.
Recognizing the unique properties of materials has changed products as we have known them. Imagine a bicycle from the mid-1800s. The frame is most likely made from wood and the wheels are oddly disproportionate (much like a penny-farthing). Now think of what they look like today, small, lightweight and fast. The frame might consist of carbon fiber or even titanium. The chemistry of such a product has changed so much that it has become incredibly efficient and sleek and the mindset of biking has changed as well. Due to the ever expanding knowledge of chemistry, many products have been changed, and will change, dramatically. By changing the chemical make-up of products, we can see that this branch of science will play a crucial role in how society will develop in the future.
Recognizing the unique properties of materials has changed products as we have known them. Imagine a bicycle from the mid-1800s. The frame is most likely made from wood and the wheels are oddly disproportionate (much like a penny-farthing). Now think of what they look like today, small, lightweight and fast. The frame might consist of carbon fiber or even titanium. The chemistry of such a product has changed so much that it has become incredibly efficient and sleek and the mindset of biking has changed as well. Due to the ever expanding knowledge of chemistry, many products have been changed, and will change, dramatically. By changing the chemical make-up of products, we can see that this branch of science will play a crucial role in how society will develop in the future.