Cornerstone Spring 2019

MWH

Power The Cities

SUBMITTED BY:

Nicholas Abadir, Samantha Chin, Andrew Conlon, and Lucinda Shotts

Report Submitted: April 19th 2019

 SACC Headquarters
International Village
1155 Tremont Street
Boston, MA 02115

Professor K. Schulte Grahame

Northeastern University
College of Engineering
Room 365, Snell Engineering Center
360 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02115

Dear Professor Schulte Grahame,

It was clear from the beginning that this course was going to be challenging for us all. We were
unfamiliar with the topics and the assignments were lengthy, requiring strong time management skills and
full commitment. We have grown a tremendous amount in fourteen weeks as academics, team members
and as people. We are forever grateful for your dedication to us and your persistent passion for the
engineering process. You set the standard high and we are happy to have met those expectations on more
than one occasion.
This report outlines the work done by SACC. The project we created teaches students about the
value of using renewable energy sources in optimal ways. SACC intends to inspire the next generation of
engineers to make sustainable choices. Furthermore, we intend to teach students about the value of
sustainability in an effort to keep the planet healthy.
Within this report, you will learn about the research, development, and construction of the Power
the Cities exhibit. This report will examine each step of the engineering design process. More specifically,
you will find individual reports, a team contract, AutoCAD drawings, SolidWorks drawings, the final
Arduino and Processing code, a wiring diagram, budget of expenses and a log of individual hours.
Additionally, we would like to thank our peer mentor, Hannah Schneidwind and teaching
assistant, Anja Deric, for their persistent dedication in aiding us throughout the semester.
Thank you for your time and we look forward to your review of our project.

Sincerely,

Nicholas Abadir, Samantha Chin, Andrew Conlon, Lucinda Shotts

1
TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS .............................................................................................................................. 2

LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................................................ 6
LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................................................... 7
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY......................................................................................................................... 12
NICHOLAS ABADIR ................................................................................................................................ 12
Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 13

Problem Statement .............................................................................................................................. 13

Intended Beneficiaries ......................................................................................................................... 13

Sustainability in Engineering .............................................................................................................. 13

Project Objectives ............................................................................................................................... 14

Background .................................................................................................................................. 15

Research .............................................................................................................................................. 15

Ethics ................................................................................................................................................... 17

Universal Design ................................................................................................................................. 18

Methodology & Organization ...................................................................................................... 18

AlternativeS, Evaluation and Evolution ....................................................................................... 19

Final Design ................................................................................................................................. 21

Description .......................................................................................................................................... 21

Beta Testing Results ............................................................................................................................ 22

Contributions ....................................................................................................................................... 23

Resources ............................................................................................................................................ 24

Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 24

Observations from Exhibition Day ..................................................................................................... 24

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 Reflections on Learning ...................................................................................................................... 25

Reflections on Working in a Team ..................................................................................................... 25

Recommendations ........................................................................................................................ 26

SAMANTHA CHIN ................................................................................................................................... 28

Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 28

Problem Statement .............................................................................................................................. 28

Intended Beneficiaries ......................................................................................................................... 28

Sustainability in Engineering .............................................................................................................. 29

Project Objectives ............................................................................................................................... 30

Background .................................................................................................................................. 31

Research .............................................................................................................................................. 31

Ethics ................................................................................................................................................... 33

Universal Design ................................................................................................................................. 34

Methodology & Organization ...................................................................................................... 35

Alternative, Evaluation and Evolution ......................................................................................... 37

Final Design ................................................................................................................................. 38

Description .......................................................................................................................................... 38

User Interaction ................................................................................................................................... 39

Original Goals ..................................................................................................................................... 40

Beta Testing Results ............................................................................................................................ 40

Contributions ....................................................................................................................................... 41

Resources ............................................................................................................................................ 42

Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 42

3
 Observations from Exhibition Day ..................................................................................................... 42

Reflections on Learning ...................................................................................................................... 43

Reflections on Working in a Team ..................................................................................................... 44

Recommendations ........................................................................................................................ 46

ANDREW CONLON ................................................................................................................................. 47

Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 47

Problem Statement .............................................................................................................................. 47

Intended Beneficiaries ......................................................................................................................... 47

Sustainability in Engineering .............................................................................................................. 48

Project Objectives ............................................................................................................................... 48

Background .................................................................................................................................. 49

Research .............................................................................................................................................. 49

Ethics ................................................................................................................................................... 52

Universal Design ................................................................................................................................. 53

Methodology & Organization ...................................................................................................... 53

AlternativeS, Evaluation and Evolution ....................................................................................... 55

Final Design ................................................................................................................................. 55

Description .......................................................................................................................................... 55

Beta Testing Results ............................................................................................................................ 55

Contributions ....................................................................................................................................... 57

Resources ............................................................................................................................................ 57

Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 58

Observations from Exhibition Day ..................................................................................................... 58

4
 Reflections on Learning ...................................................................................................................... 58

Reflections on Working in a Team ..................................................................................................... 59

Recommendations ........................................................................................................................ 59

LUCINDA SHOTTS ................................................................................................................................... 61

Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 61

Problem Statement .............................................................................................................................. 61

Intended Beneficiaries ......................................................................................................................... 61

Sustainability in Engineering .............................................................................................................. 62

Project Objectives ............................................................................................................................... 64

Background .................................................................................................................................. 65

Research .............................................................................................................................................. 65

Ethics ................................................................................................................................................... 66

Universal Design ................................................................................................................................. 66

Methodology & Organization ...................................................................................................... 67

Alternatives, Evaluation and Evolution........................................................................................ 68

Final Design ................................................................................................................................. 71

Beta Testing Results ............................................................................................................................ 72

Contributions ....................................................................................................................................... 73

Resources ............................................................................................................................................ 75

Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 75

Observations from Exhibition Day ..................................................................................................... 75

Reflections on Learning ...................................................................................................................... 76

Reflections on Working in a Team ..................................................................................................... 76

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 Recommendations ........................................................................................................................ 78

REFERENCES............................................................................................................................................ 79
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHIES......................................................................................................................... 82
APPENDICES ............................................................................................................................................ 84
Appendix A – Team Contract ................................................................................................................. 84

Appendix B - Descision Analysis ........................................................................................................... 87

Appendix C - Final AutoCAD/Solidworks Drawings ............................................................................ 88

................................................................................................................................................................. 89

................................................................................................................................................................. 90

................................................................................................................................................................. 92

Appendix D – Product Testing Results ................................................................................................... 93

Appendix E – Code Used in ProjecT ...................................................................................................... 95

Appendix F – Wire Diagrams for SparkFun Boards ............................................................................. 107

Appendix G – Photo Log ...................................................................................................................... 108

............................................................................................................................................................... 108

Appendix H – Final Gannt Chart .......................................................................................................... 142

Appendix I – Final Budget .................................................................................................................... 143

Appendix J – Project Hours Log ........................................................................................................... 144

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1. Group members contact information ......................................................................................... 84

Table 2. Kepner-Tregoe Decision Analysis for group members' ideas ................................................... 87

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 LIST OF FIGURES

Fig. 1. Hydroelectric Dam Example ...................................................................................................... 16

Fig. 2. Nick's hand drawn example of hydroelectric dam exhibit.......................................................... 19

Fig. 3. Front view of cardboard prototype ............................................................................................. 20

Fig. 4. Completed wood prototype ......................................................................................................... 20

Fig. 5. Completed alteration of sides of project ..................................................................................... 20

Fig. 6. Project after paint job and put together ....................................................................................... 21

Fig. 7. Final project at Museum of Science ........................................................................................... 21

Fig. 8. Museum of Science project being played ................................................................................... 25

Fig. 9. The Three Spheres of Sustainability [13] ................................................................................... 29

Fig. 10. Biomass energy being created .................................................................................................. 32

Fig. 11. Final cardboard prototype ......................................................................................................... 35

Fig. 12. Lucy and Andrew working on cardboard prototype ................................................................. 35

Fig. 13. Sam's concept of biomass as a museum exhibit ....................................................................... 37

Fig. 14. Poster board portion of project ................................................................................................. 38

Fig. 15. Final product at the Museum of Science .................................................................................. 38

Fig. 16. Concept image inspiration 1 ..................................................................................................... 50

Fig. 17. Concept image inspiration 2 ..................................................................................................... 50

Fig. 18. Concept image inspiration 3 ..................................................................................................... 51

Fig. 19. Concept image inspiration 4 ..................................................................................................... 51

Fig. 20. Andrew's AutoCAD museum exhibit concept .......................................................................... 52

Fig. 21. Venn diagram describing triple bottom line relating to sustainability [27]. .............................. 63

Fig. 22. Sketch illustrating how to effectively use solar panels [31] . ................................................... 68
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Fig. 23. Preliminary sketch of the structure of the first iteration of SACC's Power the Cities design. .. 69

Fig. 24. Conceptual sketch of the first iteration of the Power the Cities exhibit. ................................... 69

Fig. 25. AutoCAD sketch of the Power the Cities in its first iteration. ................................................. 69

Fig. 26. Andrew and Lucinda working on mock up for Milestone 3. .................................................... 70

Fig. 27. Final mockup for Milestone 3................................................................................................... 70

Fig. 28. Lucinda working on the prototype for Milestone 4. .................................................................. 70

Fig. 29. First iteration prototype for Milestone 4. ................................................................................... 71

Fig. 30. 3D model of a windmill created by Lucinda Shotts. ................................................................ 73

Fig. 31. Poster Mock-up of Power The States Done By Lucinda Shotts. .............................................. 74

Fig. 32. Final poster created by Lucinda Shotts and revised by Samantha Chin. .................................. 74

Fig. 33. Final Solidworks blueprint of project design ............................................................................ 88

Fig. 34. Solidworks blueprint of smokestack ......................................................................................... 89

Fig. 35. Solidworks blueprint of windmill ............................................................................................. 90

Fig. 36. Solidworks blueprint of watermill ............................................................................................ 91

Fig. 37. Solidworks blueprint of solar panel .......................................................................................... 92

Fig. 38. Processing code used to display GUI ....................................................................................... 99

Fig. 39. Arduino code for RFID scanner and tags ............................................................................... 106

Fig. 40. Wire diagram used for project ................................................................................................ 107

Fig. 41. First Milestone group meeting ................................................................................................ 108

Fig. 42. AutoCAD drawing of proposed project .................................................................................. 108

Fig. 43. Milestone 2 group meeting with mentor ................................................................................. 109

Fig. 44. Updated autoCAD drawing of final project ............................................................................ 109

Fig. 45. Andrew and Sam working on dimensions for project ............................................................ 110

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Fig. 46. Andrew and Lucy cutting cardboard for prototype ................................................................ 110

Fig. 47. Andrew, Sam and Lucy taping cardboard prototype .............................................................. 111

Fig. 48. Andrew, Sam and Lucy formatting cardboard prototype ....................................................... 111

Fig. 49. Front view of cardboard prototype ......................................................................................... 112

Fig. 50. Top view of cardboard prototype............................................................................................ 112

Fig. 51. Side view of cardboard prototype ........................................................................................... 113

Fig. 52. Lucy and Andrew transporting wood pieces .......................................................................... 113

Fig. 53. Lucy and Andrew taking a break from transporting wood ..................................................... 114

Fig. 54. Milestone 4 group meeting with mentor ................................................................................. 114

Fig. 55. Lucy drilling hinges into project ............................................................................................. 115

Fig. 56. Lucy cutting background poster of project ............................................................................. 115

Fig. 57. Lucy, Andrew and Nick cutting and drilling wood for project .............................................. 116

Fig. 58. Andrew, Lucy and Nick changing formatting of project ........................................................ 116

Fig. 59. Andrew drilling hinges into project for postcards .................................................................. 117

Fig. 60. Final wood prototype .............................................................................................................. 117

Fig. 61. Final product without painting................................................................................................ 118

Fig. 62. Back of project with wires for LEDs ...................................................................................... 118

Fig. 63. Side of project with updated supports..................................................................................... 119

Fig. 64. Nick drilling holes for solar panel .......................................................................................... 119

Fig. 65. Mentor meeting for Milestone 5 ............................................................................................. 120

Fig. 66. Hannah giving advice on poster edits ..................................................................................... 120

Fig. 67. Poster rough draft for Milestone 5 .......................................................................................... 121

Fig. 68. Project after base layer of paint .............................................................................................. 121

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Fig. 69. Painted 3D pieces.................................................................................................................... 122

Fig. 70. Solar panel 3D print ................................................................................................................ 122

Fig. 71. Windmill 3D print................................................................................................................... 123

Fig. 72. Watermill 3D print .................................................................................................................. 123

Fig. 73. Smokestack 3D print............................................................................................................... 124

Fig. 74. Final solar panel energy source .............................................................................................. 124

Fig. 75. Final windmill 3D print .......................................................................................................... 125

Fig. 76. Final hydroelectric source ....................................................................................................... 125

Fig. 77. Final geothermal energy source .............................................................................................. 126

Fig. 78. Example of energy source with RFID tag glued on bottom ................................................... 126

Fig. 79. Presentation day at Museum of Science ................................................................................. 127

Fig. 80. Final project at Museum of Science ....................................................................................... 127

Fig. 81. Final product with poster reformatted .................................................................................... 128

Fig. 82. Group picture at Museum of Science with team shirts ........................................................... 128

Fig. 83. Final game is being played with by kids................................................................................. 129

Fig. 84. Final Poster formatting ........................................................................................................... 129

Fig. 85. Test GUI screen for program .................................................................................................. 130

Fig. 86. Welcome screen for GUI ........................................................................................................ 130

Fig. 87. GUI slide for level 1 ............................................................................................................... 131

Fig. 88. Wrong choice GUI screen for level 1 ..................................................................................... 131

Fig. 89. Getting closer to the answer level 1 ........................................................................................ 132

Fig. 90. Try again screen for Level 1 ................................................................................................... 132

Fig. 91. Correct answer chosen for level 1 GUI .................................................................................. 133

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Fig. 92. Level 2 introduction screen..................................................................................................... 133

Fig. 93. Worst answer for location GUI slide ...................................................................................... 134

Fig. 94. Try again slide for level 2 ....................................................................................................... 134

Fig. 95. Good try, but try again with hints for level 2 ......................................................................... 135

Fig. 96. Correct answer given for level 2 GUI screen ......................................................................... 135

Fig. 97. Level 3 introduction slide ....................................................................................................... 136

Fig. 98. Incorrect answer for level 3 ................................................................................................... 136

Fig. 99. Incorrect, but better answer for level 3 ................................................................................... 137

Fig. 100. Not the worst answer but not the best answer for level 3 GUI screen .................................. 137

Fig. 101. Best answer chosen for level 3 ............................................................................................. 138

Fig. 102. Level 4 introduction screen................................................................................................... 138

Fig. 103. Wrong choice chosen for level 4 .......................................................................................... 139

Fig. 104. Not the best choice for level 4 screen ................................................................................... 139

Fig. 105. Good choice but not the best choice for level 4 GUI slide ................................................... 140

Fig. 106. Best choice for level 4 screen ............................................................................................... 140

Fig. 107. Congratulatory screen to move onto the next level .............................................................. 141

Fig. 108. End screen once game has been completed .......................................................................... 141

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 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

SACC consists of four first year engineering students attending Northeastern University. The
team’s objectives were to create an exhibit for the Museum of Science that was centered around
sustainability. However, the project was specifically intended for members of the STEAM club at the
Beachmont Veterans Memorial School. SACC decided to create an interactive exhibit that taught students
about the appropriate use of renewable energy sources according to different location conditions. After
fourteen weeks of hard work, the group created Power the Cities. The finished product was put on display
at the Museum of Science for the public to learn about how renewable energy can be most effectively
used.
Power the Cities was created with the intention of teaching user through experience, or in this
case, trial and error. The exhibit prompts the player to choose from four different energy sources to power
each city. The 3D printed energy sources each have their own unique RFID tag on the bottom. The player
places the energy source on top of the RFID scanner to be scanned and processed. The GUI then displays
how effective that energy type was in that particular city. The goal is to progress through each level by
choosing the best sustainable energy source for that city. There are LEDs on the front panel that light up
when the player is on that level and stay lit until the game has been reset. The final component of the
exhibit is the reset button which resets the game whenever it is pressed.
SACC focused on renewable energy sources because they have the potential to greatly reduce the
amount of CO emissions that are being released into the atmosphere as a result of burning fossil fuels.
2

The exhibit was designed to educate students about the effective use of renewable energy sources. In this
way SACC hopes to inspire and promote this future generation of engineers to make sustainable choices.
To make project decisions, SACC utilized a Kepner-Tregoe decision analysis chart, shown in
Appendix B. After using the Kepner-Tregoe diagram, SACC decided to go through with Lucinda’s design
concept. Power the Cities covers the triple bottom line. In terms of the planet, renewable energy sources
emit less CO and therefore don’t contribute to the greenhouse gas effect which will cause the globe to
2

cool. Profit wise, although renewables require a significant amount of funding upfront, the energy reaped
from them is significantly more economical. In this way, nations have the ability to make profit off these
renewable energy sources. Regarding people, the funds saved by renewables can be put toward culturally
important institutions like schools and hospitals.

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NICHOLAS ABADIR

INTRODUCTION
INTENDED BENEFICIARIES
PROBLEM STATEMENT The intended clients and users of our interactive
design are mainly children in elementary school.
The world is currently experiencing a period of
A small example group would be the Beachmont
climate change due to the byproducts of fossil fuel
School in which 26% the school are English
production. These byproducts, such as CO2, act as
language learners [1]. Our design is made
reactants in a process called the greenhouse gas
relatively simple therefore to meet our target
effect. The greenhouse gas effect warms up the
audience and does not require any complex
earth by trapping heat in the atmosphere while
motion nor intense reading skills. They are
also causing that heat to be reflected back to the
students mainly from around the Boston-
gas layers in a continuous cycle. This results in an
Cambridge area who have previous knowledge in
increased occurrence of natural disasters and the
renewables so while we simplified some our
melting of ice caps on both poles, which will
descriptions we didn’t make them too simple. One
cause water level elevation. It is necessary then to
of the levels is Boston so that the kids can also
switch to an alternative energy source, since the
attach personally to the ideas were presenting.
byproducts of fossil fuels continue to cause
This provides the intended clients a personal
irreparable damage to our environment. These
attachment to the exhibit which will help them
alternatives would be renewable energies which
remember the information in the future, furthering
produce no harmful side effects such as CO2 in
our own educational objectives for the exhibit.
order to reverse the greenhouse effect. Although
there is no funding to implement these renewable
energies, the small amount of funding can be used SUSTAINABILITY IN ENGINEERING
to spread the ideals of sustainability and a cleaner As engineers it is our duty to ensure that our
future to others such as parents or children who products and creations never harm or impede the
will continue to shape the future as time passes. ability of society. The need for sustainability is
not to preserve the earth but rather humanity.
Humans could never really destroy earth, but we
do have the ability to destroy ourselves. Although

13
it is important to make sure that there is a financial stated before, our economy and society only exist
and societal gain from our designs, the most if humans exist as well.
important value for me personally is the
ecological gain. The worse outcome possible, if
PROJECT OBJECTIVES
we do not incorporate the ecological
considerations, is that we as a species will cease The objectives of our design are to educate people

to exist, despite the amount of money or on the diversity of renewable energy as well as

happiness present in society. The other two cases where they can be best applied. SACC reached

cannot exist without the other so the most relevant these objectives since the main problem, as

need for sustainability is our duty to our planet. outlined in our problem statement, is the current

This coincides with value sensitive design as the use of fossil fuels for powering our grid. This

entirety of humanity is a major stakeholder in this smaller objective is a part of a bigger idea that we

issue [2]. While it may be important to look at the as a people need to move away from the use of

minor issues that arise due to focusing only fossil fuels as a major source of power in everyday

ecologically, ethically it must be at the top of our life. The spread of this information is essential as

list. Who does it benefit if we create earth to be not any one person can change the current culture

uninhabitable for all life? This also moves of using fossil fuels in every aspect of life.

towards an ethical need no matter what

philosophy you follow. A utilitarian would argue The smaller objective was the best possible course

for sustainability as the outcomes are catastrophic of action to reach the overall objective given the

with the continued use of fossil fuels. A virtue- constraints given. There was no possible way to

ethicist would argue for sustainability as it implement the renewable infrastructure because

acknowledges the values of people such as respect there was a monetary budget of 100$. Time was a

for their basic right to live, and the outcome would major factor as well due to the natural semester

erase virtues as there would be no more people. A constraint of 14 weeks alongside other work

deontologist would argue that the companies are given. With these constraints in mind as well as

at fault as they are acting against the people and presenting at the Museum of Science, an

actively hurting them. There is no one that this information-based solution was the best possible

issue does not concern and the only losses are option. Our demographic also caused a constraint

monetary to a few individuals who prosper off of as our exhibit needed to educate on a complex

these unsustainable businesses. As previously idea using only simple imagery and functions, so

14
they would be able to interpret the more complex
ideals of sustainability.
The functions of this design are simple so as to
match our target demographic. The user would
begin the game and choose an object with a
specific RFID tag to be placed upon the scanner.
The scanner functions on the Arduino board
which has an unending loop to spit out a number
from 1-4 dependent on the unique RFID tag. This
1-4 is then sent to the computer which depending
on the level will send an image of a slide to the
screen displaying their results. If the user chooses
anything other than what was deemed the best
option for this level, they will be given a hint and
then asked to place another energy source on the
scanner. Once the user completes a level they will
then move to the next and repeat until finishing
the fourth (last) level. Once the user is finished,
there is a green reset button present to reset the
game and display the first slide restarting the loop.
BACKGROUND
RESEARCH
Hydroelectric power has been harnessed since the
beginning of human history and is therefore the
world’s oldest renewable energy source. Any area
of the world where a large riverbed is present can
easily become the grounds for new dams to
15
employ the power of flowing water, which is
powered by our earth's own rain cycle. In the U.S.
alone, hydroelectric power accounts for 81% of
renewables and 20% of all power in the U.S. grid
[3]. The relatively simple design not only makes
hydroelectric power easy to integrate, it also
means it is the most economically feasible in
comparison to other energy outputs. In essence a
hydroelectric dam is comprised of a turbine which
takes the kinetic energy generated by the flow of
water and uses it to spin a generator or an
electromagnet to convert it to electrical energy.
Hydroelectric dams have up to a 90% efficiency
rate in terms of energy conversion compared to
that of solar panels which at their current
efficiency is at 10% for the more common solar
panel [4]. There are many examples of working
plants such as Niagara Falls, which has been
functioning since 1894 and currently produces
enough energy for 1.92 million homes [5]. The
Hoover Dam is another example of
hydroelectricity and serves around 3.1 million
homes despite being built in one of the most arid
areas of the United States, exemplifying the
versatility of hydroelectric power as its only
major prerequisite is running water [6]. Although
hydroelectric power has countless benefits, both
economic and environmentally, there can be some
major consequences. The Three Gorges Dam on
the Yangtze river is currently the largest
hydroelectric dam in the world. However, its
construction led to the displacement of 1.2 million
people caused by the destruction of hundreds of
towns and a dozen cities. [7]. The dam caused the
water levels along the Yangtze to rise
considerably, and in response the people were
forced to evacuate their homes forever. However,
this issue is not the case for all dams, since the
Three Gorges dam’s construction was mainly
perpetuated by the Chinese government who were
aware of these consequences preemptively. These
hydroelectric dams release no carbon emissions
while also keeping damage to the environment
and surroundings to a minimum. They also
become large social attractions and can actually
make money for the communities where they are
built.
Fig. 1. Hydroelectric Dam Example
The inspiration for my design was drawn from
this image, since in essence both operate in similar
fashions. My design is simply a much smaller
version of a hydroelectric dam that has a crank on
it for the kids to turn and see how much energy
16
they generate from spinning the crank which
simulates how an actual hydroelectric dam works.
While the design is simple, it allows for an
understanding of how these massive hydroelectric
dams work. Most people would assume these
massive manmade structures are very complex,
but the main design is actually very basic. This
meets our team goals as the design is about
renewable energies which was what we wanted to
base our project around. Plus, while being
relatively simple to design, allows for a
interactive exhibit which kids will love. Currently
some of the major constraints are the toughness of
the crank along with the presence of water.
In order to work with electronics, there would
have to be some form of water proofing in order
to ensure that the motor would not be affected nor
the durability of the exhibit. The crank would
have to withstand a high amount of cycles. The
strength of the crank must also be able to
withstand an ambitious child which could cause
some complications as kids will be very
competitive with the energy count. The
educational value is gained from demonstrating
how simple renewable energies can be, in
particular the ease at which hydroelectricity can
be integrated in any environment; while
simultaneously providing a real example to learn
from visually.
ETHICS countries for energy resources but renewables

Our project is utilitarianly oriented since the end would provide a financially advantageous option

goal is to educate young students on the diversity while allowing them to further their autonomy as

of renewable energies in order to move away from an independent state. On a social standpoint,

fossil fuels. The continued use of fossil fuels will renewables provide many benefits that are

bring catastrophic events such as severe changes intertwined with financial gain. Lowering the cost

in weather patterns and natural disasters due to of energy would allow the government to then use

CO2 emissions. It is an ethical necessity to address this new source of funds and put them towards

this issue as life on earth is in danger to these social institutions such as transportation,

potentially catastrophic events. This exhibit aims recreation, and education. The major constraints

to provide information on a possible energy of these renewables are that they must be built in

source solution in order to avoid a potentially environmentally specific locations. Solar must be

world-ending event through the use of built where there is an ample amount of sunlight,

renewables. This is not an issue with any one Hydro-electric is limited to sources of flowing

person, but the responsibility of humans as a water, Geothermal requires natural springs to

whole in order to save both the environment and harvest steam on a large scale, and windmills

ourselves. The benefits of using renewables are must be built in areas unguarded by wind such as

endless, since they meet the criteria as stated by mountains. There are other options like nuclear,

the triple bottom line. The financial gain from which is not location-bound and matches

renewables further contends with fossil fuels; the renewables in low carbon-emission technologies

value of fossil fuels stands at around 6 cents per while maintaining a low cost of 2.1 cents per

kilowatt hour in contrast to figures put up by solar kilowatt hour for the production of energy [3].

companies which reported 2.9 cents per kilowatt The problem with implementing nuclear, is that

hour with the use of current technology [8]. The despite it meeting the financial and ecological

cost of solar is less than half of that reported by needs required for sustainability it carries

the fossil fuel companies and would lower the cost negative social stigma due to previous incidents

of living for every person having innumerable in the past. The controversial nature of this issue

benefits on any population. Renewable sources is what stopped us from including nuclear within

also provide energy independence, not only on the our exhibit even though it provides the best

individual level but on a global scale as well. possible solution economically while meeting the

Many countries are dependent on larger wealthier ecological requirements.

17
UNIVERSAL DESIGN
Universal Design is a method of design that
allows the client to use the product to it fullest
extent regardless of any personal impediments or
disabilities they may have [9]. This method is
relevant with today's values of inclusivity, and
attempts to not alienate any one user from the
product. We personally implemented this in our
own exhibit by using a non-seraph font as it can
be harder for children with reading disabilities
such as dyslexia to read seraph fonts such as
Times New Roman. Our design is also not
physically demanding in which a very light block
with an RFID reader is placed atop an outcropping
on the board. This allows even smaller children to
participate in the exhibit. The height of the exhibit
was also another factor since our demographic is
mainly elementary school children. We controlled
this variable by angling our exhibit so that even
those who are unable to reach a certain height will
be unimpeded.
METHODOLOGY &
ORGANIZATION
The group’s main goals for the construction of the
team contract were to place importance on work
ethic and openness, so that we would be able to
succeed in a timely manner and be able to voice
any concerns or ideas without fear of backlash
from the group. To ensure group cohesion and
18
reliability, consequences were established so that
if a group member failed to meet certain ideals,
such as punctuality in group meetings they would
be held accountable. If a group member was to be
late to a meeting without prior notice of more than
an hour, they were required to order a pizza as a
monetary reparation for their action. If any
conflict were to reach a 2-2 split between
members and was taking too much time the
problem would be resolved with a coin flip. This
method was never used due to their being little
conflict on design. However, we did experience
personal conflict in my regard as my work ethic
was not meeting the standards as originally stated
in our contract, but we were able to resolve the
conflict and move forward by meeting as a group
and expressing individual concerns while offering
solutions.
I was the project manager for Milestone 2 of the
project, and as such a base design was chosen to
move forward with during my period. This
milestone wasn’t as work intensive as shown in
the Gantt chart ,seen in Appendix H, but required
a lot of time for discussion on how we as a group
wanted to move forward with our project and
what aspects were most important to us. The
group was required to perform individual research
on a renewable energy and create an exhibit based
off of this general theme. We all presented our
ideas which followed the theme of renewable
energies in order to meet the sustainability
guidelines. We presented these ideas with our
mentor to get a sense of the feasibility of our
ideas, but no ideas were deemed impossible to
make given the time and resource constraints. As
a group, to make an unbiased decision, we carried
out a KT decision analysis table to pick a choice.
See Appendix B.
ALTERNATIVES, EVALUATION
AND EVOLUTION
The evolution of the SACC exhibit was the
compressed version of our original idea, due to
budget constraints and certain over-complexities.
My original idea was an interactive exhibit with a
crank to simulate the production of energy
through a hydro-electric dam, as seen below.

These musts were generated so that all group

members were passionate as well as a topic that
could be expanded upon and further solved. Our
main areas of importance were that our design
was to be easily understood by kids as well as
thoroughly interactive. If our exhibit was too
boring for the kids, we would see less
participation and if it was too complex the
children may miss the learning objectives we had
written out for the exhibit. Since Lucinda’s idea
won by over a 5% margin compared to the other
ideas it was deemed statistically significant and Fig. 2. Nick's hand drawn example of hydroelectric dam
exhibit
we moved forward with that idea as a guide. After
this period, our mentor mentioned the use of
Our mentor Hannah had no problems with any of
RFID cards in her previous exhibit and
our design ideals as they were all feasible. The
recommended the idea as an option that we could
end decision concluded with Lucinda’s idea as the
pursue in differentiating the separate renewable
front-runner based on a KT-Decision analysis
options while also providing an interactive
table, and could be expanded to include each of
function to the exhibit. The team also set up our
our individual ideas. Hydro-Electric was then
learning goals for this exhibit and redefined our
decided upon as a possible option for the user to
individual goals that we had for ourselves over the
choose from in the game. Then as no selection
course of the project.
19
method for the renewables was known our mentor
presented the idea of using RFID cards to
differentiate between separate renewable options,
while being an easy way to communicate those
selections to a computer. Originally there were to
be three separate RFID scanners for each level,
but due to budget concerns the group decided to
integrate all individual levels to one scanner.
Fig. 3. Front view of cardboard prototype
This change also affected the computer screen
positioning from the center of the board to the
bottom, as it was more practical without
additional supports within the board and allowed
us to move the RFID to the bottom center.
Fig. 4. Completed wood prototype
20
Our first presentation of the prototype also raised
concerns on the folding mechanism of the board.
Initially it allowed us to more easily transport the
board and compress it for storage, but the
instability of the design raised safety concerns in
our presentation. We attempted to provide support
to prevent the board from folding in or out but due
to time being limited we switched to a more
structured design of triangular supports on the
side that would eliminate the problem of the board
collapsing. We were forced to sacrifice
portability, but the weight of the overall board
decreased as the backboard had more mass than
the two individual supports, an unforeseen benefit
which didn’t sacrifice the mobility of the exhibit
as much as previously thought.
Fig. 5. Completed alteration of sides of project
Stemming from the idea of child safety, we also
got rid of the ability to remove the postcards from
their position. The concern was that children may
misplace the postcards which could cause
confusion on their original position and which
level they may be referencing. To solve this issue,
we added hinges to the boards and created a book geographical order from Phoenix to Boston and
design using laser cut 6” by 10” of 1/8” thick the board features a road in between each booklet
basswood and gluing laminated images while as seen below.
writing over the wood. The hinge design still
allows that aspect to remain interactive but
removes the concern of the cards being moved
around and misplaced.

Fig. 6. Project after paint job and put together Fig. 7. Final project at Museum of Science

The functional design uses an Arduino board

FINAL DESIGN
which is hooked up to an RFID scanner. The 3D

DESCRIPTION printed pieces have RFID cards with unique ID’s

placed on the bottom of the base. The user takes
The final design of the SACC cornerstone exhibit
one of the renewables available and places it on
is a board mounted on two triangle supports and
the platform which contains the RFID scanner.
has a platform for which to place the 3D printed
The Arduino code is made of 4 while loops, each
renewables. In addition, the board has small
representing one level on the board. The while
informational books using hinges, 6 x 10 x 1/8
loop’s condition is based on a counting variable
basswood, and laminated paper. These booklets
that is increased whenever the correct answer of
provide information on their corresponding levels
the current level is chosen. The LEDs also turn on
and are marked with yellow LED’s laying directly
if the correct answer is chosen, to show
above. The board also features a reset button
progression through the levels as well as which
which at any point resets the game to the starting
booklet is currently relevant. Within these loops
level of Phoenix. The cities are also placed in

21
are 4 if statements which correspond to each of
the unique ID’s below the renewable options.
Each of these statements interprets the ID as a
string value and then sends a unique number to the
serial port for the computer to interpret. The code
on the computer is run through Processing which
is a Java based port. Depending on the number
sent to the computer, Processing will display an
image that has the results for that level as well as
a hint to help the user find the next answer. Apart
from the correct answer, the GUI images will
remain on screen as long as the renewable is
placed on the platform. The correct answer has a
5.5 second delay due to problems experienced
with transitioning levels too quickly and the user
being unable to read their results. Once the user
reaches the final level they can press the reset
button which returns the counting variable to its
original value and turns off the LED’s within
Arduino. Like the RFID cards, the button causes
Arduino to send a unique number to the serial port
which causes the first level to appear on the screen
again. See Appendix E for actual code.
The game design is forgiving, allowing the user to
try as many times as is necessary to reach the
correct answer. This is essential for our learning
objectives because the user can only progress
until they find the correct answer, which will in
turn teach them the correct renewable for the
location and why it works especially well there. If
22
our design was more competitive it may add an
enjoyable aspect to the game but would detract
from our learning objective as the user could
simply memorize the answer to achieve a higher
score.
BETA TESTING RESULTS
The beta testing results for the SACC exhibit were
collected through the use of a google survey. In
the survey, beta testers were asked questions
about how old they were, how fun the exhibit was,
how much they learned, and how the exhibit could
be changed. These can be seen in further depth in
appendix D. The information collected in the beta
test was mainly relevant to organization of the
exhibit. The first tester, a minor from The
Clubhouse, mentioned how the exhibit was
unclear in terms of where to begin. As a result, the
group provided labels as to clearly indicate the
levels. Our second tester Anastasia Zorlas, a non-
engineering student, saw an inconsistency with
our name and locations. Our exhibit was called
Power the States, yet we only presented cities as
options which then provided us with the name
Power the Cities instead. Our last tester David
Shotts, father of Lucinda Shotts, noticed simple
grammar and spelling errors in our GUI slides.
This resulted in the group rereading through every
slide we created to make sure they were coherent
and devoid of any errors. Overall each of these
beta testers resulted in changes to the exhibit that
allowed it to function clearly and without
confusion to the future users.
CONTRIBUTIONS
From Milestones 5-7 my contributions lay mainly
within the coding and handywork of the project.
The folding book design was recommended to us,
however I pushed for its use over the postcards
due to the post cards being too easily misplaced
and causing confusion. I also measured the
dimensions necessary and drilled and screwed the
hinges into their final areas. I was also required to
format the images to fit within the dimensions of
the Basswood on Microsoft word. It was rather
tedious as I continuously had to edit margins and
size based off the rulers on the top and side of the
program.
Along with the hinges I personally changed the
design from the folding method that we had
previously for portability to the more solid
triangular supports. This was necessary as it was
pointed out in Milestone 5 that it could endanger
the users if the board were pushed and then
collapsed either backwards or forwards. This task
was inherently difficult as the tables in FYELIC
don’t provide side supports in which to clamp on,
making it especially difficult to place the triangles
under the board. Due to the angle in which we
23
were drilling in as well, we couldn’t clamp the
supports to the exhibit itself which caused further
obstacles. In the end Lucinda held the board and
triangles together while I drilled and once we had
placed two screws in, I was able to work
independently and finish the job. Find image in
Appendix G, Figure 63
I was responsible for the 3D-printed solar panel
which was to be used as one of the renewables.
While being a relatively simplistic design
compared to the other renewables presented, it
was necessary to accurately display a solar array.
The biggest obstacle was mainly placing the
angled portions and mating them to the solar array
as I had never attempted to create an angled object
in SolidWorks. With time I was able to figure it
out and make them identical but all that work
didn’t matter as the parts printed separately
requiring me to glue them regardless. See in
Appendix C, Figure 37.
Once the physical design was finished, I became
more focused on the coding portion and provided
assistance to Andrew in finalizing the code by
attending the 3-hour GUI session that was run by
Justin. During that time my main objective was
figuring out how to intake the RFID values on
Arduino and then communicate those values to
the computer. With Justin, instead of the
computer interpreting each unique RFID, we
created if statements which read the input attempted to improve my work ethic towards the
received from the RFID and then sent a unique latter end of the project.
number to the computer through the serial port
which then made the GUI code denser as only 1
CONCLUSION
to 2 digits numbers needed to be interpreted rather
than a 6-character RFID. This then, as showed in OBSERVATIONS FROM EXHIBITION DAY
Appendix E, allowed us to control progression
The presentation during exhibition day was
through levels as the RFIDs would then send
mostly successful. The larger swarms of kids
unique numbers based on the current level within
seemed to enjoy the exhibit more but were less
the Arduino code making the GUI code as simple
inclined to focus on the educational aspect of the
as 16 if statements for each level.
design, attempting to do speed runs and simply
memorizing answers after testing them all. One

RESOURCES kid in particular even saw our exhibit and scoffed

at the theme of it and simply walked by which hurt
Our group met our budget at 87.64$ so our exhibit
morale. However, when a smaller group of kids
stayed within the 100$ limit seen in Appendix I.
came to our exhibit they would take the time to
The group was able to save money on materials
read and absorb the information given to them.
due to the extra supply that I had at home,
One young girl in particular took a longer time to
allowing us to spend more money where we
play the game than the rest of the users but seemed
needed it most. I personally bought the screws and
to actually be reading the slides intently even if
hinges as I worked mostly on the physical aspect
she got the wrong choice. This moment touched
of the board. I also volunteered to walk to Blick
our group especially as this kid was taking the
to buy construction supplies and bought the
time to go through our exhibit and enjoy
thinner light wood and a small portion of the
compared to other users. At the museum of
paint. In total I spent around 33$ on the supplies
Science another user who appreciated the game
listed above.
was Professor Schulte’s son who also took the
time to read through the hints and slides when
I contributed 33.25 hours to this project as can be
presented to him. It was harder to tell whether he
seen in the breakdown in Appendix J. I feel that I
was enjoying the game, but he took the time to
was lacking in hours worked in the beginning of
the project which the group recognized and

24
experience it instead of simply rushing through
which I personally respected.
Fig. 8. Museum of Science project being played
Overall the exhibit may have been too fun for
some of the kids and that detracted from their
focus on the education portion. However, for
those who took their time they became educated
on how to make each renewable more efficient
depending on the location.
REFLECTIONS ON LEARNING
The amount that I have learned from this project
rivals the amount learned in class. Unsurprisingly
I learned mainly from my mistakes and how not
to encounter them in the future. My main failures
lied within the coding of the project when I was
learning how to integrate the RFID scanner with
the computer GUI. Justin, Lucas, and I failed
multiple times and finally finished within near the
exact end of the session. We all struggled together
but going through each of those failures taught me
25
how not to encounter them again as well as
creative ways to communicate between two
separate computers. All this experience in coding
is relevant for me as I’m pursuing a BS degree in
Computer Engineering. This major takes me
further away from the physical aspects of
engineering and more into the software. In the
beginning of the year I had little to no coding
experience and now I know how to create an
entire interactive exhibit while communicating to
physical objects like buttons and RFID scanners.
REFLECTIONS ON WORKING IN A TEAM
I personally have always shied away from
working in a team, as my personal decisions may
cause consequences for the others which always
places stress on me if I fall behind on work. This
occurred to me personally in Milestone 4 in which
I fell behind on my work and was not putting
nearly as much work as the other members as can
be seen in Appendix J. This caused a major
conflict which resulted in me being ousted from
group conversations for a short period of time
until the tensions were too obvious that they could
no longer be avoided. They addressed their
concerns about my work ethic and how I was
being irresponsible and no longer contributing. I
was at first defensive and that was causing further
group conflict and noticing this I took time to
reflect. My teammates were giving this project
their all while I was coasting along enjoying the
fruits of their labors. I did the bare minimum that
was asked of me and didn’t attempt to ever go the
extra mile. While it seemed things were getting
worse during the discussion, I dropped my guards.
I acknowledged each of their concerns and
realized that I had been a bad group member. In
fact, I had been doing poorly in almost every
aspect due to my bad work ethic. They felt my
sincerity and forgave me which is a testament to
each of their characters. It was a transformative
moment that taught me the value of introspection
as I was not always in the right. Their forgiveness
also allowed me to change and provide more for
the group than I had previously and become a
productive group member. Instead of remaining
silent and letting them form the project, I actively
voiced my opinions and concerns. Overall this
conflict allowed me to become a better member of
the group and make major contributions to the
group near the end of the project, mainly in terms
of the coding and altering physical aspects of the
design. I never really felt in the position of a
leader, but I did distinguish myself and didn’t
merely follow along as I had done previously. I’m
thankful to Lucinda for being able to guide the
group and being the leader even during my areas
of fault. I hope to absorb her confidence and
innovation to improve upon my own leadership
skills.
26
RECOMMENDATIONS
Do work on a schedule. Time management is the
one most important thing that I can recommend to
any one person who takes Cornerstone. If you
even attempt to put something off until the last
minute you will regret it. Our group in the
beginning consistently did reports last minute and
it affected our grades. As we progressed though
the semester, our time management improved and
so did our report grades until we got a perfect
score on Milestone 6. Giving yourself more time
not only relaxes your nerves but inherently gives
you more time to work. This leads me to the next
point of stress. A little bit can be important in
order to maintain a satisfactory work ethic, but too
much will detract from accomplishing your work.
Last but not least have fun. As Marc Anthony
said, “If you do what you love, you'll never work
a day in your life”. This project can be so much
more if you want it to be as long as you put in the
work. It’s important to know who you’re working
with so talk to them. I didn’t even attempt that
until the end of the project and getting to know my
teammates actually helped me communicate and
work with them better. Everyone has a life of their
own and sometimes those little conversations and
connections make the massive workload more
bearable as you sit there and grind the work for
hours on end. I honestly wished I had voiced more
of my creative ideas in the beginning to shape the
project and had spent more time working on the
code, so we could’ve integrated little things like a
welcome slide and a next level page. My ideal
vision for the exhibit would have been a touch
screen. The time constraint unfortunately forced
us to create a simpler GUI and I really think that
interactive portion would have really drawn the
eye of the kids at the exhibit. Returning to my first
point, you can give yourself the time to make it
better if you use your time better. I know that I
could have.

27
SAMANTHA CHIN
INTRODUCTION
PROBLEM STATEMENT
There are mass amounts of different energy
sources. However, some of these energy sources
are not sustainable. Energy sources such as fossil
fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) are the main
contributing energy source to the greenhouse
effect [10]. Greenhouse gases (such as CO2) trap
heat from the sun and warm the planet.
Greenhouse gases are gases in the atmosphere that
act like a glass roof to a greenhouse. These gases
tend to make a shield in the atmosphere and trap
the heat given off by the sun, which warms up the
planet and can cause natural disasters [11].
However, there is a way to delay the greenhouse
gas effect and have more years on earth. This is
possible by decreasing the amount of CO2
emissions. One way of doing so would be to use
renewable energy sources instead of burning
finite fossil fuels. If people learned more about
this, or learned when they were younger, people
would be more energy efficient and use energy
sources that help the world instead of harm it. To
educate the world on better ways of utilizing
energy, design a safe and kid-friendly exhibit that
educates kids about sustainability in renewable
28
energy sources in a way that is interactive,
educational and enjoyable.
INTENDED BENEFICIARIES
Our class was introduced to making educational
but interactive and pleasing museum exhibits by
the Museum of Science in Boston. The exhibits
produced by our class would be on display in the
museum Saturday, April 13th in the morning.
After attending an informational session with the
Museum of Science, our class discovered that the
Museum of Science receives mainly 2 to 9 year
old children Saturday mornings. This trend
usually happens because many of these children
are accompanied by their parents and younger
children have tendencies to wake up earlier. Older
kids are less common in the mornings as they tend
to not like to wake up early. With this information,
SACC had created an exhibit that catered to them
while still including the educational and enjoyable
factors. SACC did this by creating an exhibit that
was simple and easy to understand while also
thought provoking to make kids understand about
sustainable energy better. Another factor that
helped SACC cater more towards kids was the
fact that kids tend to like to play with more hands
on activities. Kids also learn more if they are able
to interact with the learning process. With this
knowledge, SACC created 3D renewable energy
sources that kids can play with. Rather than
having too much going on in our exhibit, we
decided to keep a white background so kids could
focus more on the learning aspect instead of
getting distracted. Our beneficiaries are children,
who are pure and only really want to be happy.
Children are blunt and will tell you when
something isn’t fun or they aren’t happy, and
SACC tried to make a museum exhibit that is
equally fun and exciting as it is educational.
SUSTAINABILITY IN ENGINEERING
According to USEPA (United States
Environmental Protection Agency), sustainability
is defined as meeting the needs of today’s society
without diminishing the needs of tomorrow [12].
According to Merriam Webster, a design is a
project or a sketch that is to be executed [13].
Engineering is the application of science and math
by which sources of nature are made useful to
people [14]. Sustainability is important to include
in engineering designs for several reasons. First,
the design must be able to handle pressure and
hand-wearing as well as satisfy the triple bottom
line.
Fig. 9. The Three Spheres of Sustainability [13]
As shown in Fig. 9, sustainability has 3 main
branches- economic, social, and environmental.
This is also known as the triple bottom line. This
could also be known as the three p’s, profit,
people and planet. The three p’s are more
commonly used among children as it is easier for
them to understand. Engineer designs should
maintain the triple bottom line as engineers are
given problems that need to be solved under
certain limitations. The limitations should have
the triple bottom line included because it ensures
that we are meeting today’s needs without
harming the futures’. For sustainability to be
included into engineer designs, the three spheres
should be equally balanced and considered. For a
project to be sustainable, it must support the social
part of society’s lives (such as their lifestyle,
education, etc), reinforce economic aspects (such

29
as profits, costs, savings, etc) and encourage
environment (such as pollution, fossil fuel
consumption, natural resources, etc) [15].
Finally, while considering sustainability in
engineer designs, the value sensitive design must
also be considered. Value sensitive design,
similarly to the triple bottom line, consists of three
branches- perspective, appreciation and skill [2].
By utilizing these three branches, the design is
ethical. People in society tend to put blind trust
into engineers and request for them to create
products that will work without fail. Engineers are
then responsible to ensure that, through the value
sensitive design, the product is ethical and what
the user or client wants.
PROJECT OBJECTIVES
SACC’s project had a few objectives. SACC did
not want to produce a project that compared the
differences, pros and cons between renewable
energy and fossil fuels. The first and foremost
objective was ensuring that children learned about
sustainability in renewable energy. SACC wanted
children to learn about renewable energy and why
this kind of energy is better for the environment
and society as a whole. SACC wanted children to
learn more about sustainable energy and compare
which natural energy sources are better for each
30
location. Instead of having children learn and
view the differences between what is harmful
energy to the planet and what is good for the
planet, SACC wanted to educate kids more on the
different types of sustainable energy. Another
objective SACC focused on this project was
ensuring that the exhibit was safe for kids to
tamper with. Children tend to learn more when
they are doing a hands-on activity that they find
interesting and entertaining. SACC planned to
have kids learn the most with two more
objectives; having an exhibit that provides
excitement for children and having children be
able to physically interact with the exhibit.
SACC’s exhibit had some constraints to this
project. The two most important constraints
SACC had to think about were money and the
time it would take to complete this project. SACC
had less than 14 weeks to build this project,
including the failures and the adjustments needed
to make this exhibit. Along with adjustments and
failures, there were time constraints that each
member had. All group members of SACC had to
think about the course load of other classes as
well, Lucy also had to think about track practices
and competitions. Budget was another issue to
worry about. SACC had $100 to stay under, and
at the beginning of the project many things were
free. Things such as cardboard and tape were free.
Materials from FYLEIC (first year learning
engineering innovation center) were free for
SACC to utilize. Wood from Nick Abadir’s
family was free for us to use. At first, it seemed as
though SACC would stay far under the budget
given. But as the semester continued, SACC
progressed closer and closer to the budget limit.
Another limitation that SACC had to consider was
how light or portable the project could be made.
SACC’s project was relatively big and the wood
used was relatively thick. Originally SACC had a
back piece of wood to support the project, but this
was changed to have two triangle legs on the sides
of the project to ensure that the project did not
slide and collapse. As stated before, SACC
wanted to create an interactive exhibit for kids. To
make this possible, SACC had created 3D printed
parts that could be moved around and played with.
SACC created four different types of renewable
energy printed parts that were used in the project
for kids to learn which renewable energy is best
used in certain locations. SACC believed that by
having the 3D parts be the most important portion
of the project and have kids move them around to
figure out which source goes where, this would be
the interactive portion that kids learn the most
from. Another interactive portion of our project
was the postcards. SACC had created postcards
that could be flipped to see the back for more hints
on the area. This idea was suggested by Professor
Schulte Grahame.
31
Behind the project, there were more functions that
were employed in order to teach kids more about
sustainable energy. Once the user placed a
renewable energy source upon the RFID scanner,
the scanner recognized which source was being
scanned. The code created a variable for the
energy source and input a GUI for the user to read.
Depending on the energy source chosen for each
location, the code would find the correct GUI
slide. The GUI stated whether the energy chosen
was the most sustainable choice. If the user chose
an energy source that wasn’t the best fit, the
program would ask the user to try again and
explain why the energy source was not the correct
one. If the energy source was the correct source,
than the user would receive a congratulations and
move onto the next level.
BACKGROUND
RESEARCH
At the beginning of the semester, I researched the
best way to keep a child focused. Instead of
having a project overloaded with different facts
and functions for the children, it was better to
have one function for kids to focus on.
I also thought that the project should be on one
platform instead of three different boxes for three
different levels. This was because it would be
easier for children to focus on the learning instead
of walking back and forth between the project and
eventually losing focus and leaving the exhibit.
For the handout, I learned about biomass energy.
Biomass is energy from plants. It is very
commonly used throughout the world, but in
harmful ways. The most popular method is cutting
down trees to burn for warmth and cooking. This
causes mass amounts of carbon dioxide to be
released into the atmosphere, which causes many
areas in the world to have air pollution. Some of
the more recent biomass energy is the production
of alcohol and methane generation for automobile
fuel and fueling electric plants [16]. Biomass
could be what tips the scale between using fossil
fuels as a source of energy to power and fuel
homes and automobiles. However, it comes with
negative side effects too. For instance, biomass
energy could threaten conservation areas, pollute
water resources, or decrease food. The net effect
of using biomass energy could either cool the
earth or warm it. It all comes down to the type of
crop and the technology for converting plants into
energy [17]. The most ideal way of using biomass
energy is by utilizing fields that have been
previously used for agriculture but has since been
abandoned and has not been turned into forest or
urban areas. Biomass energy sources are among
the most promising, most hyped and most heavily
subsidized renewable energy sources [18].
Biomass energy has the capability to heighten
energy security in regions without abundant fossil
32
fuel reserves, to increase supplies of liquid
transportation fuels and to decrease net emissions
of carbon into the atmosphere per unit of energy
delivered. While the same risks still apply, the
effectiveness of biomass energy depends on four
factors; the technology that is used to convert
plants into energy, the amount of land and ocean
needed to create mass amounts of biomass energy,
alternative uses for the potential site candidates,
and finally, the offsite implications of biomass
energy technologies for invasive species and for
levels of air and water pollution [19].
Fig. 10. Biomass energy being created
In Fig. 10, this image inspired my drawing
towards biomass energy because it includes a
cycle that shows how this can be reusable energy.
The plants would be cut down and burned in
sections, so you would have separate sections that
keep growing until the certain section is at a point
where it is ready to be burned. That one section is
harvested and sent to the burner, which in turn
boils the water creating steam. The steam is
directed towards an object similar to a wind
turbine, whereas the steam hits the turbine it starts
to spin. The turbine would be connected to a
generator so as it spins it generates electricity
which is transferred into power lines. This is
renewable because when the plants are burned
carbon dioxide is formed. Plants use the carbon
dioxide in the air to grow and maintain
homeostasis. Plants are constantly being reseeded
as one crop is harvested, therefore you have a
cycle of plants to burn and produce electricity.
This design meets our team goals because we are
focusing on renewable energy, a topic that
everyone agreed upon. We would be able to focus
and concentrate on building up our team trust and
work ethic, and we work on our positivity. It
would meet our personal goals because with this
project we could try to program a code in which a
certain action sets off a different reaction that can
perform some sort of reaction like light up a house
or a city. We could brush up on how we think as
engineers or how we work through problems. The
project design’s objective is to teach kids about
reusable energy. Not only would kids be learning
about reusable energy, but they would be learning
about the consequences that comes with some
decisions as well as how biomass energy
incorporates different types of ways to produce
energy. A simulation can be coded or there could
be a setup that produces energy and lights up a
house after crops are burned. This device would
33
have a place where the crops are ‘burned’ and fire
helps boil the water. Once the water is boiling,
steam is produced and the steam is directed
towards a windmill or wind turbine that is
connected to an electric generator. When it spins,
the generator produces electricity that is sent into
power lines. When the steam cools it gets turned
back into water and gets put into the water boiler
again. The power lines would be connected to a
house and depending on how much is burned, the
house lights up at different levels. The ‘burning’
sensation of the crops could be implemented into
a program.
ETHICS
SACC’s project addressed the different types of
renewable energy sources. Because SACC
wanted to focus more about teaching kids the
different types of sustainable energy, SACC
decided to have the energy sources be compared
in different locations. Ideally, SACC wanted this
project to be able to learn about reusable energy
and one day in their future incorporate it into their
lives. Even if only a few kids decide to change
their lifestyle with the energy sources they use, it
would still be making a difference in helping
society and create a better future for new
generations.
SACC’s project would be successful if enough UNIVERSAL DESIGN
children were educated in the different types of
Universal design takes in a large portion of the
sustainable energies and decide to make a
value sensitive design when creating a project.
difference in the world by switching to renewable
The Universal design ensures that the project is
energy. This would be considered a success
accessible by all people. No matter the differences
because it would mean kids had fun at our
between people physically, mentally or any
museum exhibit and understood our project
disabilities that people may have, the universal
enough to implement it into their own lives.
design makes sure that it is accessible to everyone
[20]. The universal design is important both
To be able to fully address this problem,
ethically and legally. Legally, universal design
renewable energy sources would need to be
makes sure that it is inclusive. The creators behind
created and implemented into the world in
the project cannot be sued for discrimination or
replacement of burning fossil fuels. Instead of
diminishing language. Ethically, the universal
burning gas while driving, ride a bike or take a
design makes sure the project includes all people
public transportation service like the train. Or use
and is fair and respectful to all people.
an electric car to drive to places. Start putting
solar panels on buildings and using that energy, or
The universal design has small details that are
hydro turbines in rivers or windmills in fields.
considered. A portion of the universal designs that
SACC felt were most important were included in
It may not be cost efficient in the present, but as
the project. SACC made the project angled at 45
time progresses on there would be less need to
degrees for the most comfort for people standing
spend money on paying for electricity by paying
up or sitting down. Another important factor that
for power plants to burn fossil fuels to create
was made was the size of the font, which was
electricity. Eventually the cost of putting in
either 32 font or higher, as well as sans serifs
renewable energy will be paid off and a profit will
style. Also, the project was made so that it didn’t
be made. The use of sustainable energy would be
have too many distracting factors on the board.
helpful to the world because it would cause less
SACC made sure that the project was simple
CO2 to be emitted into the world and therefore
enough so that children would be fascinated by
cause the greenhouse gas effect to slow down.
what was happening while still able to focus on
the project. These factors were also included in

34
the GUIs created. On the GUI, a bar was located
on the screen. This was to represent how
sustainable each energy source was according to
each location. SACC included as many universal
designs as possible to ensure that everyone would
be able to access the project.
While I was project manager the project was a
rough prototype of how SACC wanted the project
to be. I try to be as fair as possible when I am in a
leadership position and divide up work to be split
evenly while also ensuring that work is done on
time, even if extra work falls upon myself.

METHODOLOGY &
ORGANIZATION
SACC was fairly organized. In our team contract
(see Appendix A), we made sure to make rules
and if the rules were not followed there would be
a consequence. For instance, if you were late to a
meeting and had not warned any other members
of their lateness, that person was responsible for
providing food to the other members. SACC
ensured that at each group meeting everyone Fig. 11. Final cardboard prototype

knew what was supposed to be done and which

task was assigned to who. It was outlined in the
contract that the work ethic was expected to be
high and put above other assignments as the group
project grade affects other people as well and it
would not be fair to people who were working
hard to receive a bad grade because of someone
else who slacked off. SACC was understanding
when it came to emergencies with group
members, sicknesses, or out of town members.
Conflicts were unavoidable, however SACC was
able to overcome this by having a conference with
one another after a day of working on the project.
Fig. 12. Lucy and Andrew working on cardboard prototype

35
 parts, but sometimes our group would work
I was project manager for Milestone three, which
efficiently and effectively and finish our project
was creating a cardboard prototype and a proof of
days ahead of time with room to double and triple
concept. During this Milestone, SACC divided up
check our work to make sure we did not miss any
the work done by skills. For example, I had
pieces of our project that had to be done.
worked on creating the autoCAD drawing with all
the measurements in order for Lucy and Andrew
The reason that our work had to be done last
to start on the cardboard prototype, as seen in Fig.
minute sometimes was because some people were
11. To ensure the best quality for this project, the
busy and overloaded with too much work and the
work was divided up by how well each group
project had to wait a little bit, or a group member
member was at certain things. Whereas I am better
had a prior engagement such as going home for a
at programs such as autoCAD or solidworks,
weekend for a family emergency or a track meet.
Lucy is better at hands on work like being able to
Lucy is in the Division 1 track team for
put together the pieces to the project. As project
Northeastern University. Nick had family
manager I made sure everyone was okay with the
commitments. Andrew had been taking extra time
task assigned to them. Fig. 12 shows Lucy and
to learn coding better to make sure our project
Andrew working on the cardboard physical
worked. I had family emergencies to deal with
prototype. I specialized in the solidworks and
back home. With these commitments it was hard
autoCAD of this project, Andrew focused on
to get together as a group and work on the project
coding, Lucy focused on writing and Nick
together. Despite these conflicts SACC managed
focused on the handy work.
to overcome these difficulties and get work done
by meeting for an average of six hours a day in
After project managers were no longer being
order to get the project done together. This can be
used, Andrew became the official coder of the
seen in the Gantt chart located in Appendix I,
group. I became the person who was best at
where we typically met on Tuesdays and
solidworks and helped my group as much as
weekends.
possible when needed during the 3D printing
parts. As a group we knew what our strengths
were and what each member should do.
Sometimes work would be put off to the last
minute and people were scrambling to finish their

36
 objects to feed into the program and produce
different amounts of energy. After a Kepner-
Tregoe analysis, SACC decided to go with Lucy’s
idea, but incorporate the 3D parts from my idea
with RFID scanners for kids to interact with. My
idea can be seen in Fig. 13, with the different
sized crops.

Another change from the beginning of the project

was the screen, SACC changed the screen from
being at the top to resting at the bottom and
Fig. 13. Sam's concept of biomass as a museum exhibit covered by a tray that holds the 3D parts. SACC
also thought that instead of having 3 levels and

ALTERNATIVE, EVALUATION AND four renewable energy sources, it would be better

EVOLUTION to have four levels with four renewable energy

sources to explain each and every renewable
Our project went through a many changes
energy source. The RFID scanner was also
throughout the process of making this. The first
changed to be higher so that it doesn’t block the
and major one was having one RFID scanner
screen, but low enough to not block the levels. A
instead of 9. It was easier and less expensive to
reset button was also added.
have one RFID scanner for all the levels instead
of having 3 RFID scanners for each level. SACC
Another change that was made to the project was
had originally thought that it would be better to
having hinges on the postcards instead of magnets
have three different levels with three different
or dowels with rings. This made it easier for
stations, but it was eventually deemed that it
children to flip the postcards as well as keep all
would be better to have one board with the levels
the parts of the project with the project instead of
located on that board.
having kids steal the parts.

There were many aspects that made my idea

Based on results from the beta testing, SACC
different from my group members. While Lucy
decided to put labels on the project so that
focused on several different sustainable energies,
mine focused on just biomass with different size
37
children wouldn’t be confused as to what they
should be doing with the exhibit.
FINAL DESIGN
size of the google slide compared to the size of the
poster board. To print the poster, the plotter
printer in the library was utilized. It took several
trial and errors to perfect the sizing and formatting
of the poster and several mistakes were made in

DESCRIPTION the process. Some of the tech workers who helped

with the plotter printer also had issues resizing the
The final design for our project was something
poster to be the correct size. Almost 7 or 8 tries
that I had taken a great pride in. I felt that
were made until the correct formatting was
throughout this semester SACC worked as a
printed. As you can see in Fig. 8, the poster has
team that climbed over our differences and made
information. However, there is a blank space on
a project that was creative and well planned.
the bottom right corner of the poster. This was to
SACC produced two main portions to the
ensure that the text could be seen by kids while
project; the poster board and the main interactive
not taking up too much space. The poster was
portion.
fitted to be placed behind the project, in case
having the poster completely separate from the
project prevented people from realizing that the
poster was not part of the project.

Fig. 14. Poster board portion of project

Shown in Fig. 14, the poster board SACC had Fig. 15. Final product at the Museum of Science

created to go behind the project. The poster had

As seen in Fig. 15, the final product that was
been designed by Lucy and proofread and edited
created was presented at the Museum of Science.
by me. The poster was created using google slides
The poster board was located behind the project.
and taking correct measurements according to the
38

The actual wood product included postcards on
the board to represent clues and hints about the
location for kids to learn which renewable energy
best fit a location. The background of the final
product as well as the tray were painted with a
glossy white spray paint to keep the project
uniform. The postcards were also made to be
similar to keep the theme of the project the same.
A road was painted on using nail polish. The
postcards were originally placed to be in the order
of difficulty, but was changed to be in order of
location to create the theme of a road trip, as
suggested by Schulte Grahame.
A reset button was included on the final product.
This was suggested by Schulte Grahame to all
projects. This was helpful because instead of
rerunning the program each time a user wanted to
play, SACC simply hit the reset button and the
game restarted itself for the next player.
A GUI was also utilized, as shown in Fig. 9. The
GUI displayed which level the user was currently
on, hints about the place, as well as a power level
bar which displayed how much energy would be
created based on the renewable energy chosen for
that location. The GUI was displayed using my
laptop screen. Originally, it was supposed to fit
Lucy’s laptop, but it was easier to use my laptop
as it was an ASUS laptop and the code was made
39
with a PC. Lucy’s laptop is the Macbook Pro 5,
which would have made the code slightly
different on her computer. It was easier to transfer
the code from PC to PC then to translate the code
to be used on a mac. An acrylic screen was also
included on the project to ensure that players
would not touch the screen and accidentally close
out of the program. The laptop casing was simply
an acrylic screen screwed into the main board and
a cut out in the main board for the laptop to be
placed. The tray shown in the final exhibit was
used to place the energy sources down as well as
cover up the laptop keyboard.
An RFID scanner box is shown on the project.
Instead of having wires and the RFID scanner
sticking onto the project, a small hole was cut into
the main board and a box with the dimensions to
fit perfectly onto the angled board was created and
hollow to place the RFID scanner inside.
USER INTERACTION
When a player had walked up to the exhibit, the
user could look at the GUI or the board to see how
to play the game. First, the user would read about
the location for the level. He/she could do so by
reading the GUI for hints or reading the inside of
the postcard. Once the user has read the clues
about the location, the user is prompted to pick a
renewable energy source and place the source on
top of the RFID scanner. Once the renewable BETA TESTING RESULTS
energy source is placed on top of the scanner, SACC had three people beta test the project once
players would get feedback about their choice in it was close to being finished. When SACC had
renewable energy and whether it was the best fit beta tested, certain questions were asked in order
for the location. If it was not the best fit, the user to get feedback on the project. Beta testers were
would be told why and given more hints about the originally handed the project and tried to figure
location to try again. out what to do with the project to ensure there was
no confusion. If guidance was asked for, SACC
group members would help. It was easier to see
ORIGINAL GOALS
that adults actually needed more guidance. This is
SACC’s final design displayed its objectives
because the adults tend to need more guidance. As
correctly. The main goal was to teach children
humans grow older it is a need for people to rely
about renewable energies. This soon evolved to
on others. Over the course of beta testing, more
teaching children about renewable energies in
questions were asked by older people as they were
certain locations. This goal was completed
more curious about the project, it’s functions and
because many children stayed and kept trying to
what is being taught. There was more feedback by
get the correct renewable energy source. The
older people like my roommate or Lucy’s dad.
game was fairly simple to understand, so once
After going through the process of the game, each
kids understood what they were doing and what
beta tester was asked for their opinion of the
they were learning they picked up on what energy
game, which can be seen in Appendix D. SACC
source should be used pretty fast. It was surprising
then asked specific questions about the project.
how much kids already knew about renewable
SACC got some of the same feedback from
energies. It was a proud moment for the group
previous Milestones as the changes had not yet
members of SACC to watch kids enjoy playing
been implemented. A lot of the feedback was
the game and using their brains and knowledge in
taken in and adjusted to SACC’s project, such as
order to figure out which energy source is the best
painting the background of the project a solid
fit for each location. This was another original
color instead of having a busy background, or
goal; for the children to have fun as they play
adding labels to the project so that people weren’t
SACC’s project. Overall, I personally am pleased
confused while playing the game. A suggestion
with the results of SACC’s project.
was also made to change the name of the game
from Power The States to Power The Cities.
40

CONTRIBUTIONS
For Milestones 5-7, I contributed a lot to the
aesthetics of the project. Making sure that
everything looked okay on the actual project and
that it wasn’t too complicated or messy. SACC
wanted the project to be as simple as possible so
that children do not get too confused. The poster
was also included in aesthetics. I made sure that
the poster was not too wordy and that all the fonts
used were sans serif so that children who have
issues reading fonts with serifs were able to read
SACC’s poster information and the project. If
there were too many words in a bullet point I
would shorten the length of the bullet on the
poster. I also made sure that the pictures were
clear and visible, and that the pictures were able
to be seen and not confused with the background
of the poster. Making sure that the title of the
poster was clear and visible, and making sure that
the title was also able to be differentiated from the
sub headings of the poster. I also printed out the
poster to fit the tri-fold board. The poster took
several tries and a lot of help from the tech people
in the library before the final poster was created.
The first few posters had too many words and
cluttered the spaces on the poster. The
background picture was also too pixelated to be
used. The city in the background was hard to see
41
as it looked more like a mixed vary of colors being
used to make the poster look more colorful.
Another part I focused on was the game itself. The
spacing of all parts of the project were taken into
consideration. I ensured that the computer screen
was visible and the RFID scanner was in a place
that would not block the postcards. The postcards
were evenly spaced out so that all the words were
organized and not cluttered. The painted road of
the project was thin enough so that it did not
distract children from the postcards. Labels were
made using stickers instead of painting. Labels
like “Hint: Open me” or “Level _” or “Place
energy source here” were created using the sticker
making machine at the Clubhouse. The font was
also sans serif and big enough to be readable, but
small enough to ensure the project was not to
cluttered.
One of the other things I worked on during
Milestones 5-7 was making sure that the final
report was formatted correctly. Once everyone
had worked on their individual reports, I had taken
everyone’s report through either email or google
docs and formatted everyone’s section to ensure
that everything was uniform and organized. The
Appendix was also worked on, everything was
formatted and labeled correctly. All the figure
labels were out in as well as tables. Once the
individual time chart was compiled by me (later
edited to be formatted in a neater chart by Lucy),
it was incorporated into the appendix. The code
was sent to me and pictures of the code were input
by me once all the screenshots were taken. The
Gantt chart, once finalized, was sent to me to be
input into the appendix. The beta testing results
were input and formatted to be the same as the rest
of the report. The references were updated by me
and formatted to be correct. Most of the pictures
of the team working were taken by me for the
report. The team shirts that were worn at the
Museum of Science were also created by me to
establish a uniform for our team by utilizing the
Clubhouse to create the shirts. Each shirt had the
SACC team logo and had our first initial and last
name on the shirt.
RESOURCES
SACC wasn’t too concerned with the budget, as
most of the materials were either donated by
Nick’s family or a low cost item. At the end of the
project, SACC had spent a total of $87.64, which
is under the $100 budget given to SACC. This can
be seen in Appendix I. At the beginning of the
semester, $100 seemed like a lot to work with.
Moving closer towards the end of the semester,
SACC was approaching the budget faster. All the
small materials that cost $10 or less eventually
add up.
42
The expenses of this project were spread out
between the team members. A lot of the materials
were given to us by Nick’s family. A lot of tape
or small materials were utilized, but I had brought
a lot of masking tape from home to decorate my
room. Markers and scissors were borrowed from
roommates and friends. Extra materials that were
not used are going to be donated to Schulte for
future Cornerstone Engineers. The smokestack
that I had created will also be donated to Schulte
Grahame as I think she really liked it and could
possibly use it as an example for her future
students.
I spent about 71 individual hours on this project.
This is shown in Appendix J. I feel like I put in a
lot of time into this project in order for it to have
the most potential possible.
CONCLUSION
OBSERVATIONS FROM EXHIBITION DAY
Exhibition day was a huge relief once it came. All
the hard work that was put into this project was
finally showcased to fellow students, professors
and children. During the showcase at the Snell
Engineering building, many of the kids were
polite and respected the objects. This was weird
because Professor Schulte Grahame and the
mentors advised that children and fellow students
would destroy the project. SACC’s project was
not tampered with at all, the pieces stayed intact,
and nothing was ruined. Many of the kids played
in groups and worked together to solve the puzzle
that SACC had created for them.
At the Museum of Science, the kids that played
with SACC’s exhibit were careful to not break the
exhibit. The kids also examined each piece
carefully, such as the watermill. Some of the
asked whether or not the windmill and the
watermill spun before they tried to. SACC did not
want to make the pieces turn as it seemed as
though it would create bigger issues for the
project and break the pieces. Therefore, the pieces
were glued still. The president and one of the
managers of the Museum of Science had come
over to SACC’s project and complimented it.
They liked that it was angled correctly and
everything was easily reachable and visible. They
especially liked the hinges used on the project as
this is something the Museum of Science
implements into their own creations.
I believe that SACC had obtained our main
objectives and taught kids about the different
types of sustainable energies in different
locations. Kids were interested in reading the
project and what the information had on it. I
believe that the kids truly enjoyed playing the
exhibit. While SACC’s exhibit did not have the
43
theme of a cartoon that many other projects did,
SACC still had many qualities that attracted kids.
If there was more time, the project could be
improved to be more efficient and effective, but
with the time we had, I would say the message
was learned by the children and some parents too.
REFLECTIONS ON LEARNING
I learned a lot in the process of creating this
project. Not only did I learn about sustainable
energies, but I learned a lot about children too.
Children really love learning, more than they
realize. By making learning a fun experience,
children find enjoyment with these experiments.
I also learned about working in a team. It is hard
to work collectively, but it is also good. Many
ideas that you may find to be the best could
always be improved. Bouncing around with ideas
with different people helps make the project you
are working on improved and easier for other
people to understand.
With this project I improved my skills more in
Solidworks. I had to teach myself different skills
that were not learned in class in order to complete
tasks I was given. I created the Solidworks
blueprints of the project itself with different
dimensions. Once the blueprints were created the
physical project was then worked on. I learned
how to use drills and screws to build the project. I
wasn’t the best at it but I still tried to learn.
From this project I learned a lot about time
management too. The world doesn’t revolve
round one persons’ schedule, you have to make
adjustments and move things around sometimes.
I had family emergencies this semester and I
couldn’t make a meeting, so the group
rescheduled to ensure that I didn’t miss any
information. I also had to plan my tie accordingly
as I had other coursework too, but for the group
project my performance affected other peoples’
grades and that would have been unfair to them.
I also learned a lot about Microsoft Word.
Because I have been formatting the entire report
to be the same, I learned about the references and
table of contents that could be updated
automatically. Through this project, I realized that
I am capable of more than I ever thought I could.
I contributed in making a museum exhibit in a
single semester. My work ethic reached a new
peak that keeps growing and growing and I know
I am capable of doing many things. I’m not
entirely sure what entails my future career, but I
know these skills I have learned in the making of
this project will be useful.
While I may not use these skills right away, they
will be useful to me in other classes and my
44
everyday life. I value the lesson I learned from the
hands-on experience of learning the engineering
design cycle, and I believe that by learning hands-
on, I learned more than I could have during a
lecture.
REFLECTIONS ON WORKING IN A TEAM
This project is one of the biggest projects I have
done. I thought I was a good teammate and
pitched in my ideas when I thought an idea could
be improved. I also believe that I contributed as
much of my skills into this project. I think I am a
good teammate to work with, aside the few
miscommunications between group members.
In the beginning, I was worried about working
with other group members as I didn’t know how
we would get along. I was worried that work
would fall upon a single person and that I would
be too quiet and shy to voice my opinion. But as I
got to know my group members more I was able
to voice my opinion.
I think that after the first pasta bridge, we started
to work more like a team. For the first pasta
bridge, I had stayed up until 6:50 am perfecting
and adding any suggestions made by group
members. I think after that wakeup call, we started
to split up the work more evenly. We started to
divide up tasks at the beginning and work on
them. It started to become easier to ask about tasks
and who wanted to do them or who was better at
them just because we were starting to get a handle
about everyone’s strengths. We also knew that
everyone wanted what was best for the project so
any tasks assigned were spread out evenly and
allowed everyone to contribute their skills.
I personally am not a fan of conflicts. So when I
had the chance to be the project manager, I
ensured that tasks were assigned based on who
thought they could complete them on time and
would produce the best results. Some people in
the group had family emergencies to tend to and
couldn’t put in the complete work ethic, but it was
understandable as it was a family emergency and
I know the group would have let it slide had it
been someone else too. This group member was
going through a considerably rough time but did
the best effort possible given the situation.
Whenever there is a task that no one volunteers to
work on, I will step up and complete the task to
the best of my ability. Usually Lucy or another
group member will look through what I have
completed to ensure there is nothing else that
could be added on or changed.
SACC, as a team, worked pretty well together.
The group members all made sacrifices for the
group project even though it could affect their
individual grade. But individually, I think we
45
could all work on our team skills. Personally, I
think I should speak up more and voice my
opinion more. I think I have ideas that could
contribute to making a better project, but always
worry that I’ll be shot down and ignored. It’s one
of the insecurities that I need to work on to be a
better group member. I should also be more
willing to do tasks that I don’t know how to do,
such as coding. If I had volunteered to work on
the code, I could have used it as practice and
increased my knowledge on coding. I should also
work on my work ethic. I like to procrastinate
because I feel like the best of my work is produced
when I am under pressure, but as this is a group
project that affects others I should learn to work
ahead of time and set deadlines for myself that
won’t bring my other group members down.
As the semester pressed on, SACC grew as a team
and friendships were made. This made the process
of working together easier. In the beginning of the
semester I dreaded getting together to work as a
group. The meetings were always awkward and
people normally did not talk much. We kind of sat
there and waited for someone else to break the ice.
But as we started completing more Milestones
and gaining more achievements, we started to
work better as a group. This is seen in our
Milestone grades, where we first started off with
a 68/100. By Milestone 6, we had achieved
receiving a 102/100. Our group work consistently
became better and we started to communicate
more. For the final end result, SACC was ahead
of most groups and did not have to spend as much
time panicking and trying to get the final touches
in place. I find this to be one of the moments
where SACC felt accomplished and proud of our
progress. For this final report, although most
formatting was through me, we decided each
group member would get a day to complete what
was left for their individual parts and get together
on the last today to format and look over
everything one last time.
RECOMMENDATIONS
If I could go back in time to the beginning of the
semester, I think I would tell my past self that I
should voice my opinion more. There is nothing
wrong with an idea being shot down, or not using
the idea I came up with. It is always better to have
more options than less. I also would have told
myself that you are not going to have enough time
if you wait to do everything last minute. Always
plan ahead and complete your work ahead of time.
You will, in the end, have less stress and more
time to relax. I only started to realize it more
towards the end of the semester. It is always better
to have extra time to review everything instead of
staying up until 3am reviewing the final
Milestone reports or painting the project and
making edits to GUIs.
46
I would have also liked to be a little more hands-
on with the project. I believe, had I stepped up and
spoken more, I could have learned more about
drilling and soldering. I would have had more
experience in these things for future projects that
I have a possibility of doing. I think if I
volunteered to help with the coding of the project
more I could understand how to code more
efficiently. This would have been a good
experience for me. It is good for resumes and
future employers to see, and it is helpful for my
major.
I think that if there was more time, SACC could
have created a better project. If there were more
tools, such as an electric sander, the project would
have looked a bit more refined and not as
handmade. We could have gotten all the wood
grains that were seen through the paint to
disappear. The postcards could have been
formatted better and the wood they were glued
onto should have been slightly thicker to ensure
they didn’t break as easily. We also could have
painted the road to look more professional. I
believe that, given more time, the project could
have looked more professional. I also recommend
that thick wood is a good option as it is harder to
break that wood, but not too thick. Half an inch is
the medium in between.
ANDREW CONLON
INTRODUCTION
PROBLEM STATEMENT
One of the current problems in society today is
energy. We use so much of it and rely on it every
day to power our lives. Energy is not unlimited
and therefore we need to control the way we use
and create energy. Current energy production
measures are effective and provide enough energy
for the average person. However not all energy
production methods are sustainable or meet
today’s needs without hindering the needs of
future generations [12]. Some examples of
unsustainable energy production methods include
nuclear, coal, and natural gas. This problem was
addressed a long time ago and there are numerous
sustainable energy options in place today during
the global transition from fossil fuels to more
environmentally friendly options. One of the
biggest problems with sustainable energy is
efficiency. Solar panels work very well in places
that receive a high amount of sunlight, like
tropical environments, but not in places with that
do not receive a lot of sunlight, like the poles. This
phenomenon occurs with most production
methods as they are weather or location
dependent. For this reason, each city should not
necessarily use the same sustainable technologies,
47
they should the most effective measure for their
own city. The objective of this project is to teach
kids about sustainable energy and demonstrate the
ways to optimize it to get the best possible
efficiency.
INTENDED BENEFICIARIES
The project is designed for kids at the Beachmont
Veterans Memorial School, specifically the
members of the STEAM club, or Science,
Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math club.
This club is designed to teach the kids more about
science, technology, etc. in a comfortable
environment with the assistance and supervision
of Northeastern engineering students. Each week
a new topic or lesson is prepared and followed up
with a fun activity to reinforce the important ideas
and concepts. The Beachmont school is made up
of many immigrant families that may not be in
good financial standing. The importance of the
collaboration is that the kids really look up to the
Northeastern students and get a great impression
of science and engineering. Teaching them about
science is effective at making them interested in it
but developing relationships with students
studying engineering adds more value to their
experience. While the exhibit is geared towards
the Beachmont kids, it is also designed for other
young kids, aged two to nine, who may be at the
Museum of Science on a Saturday morning.
Although the project is mainly designed for kids,
it is not too childish and can still be enjoyed by
teenagers and adults.
SUSTAINABILITY IN ENGINEERING
As mentioned previously sustainability is defined
as meeting the needs of today’s society without
diminishing the needs of tomorrow [12].
Sustainability is important part of society because
if we do not shift towards sustainable energy
global warming will only get worse and more rare
weather events will be more likely. For this
reason, the SACC group decided that sustainable
energy was the most important aspect of
sustainability to teach to the Beachmont kids. To
teach sustainability to the kids the SACC group
focused on the triple bottom line. The triple
bottom line emphasizes the importance of the
environmental, economic, and social impacts
anything can have. To simplify this for the kids
the group will instead stress the importance the 3
P’s which include people, planet, profit. This is
important within sustainability because for
something to be sustainable it must be
environmentally friendly or safe, economically
feasible or not too expensive, and socially
acceptable or not negatively impact any people. If
it meets all these guidelines it is sustainable and
48
acceptable to pursue further. The final important
parts of sustainability are ethics and value
sensitive design. These aspects are harder to
convey to kids but are still an integral part of
sustainability and the SACC project. A design
must be ethical to sustainable because designing
an unethical technology would not be sustainable
as it would violate the triple bottom line. Ethics
matter a great amount in engineering because the
clients and user are the most important part of the
design. Part of this is known as value sensitive
design which takes human values into account.
Again, client or more specifically human values
are the most important to consider during the
engineering process. The three components of
value sensitive design are perspective,
appreciation, and skill [2]. If a design meets these
requirements and uses these values, then it is
suitable to further develop.
PROJECT OBJECTIVES
Since the project is so extensive it was important
to stay organized and address the objectives,
constraints, and functions of the exhibit. The main
objective of the project as mentioned previously
is to teach kids about sustainable energy to how to
optimize it. The Beachmont kids are very smart
and know what many sustainable energies are so
instead of teaching them specifically about the
energy production methods, the group decided to
expand on it and teach about efficiency. There are
many ways to teach about sustainability, so
another objective was to not overwhelm the kids
with information or interactive components. The
exhibit needed to be simple enough to not confuse
or distract the kids but complex enough so that the
kids learn and are not just playing a game.
Another important objective was making the
exhibit interactive but making it safe for the kids.
This simply means minimizing removable parts to
avoid choking hazards and not having any sharp
or dangerous components.
The next part of the planning process involved
identifying the constraints of the project set out by
Professor Schulte Grahame and the Museum of
Science. First, the project had to be within a $100
budget which included everything purchased for
the project. The budget was not initially a problem
because the group did not plan to buy a lot of
materials, but as more Milestones were met more
parts, materials, and paint was needed. The
project also had to fit within a five feet wide by
four feet tall by twenty inches deep box for
practical purposes so that it is not too big. The
project also had to be light enough to be
transported often to and from dorms and other
buildings on campus. Additionally, the project
was required to have a 3D printed component
incorporated into it to demonstrate the group’s
newly learned SolidWorks skills. A final notable
49
constraint is time as the project needed to be
completed within 13 weeks. The Milestones
helped organize SACC’s planning and keep the
group on pace to complete the project on time.
After addressing the objectives and constraints,
the SACC group outlined to desired function of
the project. The exhibit would function as a small
game where players would progress through each
level and choose the best sustainable energy
source for that city. To do this the exhibit would
have 3D printed components on top of RFID tags
that would be placed on an RFID scanner and the
graphical user interface (GUI) would update with
the relevant feedback. Another function that the
group wanted, after feedback from Professor
Schulte Grahame, is to have postcards on the
exhibit where the front is a picture of the city and
the back is a small friendly letter giving the player
more information about the city.
BACKGROUND
RESEARCH
There are four major types of renewable energy
sources that are very important now and for the
future of energy in our world. They are wind,
solar, hydro-electric, and fusion technologies and
each have their own benefits and challenges to
them. Wind turbines are very prevalent because of
current technology today but are not as effective important in the future is fusion technology.
as they could be because of the turbulence and Fusion is like nuclear power however instead of
wake provided by each rotor. Although breaking a large atom into smaller ones and
aerodynamics is very complicated and there is collecting the energy fusion as the name implies
still a lot to learn about, some researchers 15 years fuses small atoms together into a larger one [24].
ago made significant progress and advancements This is much more safe than nuclear fission
with the turbulence [21]. They proposed turning because there is little to no radioactive atoms used
the turbulent wind behind the rotor into, or waste produced [24]. Fusion if done properly
“mechanical energy at the rotor axis” or turning it could produces exponentially more energy than
into electrical energy [21]. To do this different current energy measures, however it is not proven
rotor blade designs and spacing were thoroughly yet and currently the energy produced is less than
tested. Wind is also very unpredictable at times so the required to run.
researchers presented an idea to create a
hydroelectric power plant to produce energy when
the wind is not as strong [22]. The combination of
hydro and wind power has a lot of potential for a
reliable renewable source of energy. Solar energy
is also a prevalent renewable technology today
but also limited by how much energy is really
absorbed. Another recent research project has
been to improve solar technology by making them Fig. 16. Concept image inspiration 1
more efficient. Researchers published a paper into
the Journal of Solar Energy Engineering proposed
parabolic shaped solar panels instead of flat
photovoltaic cells [23]. These troughs would
focus the solar rays into a singular beam in the
center that would heat steam and make a turbine
or generator run [23]. Additionally, these devices
would shift throughout the day so that they are
always pointing directly at the sun [23]. One final
technology that could prove to be the most Fig. 17. Concept image inspiration 2
50

Fig. 18. Concept image inspiration 3
Fig. 19. Concept image inspiration 4
All the concept images inspired the design
because it was essential to incorporate the most
important renewable technologies of today and
the technologies of the future. Specifically, the
design will include solar, wind, hydro-electric,
and fusion energy. Figures 17 and 19 show
patents of less mainstream technologies but they
seemed innovative and interesting for inspiration.
Figure 19 shows a device that turns gravity into
kinetic energy through a hydroelectric process
and figure 17 shows a convection turbine that
51
confines solar energy heating a gas inside the
turbine Additionally, the exhibits at the Museum
of Science that were interactive, whether that be
touching, hearing, and even smelling, were the
most enjoyable. The design was also inspired by
these images because it incorporates prevalent
current technologies and advancements in them or
future technologies.
The design meets the goals set forth in the team
contract because the different technologies will
teach the kids about sustainability and specifically
how to maximize their potential. Additionally, it
would inspire the kids to consider looking into
efficient sustainable energy sources in their lives
or when they are older. The design also meets the
group goals because it includes suitability ideas
that all group members were open to pursuing
further for the project. Also, the design meets
personal goals because it would make me a more
well-rounded engineer by learning more about a
sustainability topic but also because I would
improve my skills on working with a group on
difficult tasks and unfamiliar tasks. The device
will be successful if the users are able to recall the
current and future sustainable technologies after
viewing the exhibit. Users will also explain what
each device’s limits are and what is being
developed and implemented to make them more
viable. Finally, users will be able to recognize the
limitations in these technologies and possibly see
limitations in other similar technologies. The
exhibit would have buttons in front of each device
that would each do something related to the
device. For instance, spin a wind turbine or light
up the fusion generator. There would also be an
interface that would be an interface describing the
power outputs for each device. As far as
constraints the exhibit must follow the guidelines
set forth in Milestone one such as 5 feet wide by
4 feet tall by 20 inches deep, a 3D printed part,
and must be within the $100 budget. In addition,
the exhibit should not have many unattached
objects that the kids could take, and the buttons
and interface must be durable to last many
repetitions. Finally, the exhibit must be safe
because there was be moving parts and electronic
components, so it must be safe for any user.
Fig. 20. Andrew's AutoCAD museum exhibit concept
ETHICS
The SACC project addresses the problem of
sustainable energy production and how to
52
optimize it. As mentioned previously current
energy production methods are damaging for the
environment and sustainable methods would
eliminate the negative effects of current methods.
Energy production is a very significant issue in
society today because of the negative effects it is
having on the environment and it will get worse if
no action is taken. Additionally, each method
works differently, and the project seeks to help
teach kids about how to get maximize energy
efficiency while still being sustainable to save the
planet. The only problem with the SACC project
is that it only addresses 1st world countries who
have the resources to implement these
technologies with ease. A more effective idea
would be targeting the countries with highest
carbon emissions that are poor which would help
the environment significantly more. However,
this approach is not as relatable for the kids and
the group believes that it would be more valuable
to teach about something close to home that they
can see in their daily lives. A successful project
would be one that effectively teaches the kids
about sustainability and how to maximize energy
efficiency while being sustainable. Additionally,
the project would be successful if the kids had a
great time with the exhibit and expressed their
satisfaction with it. The group would like to be
proud of it based on the kids’ experiences. The
SACC project would address the problem by
inspiring more attention to be payed to efficiency
within the transition to a sustainable society.
Cities would spend more time researching which
sustainable energy method would work best in
their city instead of gravitating towards solar and
wind power because they may not be the
best. The only way to increase the likelihood of
addressing the problem would be to put more
emphasis on efficiency and how important it is
and should be in society. There are not many less
sophisticated approaches that could prove to be
more effective because the proposed SACC
solution already simplifies the problem and makes
it easier to solve the problem of unsustainable
energy. Finally, there are not any problematic
biproducts because of this approach because again
the SACC solution incorporates proven safe
technologies but focuses on the most effective
implementation of these methods.
UNIVERSAL DESIGN
The SACC project is designed specifically with
universal design at its core so that it be accessible
for anyone. Universal design means that
something can be accessed by anyone, even if
they have a disability [20]. The Museum of
Science created a set of specifications that adhere
to universal design as a reference so that others
can follow these guidelines and make their
exhibits accessible for all [20]. The SACC group
closely followed these rules when designing the
53
exhibit to ensure accessibility for all. Some of the
aspects of the design that fit the specifications are
first the sizing of the exhibit. The exhibit will be
placed at least 27 inches off the ground and the
interactive components are less than 20 inches
from where the viewer will be standing or sitting.
Additionally, the main surface of the exhibit is
placed at a 45-degree angle so that it easily
readable and interactive for everyone. The text on
the exhibit is Sans Serif to make it more easily
readable for people with dyslexia. Additionally,
the text size is on the exhibit is within the 28 to 32
point recommended size so that is it easily
readable but not too large and distracting for the
viewers. The group also tried to limit the text on
the exhibit as much as possible so that people with
difficulty reading can still enjoy and learn from
the exhibit. To do this the group incorporated as
many images as possible without being too
overwhelming.
METHODOLOGY &
ORGANIZATION
During the semester the group stayed organized
with the project for the most part however there
were a few late nights was expected. The group
stayed organized by logging our hours in the
Gantt chart (see Appendix H) and adhering to the
group contract that was made at the start of the
semester (see Appendix A). The SACC group
focused on five main principles that we believed
mattered the most which were respect,
commitment, transparency, inclusion, and
fairness. For each principle the group specifically
outlined what we expected from each other and
how we would deal with problems if they ever
arose. Unfortunately, we did have a few problems
that came up during the semester and it was very
valuable to reference the contract, so each group
member was reminded of their responsibilities. It
was also to make our priorities clear and that this
project takes precedence over almost everything
else. Additionally, it was essential to plan with
regards to group work because as engineers we all
have very busy schedules, especially Lucinda as
she is also on the track team. Meeting early and
often helped get most of the work done so that we
would not be stressing last minute about working
on the project.
Personally, I took lead on most of the coding that
the group needed because I had programming
experience from high school. I set up the RFID
scanner and tags to get them fully functional and
then I planned out how the code would work.
With this I ran into some issues because I intended
to use MATLAB for the GUI, but I could not
figure out how to import the RFID library. To find
a solution I worked with Nicholas and Justin, an
experienced upper-class coder working in
FYELIC, and we ended up using Arduino and
54
Processing because it was much simpler. As a
leader with coding I was responsible for having
the code functional for Milestones but also
helping explain it to other members so that they
can understand it as well. This was important
because they needed to know how to explain it to
the kids or anyone viewing the project who is
interested in the code. Another leadership role I
took was my job as project manager for the fourth
Milestone. As project manager I was responsible
for compiling the report and presenting our
progress to the class at the town hall. Under my
leadership not a lot of things changed but as a
group we made a few changes to our design. The
biggest change was transferring the design from
cardboard to wood, but a few other small changes
were made. The group received feedback from
Professor Schulte Grahame to use postcards on
the exhibit to make it more interactive and fun.
Additionally, we changed from using a tablet to a
computer so we had to adjust the cutout space and
modify the tray so that the computer keyboard
could fit under it. The only other change we made
was implementing a reset button and including
LEDs in each level to make it more interesting.
Although all these ideas were not my own, I was
still a leader during the process and helped
implement them into the project and the report.
Overall, I think I did a good job as a project
manager because we stayed on track with our
work and did well on the Milestone report and port. As a result of this change the screen cut out
presentation. was moved from the center of the panel to the
bottom so the laptop could rest on the table.
Additionally, the tray was slightly modified so
ALTERNATIVES, EVALUATION
that the laptop keyboard could fit under it without
AND EVOLUTION
being damaged or crushed. The level locations
The project was not the same as when the group had to be adjusted as well because of the new
first came up with the idea. It has gone through screen position so they were placed around the
numerous iterations and changes based on peer screen. During the same milestone the group also
feedback, the group’s ideas, and Professor Schulte decided to implement LEDs and a reset button to
Grahame’s advice. The main concept of the make it look nicer and easier to restart instead of
exhibit has not changed much but there have been manually exiting and rerunning the program.
many small changes to improve functionality and
the aesthetics.
FINAL DESIGN
For the first few milestones the SACC group was
DESCRIPTION
still organizing its thoughts and deciding on an
The final design if the exhibit is an interactive
idea for the project, but once one was selected
short game made up of four different levels. The
changes were made to improve it. The final idea
four levels are different cities in the United States
was decided using a Kepner Tregoe Decision
and the goal of the game is to choose the most
Analysis to evaluate each individual idea on its
effective energy production method each city.
strengths in weakness. This was important
The GUI responds with feedback on how
because it eliminated bias from the decision-
effective the energy source is and if it is correct,
making process when the group chose the best
they move on to the next city. To indicate level
idea. My idea was not the best idea or the worst
progression the GUI updates and there are two
out of all the ideas. It did a good job focusing on
LEDs for each city when the user is on that level.
important developments in sustainable
The project is made up of two main pieces of
technologies but was a little too ambitious (see
plywood. One is the tray where the energy models
Figure 20). A big change the group made early
are placed when they are not being used so that
in the semester was changing from a tablet to a
they are easily accessible. The other part is the
laptop for the GUI because it did not a have USB

55
main part of the project which is a large plywood
panel placed at a 45-degree angle and two triangle
supports on the sides. There is a large portion at
the bottom center of the panel cut out for the
laptop screen. To protect the laptop screen the
group used an acrylic sheet which is screwed into
the back of the panel. Above the screen there is a
cut out for the RFID tray to fit into and it is
covered by a small box made up of thin wood that
the RFID scanner can scan through. Next to the
RFID scanner is the reset button which resets the
game to the begin whenever it is pressed. This is
very useful because the group never needs to reset
or rerun the programs manually, the button does
it. Above each level there are two yellow LEDs
that are a friendly indicator of which level the user
is on. The next physical components of the design
are the postcards. For each level there postcards
attached to the panel through hinges that allow the
postcards to be opened and read by the users.
They each display a friendly letter about the city
to give the user more information about that
specific city’s climate or features. The postcards
are important because they make the exhibit more
interactive and help give the user hints about the
best sustainable energy source for the city. The
wood is painted white to be more aesthetically
pleasing than plywood’s color. Additionally,
there are numerous stickers on the panel
indicating the levels, how to access the postcards,
where to place the models, and the reset button.
56
The final physical part of the project are the 3D
models of the four energy sources. Each member
of SACC created a model in SOLIDWORKS and
had it printing in FYELIC using the 3D printing
vouchers. I made the hydro-electric which was a
water mill and a stand that fit together through the
axle.
The other major portion of the final design was
the code. For the project there are two programs
that send and receive information from each other.
One is in Arduino and the other is in Processing,
a java-based language utilized for the GUI. The
Arduino has four functions, one for each level,
that is constantly scanning for specific RFID
cards and sending numbers to the serial monitor
based on the tag. The program also turns on the
LEDs and checks the reset button state. The
Processing program reads the numbers from the
serial port and displays the proper GUI image
based on the number. If the reset button is pressed
at any time the Arduino code will start from the
beginning and all the LEDs will turn off. The
processing code will also go to the starting image
just as if the program was starting up. See
appendix E for the full code.
BETA TESTING RESULTS
For beta testing the group creating several
questions for the testers to answer after they were
finished testing. The during the beta testing
process the group also asked the testers for any
feedback or suggestions for improvement with the
project.
The specific questions were “How fun was the
exhibit on a scale of 1-10 and why?”, “How much
did you learn from this exhibit on a scale of 1-10
and why?”, and, “If you could change one thing
what would it be?”
The first tester was a minor from the clubhouse.
He liked the exhibit and thought it would be
interesting and fun for the kids. He criticized the
layout of the design and was confused on where
to start and how the levels progressed. This
prompted SACC to add labels and directions to
the project.
SACC also had Anastasia Zorlas, Samantha’s
roommate, who is a computer science and
business dual major beta test the project. Ana
pointed out the fact the exhibit was about cities,
but the name of the exhibit was Power the States.
After hearing this from Ana and many other
people the group decided to change the name from
Power the States to Power the Cities. She was a
little confused on how the game worked because
we did not have labels at that time. The only other
critique Ana gave the group is the back of the
57
postcards should be covered with the same paper
as the inside, so they look better.
The final tester was David Shotts, Lucinda’s
father, who could be at the Museum of Science on
a Saturday. David thought the project was well
designed really enjoyed the 3D printed energy
models. He was concerned about the GUI and its
integration with the code and RFID readers. He
was also concerned that some of the wording may
have been misleading or incorrect in the GUI. As
a result, SACC reworked the GUI slides to make
them simpler and more friendly for the kids.
Overall the beta testing was very important to the
success of our project and the feedback the group
was very useful to improving our project. See
appendix D for more information.
CONTRIBUTIONS
Over the final three milestones I helped make the
necessary additions and modifications to the
project, but I was mostly involved with coding
and getting the electronic components functional.
To get the electronic components functional I had
to add wire to the LEDs and button so that they
could reach the breadboard. To do this I took
some wire from FYELIC and soldered one to the
cathode and one to the anode and then plugged
them into the correct port on the breadboard. The
other main task I worked on during the final
milestones was the code. I created two programs
for the project. One in Arduino that handled the
RFID scanning, LEDs, and, reset button and one
in processing that loaded the GUI images. In the
Arduino program there are four separate functions
for each level that constantly scan for an RFID
tag, check the reset button state, and turn on and
off the LEDs. Once an RFID is read the program
sends a unique number to the serial monitor. The
processing code reads the numbers from the serial
monitor and then updates the GUI with the correct
images. I did most of the coding on my own but
had some help from Justin and Nicholas. See
Appendices E and F for the code and wire
diagram. See Appendix G Figure 60 for an image
of Andrew working.
requirements. In general, most of the items
purchased were relatively cheap and costed under
$15. The most expensive item purchased was
paint which cost roughly $30, but it was an
important part of our exhibit and made the wood
look much nicer. I also spent roughly 70 hours on
this project as seen in the individual hours log,
especially towards the end of the semester (See
Appendices I and J).
CONCLUSION
OBSERVATIONS FROM EXHIBITION DAY
Observation day was very satisfying as the kids
were finally able to play with our exhibit. Most of
the kids really enjoyed our exhibit and had fun
with the postcards and the 3D models. There were
two main interactions that the group observed

RESOURCES with the kids. First, some kids approached our

exhibit wanting the play and after explaining the
The group bought many things for the project but
concept and how to play they were able to
were under the $100 budget at $87.64. I did not
complete the game with ease because they were
but many things for the project just some hinges
smart. There were also interactions where the kids
and screws for the postcards. This was because the
were puzzled and had to work together to move
group agreed to have Nicholas buy most of the
past each level and complete the game. The latter
stuff to make up for missing a very important
was more satisfying for the group because they
work day. The rest of the materials were
were able to work together, learn a lot about
purchased equally between Samantha and
sustainable energy, and have fun, which were all
Lucinda. An important part of our design was the
goals we had envisioned for the kids. I believe the
wood which thankfully Nick’s family supplied to
exhibit was successful because it did teach the
the group for free which helped meet the budget

58
kids about sustainable energy, but they also really
enjoyed it which was what the group really
wanted.
REFLECTIONS ON LEARNING
I learned a lot from this project from when it was
first introduced in January to now in mid-April. I
learned how to be a better teammate and
effectively communicate with my team.
Additionally, I learned the about the engineering
process because I was a part of a real-life version
of it. I understood the importance of each step and
how they are each essential to producing a good
product. I also learned about professionalism
through my milestone presentations and my
meeting with the Beachmont kids earlier in the
semester. Another important thing I learned
during the project was the importance of time
management which includes planning ahead and
staying on task to meet milestones. Nothing was
new to me besides learning how to use Processing
and relearning how to solder. I believe everything
that I learned during this project will be useful as
I continue my education and will be useful when
I am on co-op or at a job in the future.
REFLECTIONS ON WORKING IN A TEAM
This project significantly improved my team
working skills. When I was in high school, I did a
59
lot of group work, but I could get away with
slacking off and completing my part last minute,
however I could not do that with this project.
Because there were numerous Milestones and
deadlines to meet, I always had to prioritize the
project work. I faced a few challenges this
semester in that I had to communicate more than
I was normally comfortable doing. This project
required a lot of communication between group
members and it was imperative that I talked more
with them to ensure that we were meeting
deadlines and producing our best possible work.
During the semester I also took some leadership
roles within the team. I was responsible for the
code and I also was in charge during the fourth
Milestone. I would describe my leadership style
as organized and determined. I try to stay as
organized as I can which I feel makes my work
better and easier to produce. I am also very
motivated when I work which I try to inspire onto
others as best I can so that we can all benefit from
it.
While I did act as a leader for a good portion of
the project, I also listened to my group members
while they were leaders. I think I respond well to
people managing me and telling me what to do.
For instance, the group had the RFID scanning
working around Milestone 5 but did not have the
full GUI at that time. The group demanded that I
get it working for the next Milestone and was able
to get it done. The only problem that I still have is
that I tend to procrastinate and the leaders never
RECOMMENDATIONS
like that because it affects the entire group. I am
working towards improving my time management If I could go back to the start of the semester and

skills and prioritization and feel that I have do things differently, I would have started

improved a lot this semester. working on the code earlier. The code took a very
long time to get functional and if I started working

Over the course of the semester the group ran into on it earlier, the group would not have been

a few problems with work ethic and group stressing in the last few weeks. Additionally, I

members not showing up on time or at all. To would have met earlier and often for the

overcome this, we met as a group and reminded Milestones because they took a lot of time and

each other of what we expect and how things were effort and the group was often up late stressing.

going to change in the future. This meeting The only other thing I would have done different

proved to be effective as we never ran into any is not get stressed as much because that

problems besides being late for the rest of the sometimes got the best of me and affected my

semester. work. The only other thing I would have done

differently is pay more attention to the Milestone

My biggest asset to the team was my ability to rubrics because the group lost a lot of careless

code and my dedication to the team. I was always points for not paying attention to the rubric. If I

willing to work on the project whenever we had had more time to work on the project, I would add

to and put forward my best possible so that the a handle to the project so that it could be easily

group could benefit. As a was the strongest coder carried across campus. It was a struggle to bring

I felt responsible for making sure that the code to different locations on campus and a handle

was the best that it could be. would have made it much easier. Additionally, I
would have tried to get a better GUI working

Overall, I am very proud of our team and the because although it was good, it could have been

project that we produced. I still think I can a little bit better. Specifically, I would have liked

improve on some aspects of working as team. to add a start screen that introduces the game to

Specifically, I need to work on my the user and I would have added transition screens

communication skills even more and my time in between the levels. Besides those changes, I am

management.
60
very satisfied with the project and proud of the
group’s performance on the project.
LUCINDA SHOTTS
INTRODUCTION
PROBLEM STATEMENT
The earth is heating at rapid paces never seen
before. This heating is causing ice caps to melt,
sea levels to rise and air quality to decrease.
Excess of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, a
byproduct of burning coal and oil in an effort to
produce power, is the root cause of the earth’s
heating. In order to combat this issue, it is
imperative that the world switch from coal and
oil-based power sources to renewable sources
such as wind, solar, hydro and geothermal power.
Renewables do not only serve an ecological
purpose; they have the potential to save nations
millions of dollars. Although renewable sources
require significant monetary input upfront, they
don’t require as much consistent costly manual
and material input. Over time, countries have the
ability to make profit from these systems.
Culturally, the space and money saved by using
renewables can be diverted to important cultural
infrastructure like education and health initiatives.
When it comes to the exhibit, as far as objectives
for are concerned, students will learn which
61
renewable energy system works best dependent
on the conditions of an area. The exhibit should
also teach kids about the difficulty of balancing
economic and environmental interests. These
exercises will help to develop an understanding of
the importance of switching to renewable energy
sources in a responsible and effective manner in
in order to preserve the earth. This is imperative
as these students are the future engineers who will
be dealing with these issues. Regarding functions,
the exhibit will be able to receive information
from the user dependent on which energy sources
they choose for each city. It will also need to
return information to the user about the results of
their choices. Finally, to address the constraints,
the exhibit must be durable and simple to use. It
must use mostly pictures to communicate with the
user and cost less than 100$ to create.
INTENDED BENEFICIARIES
The client requesting this exhibit is ultimately The
Boston Museum of Science. The museum itself
gains little by having this exhibit on showcase at
their museum. The Museum gains a reputation for
working with universities in Boston which is
usually looked positively on. However, more
importantly, the exhibit enhances the experience
of their visitors. The Boston Museum of Science
is cognizant of this and it is a part of why they
requested the exhibits from Northeastern
University engineering students.
As far as the intended user is concerned, the
Power the Cities exhibit was designed for the
students and youth of Boston. More specifically
the exhibit was designed with the students at the
Beachmont Veterans Memorial School in mind.
In order to build an exhibit that was engaging and
impactful for the students at the Beachmont
School, research was conducted. In 2018 the
Beachmont School taught 22.3% more English
learner students than the average Massachusetts
public school [25]. For SACC this meant working
to create an exhibit that was easy to understand for
student with all levels of English language
proficiency. SACC made sure the exhibit was
written in simplistic and easy to understand
language and accompanied every piece of text
with a descriptive image or model. In this way,
even students who struggle with their English
would be able to enjoy the exhibit.
When conducting research, it was also determined
that the attendance rate at the Beachmont School
is 3% higher than the Massachusetts public school
average [25]. For SACC this was an indication
that the students at Beachmont are hardworking
62
and engaged with their course material. This was
a hint as to how intelligent and adept these
students are. This inkling was only confirmed on
a later visit to meet with the Beachmont STEAM
club where 4th and 5th grade students moved
through a robotics exercises with ease. Having
this information allowed SACC to feel
comfortable engaging with complex material and
cautious not to teach the students about topics
they were already familiar with.
Lastly it was determined that the Beachmont
School spends about 1,500 dollars per student less
than the average Massachusetts public school
[25]. Students at Beachmont aren’t always getting
the fund allocation and education they deserve.
Knowing this sparked a passion within some of
the team members to provide a really exciting,
beautiful and informative experience for the
students. As the students at the Beachmont school
are incredibly hard-working and intelligent,
SACC worked to deliver the same kind of effort
for them. With this project SACC wanted to
convey a value and respect for the student body of
Beachmont.
SUSTAINABILITY IN ENGINEERING
Sustainability is the ability to meet the needs of
today’s society without diminishing the ability of
future generations to meet their needs [12]. For
most projects this means considering the
economic, cultural and ecological consequences
of actions. These three concepts tied together are
also known as the triple bottom line (people,
planet and profit) [26]. Please refer to Fig. 21 to
see a Venn diagram that describes the triple
bottom line in greater detail.
Fig. 21. Venn diagram describing triple bottom line relating
to sustainability [27].
Often sustainability is only linked to ecological
concerns, however engineers must be conscious
of all three aspects of sustainability. When the
triple bottom line is concerned with people,
engineers must be focused on cultural impacts. It
is important that engineers consider how their
designs can have an impact on religion, race,
gender, and socioeconomic relations/cultural
systems. It is important that current significant
cultural spaces are maintained and that all people
63
are treated with respect. All people should be
made to feel that they are significant and dignified
through engineering practices. As far as profit is
concerned, engineering practices must be cost
effective while increasing career opportunities
and profit margins.
Decisions relating to people, the planet and profit
are inherent in the engineering process. Engineers
are consistently making choices. These include
determining the objectives, constraints, and
functions for projects and choosing which jobs
and projects to focus on. These choices are made
according to an engineer’s values. As these
choices are inalienable from the engineering
process, it is important that while making them
engineers are conscious and aware individuals.
By being sustainably conscious, human
flourishing is increased and society is benefitted.
As the main purpose of engineering is to use
science and math to solve problems that benefit
society, being sustainably conscious should only
aid an engineer in fulfilling their role in bettering
society.
In order to be sustainable in engineering practices
it is important to implement value sensitive
design. Value sensitive design provides a method
to account for human values in a systematic
manner. “Central to a value sensitive design
approach are analyses of both direct and indirect
stakeholders; distinctions among designer values,
values explicitly supported by the technology, and
stakeholder values; individual, group, and societal
levels of analysis; the integrative and iterative
conceptual, technical, and empirical
investigations; and a commitment to progress (not
perfection). [2]” By analyzing the different people
and different ways an engineering project will
have an effect is integral to successful engineering
design.
PROJECT OBJECTIVES
As far as objectives are concerned are concerned
SACC set out to build an exhibit that taught
students about the importance of switching to
renewable energy. The exhibit should reinforce
the knowledge students already have about why
the earth is heating and why renewable energy
sources are a better choice for powering the
planet. The team would like to promote a greater
understanding of how global warming and
renewable energy sources work. Then SACC
aims to have students apply their knowledge of
how these systems work and determine which
sources work best in different climate scenarios.
To summarize, the goal is to teach students about
renewable energy sources and how they work, the
importance of switching to renewables and how
to do so in the most effective way possible.
64
When it comes to constraints a few restrictions
became apparent from the beginning. The first set
of constraints was put in place to benefit the user.
Firstly, the exhibit had a size constraint of 5 feet
wide x 20 inches deep x 4 feet tall. The size
constraint was important because the exhibit had
to be placed on a desk at the final showing for
students. It was also important that the exhibit
include two interactive components that used
Sparkfun & Matlab and a 3-D printed part. Along
with the physical exhibit, it was imperative that an
educational poster be created and implemented in
the project in order to help to communicate
SACC’s learning objectives. This poster would
enhance the user understanding of the exhibit
itself and applications beyond.
There were also constraints put into place to
minimize strain on SACC. The project had to cost
less than $100 to accomplish. This was to make it
affordable for all members on the team. The
exhibit had to be transportable as it had to be
carried across campus multiple times and to
showing sites. These constraints were an integral
part of the project because they allowed SACC to
stay focused and build a design that was exciting
and fun for students.
Lastly, to address the functions of the project. The
exhibit had to be able to receive inputs from a user
and respond with outputs so that the exhibit could
seamlessly communicate with the user. It had to
have interactive components to enhance the
tactile/fun experience of the user. Lastly, the
exhibit had to have visual communication
components to ensure readers of all levels could
engage with Power the Cities.
BACKGROUND
Next a public understanding of renewable energy
was investigated. This informed the initial design
of Power the Cities as it gave a basis on how to
think. This investigation included a quote from
William Glasser that read: “We learn 10% of what
we read, 20% of what we hear, 30% of what we
see, 50% of what we both see and hear, 70% of
what is discussed with others, 80% of what we
experience, and 95% of what we teach. [28]” This

RESEARCH article confirmed what SACC had been learning

in the classroom. This focused Lucinda’s design
In order to frame the design process, research was
on the experience of the student in order to
done to inform and inspire exhibits. Research was
maximize their learning.
conducted on a discussion of solar energy studies
and extramural learning [27], an investigation of
Finally, a study on a group of Baylor University
biodiesel from microalgae as a solution to the
seniors who worked on a very similar project was
third world energy crisis [28], a synopsis of public
examined. The seniors were asked to design
understanding of renewable energy [29] and, a
exhibits that increase energy awareness. One of
study of a group of Baylor seniors who were
the exhibits included a house, where one could
tasked to build museum exhibits [30]. The first
choose the appliances they used and a number
article examined discussed a multitude of exhibits
would be calculated and returned to the user that
that as a whole were designed to enhance one's
was about how much that person spent per year on
understanding of solar energy. This approach was
energy [30]. This qualitative information can be
interesting as it worked to give the user multiple
very impactful for the user. This mindset
experiences that would each unveil one aspect of
informed the original design of power the cities,
solar energy. These experiences were meant to
as it caused Lucinda to think about ways of
build on one another and hopefully culminate in a
producing qualitative feedback for the user. All
really clear understanding of solar energy [27].
this research culminated in a greater
The linear design of this project informed the
understanding of museum exhibit design and how
design for SACC’s Power the Cities.
multiple renewable energy sources worked.

65
ETHICS of coal and oil sources exists in the fact that a

The Power the Cities exhibit attempts to address whole job pool will be eliminated. Ideally the

the global energy crisis. Currently the world relies same workers involved in energy production

primarily on fossil fuels to make and provide through coal and oil would become the people

energy to citizens. When fossil fuels like coal and involved in renewable sources. However, it is true

oil are burned, they release carbon dioxide and that the sources themselves require less input so

contribute to the greenhouse gas affect. This in there is a worry that the number of jobs provided

turn heats the earth. This global warming is by renewables will be disproportionate. However,

causing oceans to rise and weather patterns to at the onset of a global shift to renewables, a large

become deadly. If the renewable energy sources number of jobs will be provided through the

in Power the Cities were more widely used in the building and installation of these energy sources.

right contexts, the greenhouse gas affect would be Although it is important to acknowledge that this

reduced, and the earth would cool. is only a temporary fix for a greater issue that will
arise when switching to renewables that must

There are other approaches to cooling the globe employ more consideration.

which require more action from the public. A

change in policy that limits the amount of energy
UNIVERSAL DESIGN
used by individuals across the globe would help
According to the National Disability Authority
mitigate the issue. This change would reduce
“Universal Design is the design and composition
energy used and therefore carbon dioxide
of an environment so that it can be accessed,
emissions, ultimately cooling the earth. However,
understood and used to the greatest extent
this is only a temporary solution as the energy that
possible by all people regardless of their age, size,
is still being used is still reliant on fossil fuels.
ability or disability. An environment (or any
This solution also relies on a large sum of
building, product, or service in that environment)
individuals making their own choices which,
should be designed to meet the needs of all people
according to the past, is not effective. Ultimately
who wish to use it. This is not a special
a change has to be made in the way that energy is
requirement, for the benefit of only a minority of
produced to address global warming.
the population. It is a fundamental condition of
good design. If an environment is accessible,
A potential problematic byproduct of
usable, convenient and a pleasure to use, everyone
implementing renewable energy sources instead
66
benefits. By considering the diverse needs and
abilities of all throughout the design process,
universal design creates products, services and
environments that meet peoples' needs. Simply
put, universal design is good design. [20]”
Universal design is design that accounts for all
people, particularly those with differed abilities.
The project adheres to multiple conditions a
universal design framework asks for. SACC
designed the project to be angled at 45 degrees.
This provides for the most comfort for people
standing up or sitting down like those in
wheelchairs. Another important factor was the
size of the font, SACC used 32-point font or
higher for all the text within the exhibit and made
it sans serifs style. The font was also made to be
dark on light. These font specifications make it so
that all readers, even those with dyslexia or other
differed abilities are able to easily read the
information presented to them. Along with the
text, visuals were presented to aid even non-
readers, so that they too could take something
away from the exhibit. Along with the text and
angle modifications the exhibit was also put at a
height that makes it accessible to shorter and taller
individuals as well those in wheel chairs. SACC
accounted for as many universal design aspects as
possible to ensure that everyone would be able to
access and enjoy the exhibit.
67
METHODOLOGY &
ORGANIZATION
As far as the team contract is concerned, please
see Appendix A to see the expectations SACC
laid out and the specific consequences for
lateness, quality of work, meeting times,
communication, and work division. These
expectations were mostly met with a couple
exceptions. Infractions were based within quality
of work standards and lateness. When these
infractions of SACC’s contract occurred,
discussions between all group members were held
and the consequences listed in the contract were
carried out.
As far as group responsibility is concerned, the
group tended to divide work by strength of each
member. SACC would meet to discuss what each
member thought was important for each aspect of
the project (the code, the design drawings, the
writing portions and the physical components).
Then each member would get tasks that matched
their skill sets. I (Lucinda) would work mostly on
the writing and conceptual thinking, Sam mostly
on the visual drawing tasks, Andrew mostly on
the code and Nick mostly on the physical
components and formatting.
I stepped up to be SACC’s first project manager.
As this was the first Milestone and the group was
still getting its footing, there was a lot of
communication issues. It wasn’t fully understood
that the report was crafted by the group and only
the review and presentation were for the project
manager. This meant that as I reviewed the report,
I found a lot of missing holes that I felt I had to
patch myself in a short amount of time. This
resulted in a poor report and less than satisfactory
presentation. I took responsibility for this as I
understood that as project manager it was my
responsibility to make sure that my group
members knew what they had to contribute and
that all of it was done in a timely manner.
Thankfully though, this was a “fail fast” moment
for myself and the team.
I started to thrive as a leader later on in the project.
As SACC elected to choose the idea I created for
the exhibit, I was able to provide the knowledge
necessary to succeed. I also really made an effort
to hear everyone and get everyone involved in
productive ways by divvying tasks by the
strengths of each individual. Most importantly
though, I could be decisive when my teammates
could not. I actually have a great eye for detail and
writing that I wasn’t able to showcase as a project
manager due to the many other issues at play.
However, on the 5th Milestone I was really able
to put those skills into action, doing the majority
of the writing and giving the report its final read
over and earning a 102.
68
ALTERNATIVES, EVALUATION
AND EVOLUTION
By referring to Appendix B, one is able to see that
SACC chose the design created by myself to be
used for the museum exhibit. The idea for the
exhibit was on a sustainability topic everyone was
passionate about. It was also made more efficient,
so it passed the “Musts” of SACC’s Kepner
Trego. It also satisfied most of the “Wants” as it
wasn’t too ambitious or simple and it provided for
an interactive understandable experience.
As the group chose the original design presented
by myself, I don’t have any alternatives to
showcase. However, I can discuss the design from
its beginning to its end and all the ways it evolved
in between.
Fig. 22. Sketch illustrating how to effectively use solar
panels [31] .
Fig. 22 acts as a conceptual inspiration image for
the initial design. It inspired a focus on using
renewables in a way that is efficient and not
wasteful. This shifted the focus from just
renewable energy to identifying what situations
are best suited for each renewable source. Fig. 22
brought upon the idea to make the design for
Power the Cities location based [31]. The image
is confusing as there is the presence of snow but
there is also ample sunlight. This prompted
thinking about what renewables would work best
in different environments and different parts of
America. This led to the final idea in which
students choose renewable energy sources based
on a location environment criteria.
preliminary design can be seen in Fig. 23, Fig. 24
and Fig. 25.
Fig. 23. Preliminary sketch of the structure of the first
iteration of SACC's Power the Cities design.
Fig. 24. Conceptual sketch of the first iteration of the Power
This the Cities exhibit.
Fig. 25. AutoCAD sketch of the Power the Cities in its first
iteration.
For Milestone 1, SACC focused on deciding on a
topic to focus on. One the topic was decided on, a
problem statement was formed that guided
members of the group in the design process for
Milestone 2. For milestone 2 all members of the
group came to the table with different exhibit
design ideas. The idea outlined before was chosen
over ideas that focused on other singular
renewable energy sources. This idea was chosen
for the reasons outlined early, but also because it
seemed like a balance between the other
teammate’s ideas. The sketch in figure 19 was
changed to accommodate for the changes made
69
for the mockup in Milestone 3. The space in-
between the board and player felt unnecessary. As
well as the many slots once the team learned what
RFID scanning was. The design also needed to be
changed to accommodate Universal Design
Standards. This meant both the user interface and
backdrops were compiled onto one physical
plane. This change can be referenced in Fig. 26
and Fig. 27.
Fig. 26. Andrew and Lucinda working on mock up for
Milestone 3.
Fig. 27. Final mockup for Milestone 3.
70
Lastly to get to Milestone 4, SACC made a couple
changes for the prototype design. First the screen
was moved down to accommodate one of the
laptops already in SACC’s possession. Next, the
cities were transformed from two dimensional
cityscapes to three dimensional moving postcards.
This would add yet another interactive component
to the exhibit. Along with the movable postcard,
lights were incorporated to make the exhibit more
engaging. A reset button was also incorporated
into the exhibit to make it easier for students to
access an already started game. Lastly, hinges
were incorporated on the back to make the exhibit
collapsible and therefore more collapsible. These
changes can be seen in Fig. 28 and Fig. 29.
Fig. 28. Lucinda working on the prototype for Milestone
4.

Fig. 29. First iteration prototype for Milestone 4.
FINAL DESIGN
The final iteration of Power the
manufactures an experience for the user that is
streamlined, easy to understand and intuitive. In
this next section I will be referencing code that
can be found in Appendix E. Firstly, the Arduino
code turns two LEDS on above the first level
postcard. This signals to the user that they are on
level one and they should read the level one
postcard. At the same time that the lights are
turned on, the Arduino code also sends a number
to a processing code that triggers the level 1 GUI
slide to be shown to the user. This provides excess
hints in order to guide the user to the correct
choice. The user then reads the postcard and fake
GUI slide and makes a selection for the power
source they would like to choose. They can
choose from one of four 3D model sources. Each
source had a unique RFID scanning card on the
bottom. The user places their choice on the reader
in front of them. This reader has an RFID scanner
that reads the number imbedded on the card
attached to the bottom of the 3D model energy
source. Each card has a specific number linked to
it that Arduino can then take in and trigger
responses with. Within the Arduino code there
exist four while loops, one for each level. The
while loops are connected to a counter. At the end
of each level this counter is increased triggering
the code to move to the next level. Within each
level exists 4 if statements, one for each energy
source. If a wrong energy source is chosen, a
Cities number is sent to processing which triggers the
processing code to show a GUI slide that gives the
user feedback on why that energy source isn’t the
best choice for that city. This slide stays on the
screen for as long as the card (3D model energy
source) stays on the reader. When the wrong
energy source is taken off, the user is brought
back to the level one screen and is given another
chance to select the right source. They can do this
as many times as they’d like until they reach the
right energy source. If the user chooses the right
energy source; a number is sent to processing that
triggers the processing to code to show a positive
feedback GUI slide for only six seconds. This
ends the while loop for the first level and moves
on to the next level while loop. LEDs above the
next level postcard light up to signify the start of
a new level and draw the user’s eye to the next
card. The level two home screen is then displayed
by processing. All the following levels work in
the same fashion until the end. After the right
71
energy source slide is shown, another slide is
shown that indicates the end of the game. All of
this rests within a while loop connected to the
button, if the button is pressed the game restarts.
The design allows for user to try and try again. In
this way, the user gains experience and
knowledge each time they get something wrong.
This experiential aspect is what allows students to
learn from the Power the Cities exhibit. Students
are always learning, whether or not they get the
answer right, about which sources are effective in
different locations and why. This was the main
learning goal for SACC.
BETA TESTING RESULTS
To solicit feedback, SACC used a google form.
The form made it so that the questions were easily
accessible, and the answers easily collected into
one consistent data base. The data could also be
easily and automatically be sorted into graphs and
break down charts and lists.
On the form SACC asked beta testers many
questions having to do with age, fun, learning and
changes they would make. The questions were
asked both in quantitative and qualitative ways.
For example, the users were asked to rate how
much they had learned on a scale of ten. They
were then asked why they gave the rating they
did? These questions prompted users to truly
72
think about the learning experience and provide
SACC with meaningful feedback. In this way
SACC was able to collect general feedback but
also pinpoint exactly what worked and what
didn’t. The age question helped SACC pinpoint if
certain learning goals were met in some age
demographics and not others. Please refer to
Appendix D for a more detailed overview of Beta
test questions and results written by Lucinda.
SACC received a myriad of feedback results from
a wide array of testers. The first tester was a
student from the Clubhouse in Roxbury. This
student felt that it was unclear where or when to
start the game in the exhibit. This feedback
triggered SACC to incorporate labels and
directions on the front plane of the exhibit. The
idea was that the directions wouldn’t stand apart,
making them a hassle to read, rather they would
be incorporated directly onto the board of the
game making them a seamless part of game play.
This feedback was valuable for SACC as it
prompted much needed clarifying text to the
exhibit face.
Feedback on Power the Cities was also received
from Anastasia Zorlas, a computer science and
business dual major at Northeastern University.
Ana noticed that the locations on the postcards
weren’t states like the title, “Power The States” at
the time, would suggest. Clearly the name of the
exhibit should match the locations in the game. As
the exhibit progressed this is something SACC
CONTRIBUTIONS
overlooked. SACC could either change the
locations back into states or change the title to Between Milestones 5 – 7 SACC worked hard to

Power the Cities. SACC opted to change the name make a final product that would satisfy the

from Power the States to Power the Cities. Ana’s ultimate consumer. I, Lucinda Shotts, completed

feedback wasn’t all constructive though, Ana did a myriad of tasks to make the exhibit come to life.

make a comment about pleased she was with the Firstly, I was responsible for creating the 3D

continuity of the exhibit from color to theme and model of a windmill. This took time on Solid

poster to the 3D pieces. This prompted SACC to works and was an important addition to the

think of ways the theme could be further project. Please refer to Fig. 30 to see a photo of

enhanced. This led to the idea to incorporate a the completed windmill model.

road between the states. Ana’s feedback lead to a

much-needed name change and affective visual
enhancement.

Our final tester was David Shotts. David Shotts is

the father of Lucinda Shotts. He has spent his
career as an environmental engineering consultant
specializing in air pollution. David appreciated
the design and “cute 3D models and vintage
postcards.” However, he had some concerns about
the code working properly and the content on the
slides in the GUI. He was concerned that some of
the wording may have been misleading or
incorrect. This prompted SACC to reread all of
Fig. 30. 3D model of a windmill created by Lucinda
the slides in the GUI and make sure the wording Shotts.

was accurate, simplistic and to the point. David’s

feedback prompted SACC to make important I was also solely responsible for both the poster
changes to the GUI that allowed SACC to achieve mockup and final poster. This meant researching,
the learning goals of the exhibit. compiling and pairing down information into
73
easily digestible parcels. It also meant finding the
right info graphics. Most difficult though was
figuring out how to make the poster cohesive with
the rest of the exhibit. This was ultimately done
through a background that was similar to the
graphics on the postcards. This portion of the
exhibit was integral in achieving SACC’s learning
goals. Please refer to Fig. 31 and Fig. Fig. 32
to see the poster in its mockup and final stages.
Fig. 31. Poster Mock-up of Power The States Done By
Lucinda Shotts.
Fig. 32. Final poster created by Lucinda Shotts and
revised by Samantha Chin.
The responsibility of the remaining physical
changes was allocated to Samantha Chin and me.
74
The bases for the 3D printed models were cut and
filed by both of us. We painted the main base of
the project and the road on top if it together. The
3D models were painted by me and the bases for
the models by Samantha.
The responsibility of writing the written portions
of all the milestone reports fell onto me. I had the
best scientific writing skills in the group and a
good conceptual understanding of the exhibit
which made this job a good fit for me. Of course,
the writing was done based off notes and inputs
from SACC group members, but the actual words
were written by myself. This task was integral to
the success of the project as it helped SACC focus
and understand the project in a more concrete
way.
Finally, I was responsible for most of the
reformatting and group writing of this final report.
This task was consuming yet gratifying, as it was
nice to make everything the team had done stand
out and authentically represent SACC’s hard
work. This can most notably be seen in the
individual hours chart reformation. In order to see
an hourly breakdown of the work SACC’s has
done please refer to Appendix J.
RESOURCES
SACC stayed well within the budget only
spending $87.64. I myself purchased the RFID
scanner and cards from amazon and about half of
the paint from Blick. I spent a total of about 34$
on this project. In order to see a budget breakdown
please refer to Appendix I. Overall, I spent 69
hours on this project. In order to see a breakdown
of those hours worked please see Appendix J.
CONCLUSION
OBSERVATIONS FROM EXHIBITION DAY
The students interacted in a myriad of ways with
the Power the Cities museum exhibit. In the first
part of the day there was one student who came
and played SACC’s exhibit on his own. He was
relaxed and reading the cards and hints. He
messed up a few times but benefited from the
feedback given to him on the screen and
eventually found the right answers. In this way he
was actually learning about the energy sources
and why they are better used in some scenarios
and not in others. This trial and error is what
allowed the student to learn. This was how the
exhibit was intended to be used and was quite
successful in this instance.
However, later in the morning session when
students were approaching the exhibit in groups,
things got more interesting. Members of SACC
75
noticed that the kids stopped reading even the
small instructions integrated to the plain and GUI
of the exhibit. For some students, it became a
game of trial and error to race to the finish. Some
students would even finish the game and then go
for a “speed round.” In these instances, the
students weren’t learning in the way we had
pictured. By not reading they cost themselves a
learning opportunity, however, perhaps there was
a better way to design the exhibit that would have
made the reading integrated in an even more
pertinent and seamless way.
The exhibit was successful if used in the way it
was intended. It taught students about renewable
energy sources and about how to determine where
they are most effectively used, our two main
learning goals. However, it feels as though
somewhere in the design process SACC forgot
about the learning goal related to economic
consequences of renewable energy sources. As
this is the case, the exhibit did not meet this
learning goal.
Concerning the original problem statement, the
design met the constraints, objectives and
functions. It successfully taught the majority of
the learning goals that the team had set out to
accomplish to most users. It addressed global
warming and methods of combatting it efficiently.
The exhibit was able to receive user inputs,
through the RFID scanner, and provide the users
with outputs in the form of feedback on GUI
slides. Lastly, the exhibit was under the size
constraints and came in under budget.
REFLECTIONS ON LEARNING
During the course of this project I learned how to
effectively work in a team, creatively code and
construct a physical exhibit from scratch. I had
never free formed coded like we were tasked to in
this project. Although I didn’t work on the code
of the project, I learned about how creative coding
can function. This was one of my main learning
goals from the beginning so this was very
satisfying for me.
I had to teach myself to solder and use the plotter
printer. I used my resources in the library to do
this and I am happy I did because both skills
became useful to my group.
I am proud of the way my ability to use
SolidWorks has grown throughout this project. I
was used to following walk throughs and tutorials,
but this project challenged me to use the skills I
had and apply them in the ways that benefited the
team and I.
As far as my future career is concerned, I am
going into the health sciences field. I feel that my
76
coding proficiency and new graphical
communication skills will be an asset where ever
I find my self working next. However the most
valuable thing I will take from this process is the
problem solving mindset.
REFLECTIONS ON WORKING IN A TEAM
Throughout the course of this project, I learned
how to be an active listener. I worked with a few
very talented but very quiet people. In order to
pick the gems out of their brains I had to be
persistent and respectful. I learned about
encouraging my peers to share with me. Even if
not every idea is good, every idea should be
shared as even the ideas that don’t get used
prompt the evolution of better ideas. I learned to
ask thought provoking questions in ways that
would make my teammates feel respected and not
undermined.
A challenge SACC originally faced came in the
initial phases of the project in the form of sloppy
task delegation. SACC struggled with this as there
wasn’t an understanding of each other’s strengths
and weaknesses. I learned how to thoughtfully
delegate work. As the project evolved and the
team came to understand the individual strengths
of each member, task delegation became an
important aspect of SACC’s success. Once tasks
could be delegated to each member based on what
they liked or were good at, not only did each
member enjoy their work more thoroughly, the
team as a unit became stronger.
As a team member I could be more forthright with
my fellow teammates. I contribute a lot and I am
not afraid to share my ideas as far as project
content is concerned. However, when it comes to
interpersonal relations, I think I could be honest
earlier on in the process. I think if work isn’t up to
standard or lateness is becoming an issue, it is best
to deal with that early on, so the issue doesn’t
fester and become greater. It is my responsibility
as a teammate to make sure I am honest with my
peers early on in a respectful way so that later on
an unpleasant conversation can be avoided.
As a leader, I am decisive, provocative and
thoughtful. There were often moments in which I
stopped the group and asked if what we were
doing was the best solution or if was just a
solution. Often in these projects under quick
deadlines, it is easy to become lazy and take the
easy way out. Being decisive isn’t just about
choosing the quickest easiest option, it is about
efficiently way the pros and cons of decisions and
making a informed and stable decision
afterwards. It isn’t worth rushing through
decisions if it means redoing work later or coming
out with a worse product because of it. It is
important to have a high standard for the work
77
produced at each mark in the project and I believe
my leadership enabled SACC to have just that.
Although I am learning and improving, I’d say I
am a fair bit worse at being managed than I am at
being a leader. I could more readily “kill my
darlings”. This means let go of an idea one is
passionate about in favor of the group. Sometimes
I cling to ideas more than I should. The idea may
be good but it might just not be right for the
project and that is something I should bear in mind
for my next group project.
As a team I think SACC’s greatest challenge were
some interpersonal issues. This revolved around a
member disrespecting the other members by not
fulling committing to the team. However, SACC
addressed this and grew from it. After the group
addressed this, the members truly left it in the
past. After this moment, the group became a
cohesive unit and never turned back.
Like I said before, I think my conceptual and
special thinking, as well as my writing skills were
the biggest asset I could provide to SACC. I was
often working on the physical and written
portions of the project. I feel I am responsible for
the cohesiveness many of the testers gave positive
feedback on. I also feel I am responsible for a lot
of the conceptual thinking that drove the creation
of many of the elements of the project.

RECOMMENDATIONS
One thing I would have done differently is address
group issues early on. From the beginning it was
clear that many of the group members were quiet
which made it hard to get their input. It was also
clear many members of the group lacked initiative
or decisiveness. This definitely slowed SACC
down and lead to friction. Once addressed, the
project moved very smoothly, and the team
gained a new cohesive identity. SACC would
have gotten more benefit from this conversation if
it had happened earlier on in the process. I would
also push harder for more group meetings. Often
meetings happened later in the process than they
should have leaving the team rushed. This
decreased the quality of the work and the time the
group spent together. When the group was given
more time, it is easier to produce work in a more
pleasant and productive way.
progression, so this addition wouldn’t only add
aesthetic appeal it would clarify the level
progression.
The second addition would be to the GUI. Some
users were confused about the level changes as it
wasn’t clear that they had finished one level and
moved onto the next. If SACC could spend more
time on the project, they would add slides in-
between level that said something along the lines
of “Congratulations, you have reached level _!”
This was difficult to incorporate to the code
SACC had already made but if more time were
allotted those slides would have been able to be
incorporated. This would clarify the experience
for the user and enhance the exhibit as a whole.

Given more time SACC would make two clear

additions. In the last phase of the project, Power
the Cities was reformatted to have a road connect
all the locations. If the group were to have more
time, SACC would have liked to incorporate
LEDs along the road that would light up in
accordance to the progress made in the game.
Some users were confused about the level

78
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81
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHIES
Nicholas S. Abadir was
born in New York, New
York in 2000. He lived in
West Harrison, New
York until 2010 where he
then moved to White
Plains, New York. Abadir
graduated from The Masters School based in
Dobbs Ferry, New York in 2018. He is
pursuing a B.S. in computer engineering at
Northeastern University in Boston.
Since childhood, his family has always been
computer oriented. Growing up, his
household was full of new computers and
machines which caused him to be interested
in how these computers functioned. His
interest finally culminated in 2011 when he
built his first computer with his father. His
newfound passion for computers led him to
starting a small business in his high school
where he offered to build computers for those
he was interested in. He also attended a
summer session at the Digital Media
Academy in 2012 where he learned the basics
of Java and game design. He participated in
The Masters School Vex Robotics Team for
two years which went on to win the
excellence award at a tournament hosted in
Long Island, New York during his tenure. He
also participated in a Mechanical
Engineering internship in 2018 working for
Standard Motor Parts, Inc. where he vetted
parts to be supplied to consumers all over the
U.S. The drive to discover how computers
functioned led him to find his passion in
coding and he has begun to mover further
from hardware and more towards the
software aspect of computers.
Mr. Nicholas S. Abadir is currently not
attending any clubs at Northeastern
University. However he plans to join more
computer engineering societies as he pursues
his degree further.
82
Samantha K. Chin was
born in New York, New
York, in 1999. She lived
in Upper Saddle River
New Jersey her entire
life. She graduated from
Northern Highlands
Regional Highschool,
Allendale, NJ in 2018. She is currently
attending Northeastern University pursuing a
B.S. in bioengineering.
Her interest in bioengineering sparked
freshmen year of high school, when she
attended a Society of Women Engineers
weekend activity at Columbia University.
She loves to bake with her mom, trying out
new recipes for desserts and baking the
traditional recipes that run in the family. She
also wanted to work somewhat with medical
devices and genes. This was driven by a
history of family disorders. Many of her
family members have eczema that are so bad
their feet bleed from the dry skin. Some of her
cousins were born autistic and are still trying
to speak properly to this day. Her brother was
born with broken thumbs, cracked teeth, and
bad hearing. As time progressed, his hearing
deteriorated more and more, as well as his
eyesight. Her brother was also born with
DiGeorge syndrome, a genetic disorder
caused by a defect in the 22nd chromosome.
She wants to help her family and others born
differently to live an easier life. These factors
motivated her to major in bioengineering.
Ms. Samantha K. Chin was a member of the
National Honor Society during her junior and
senior year of high school. She hopes to
increase her knowledge in the bioengineering
field to help more people in the future. She
hopes to be able to perform acts and activities
that will help her achieve her dream of being
able to aid her family and many other people.
 Lucinda P Shotts was
born in Manhattan, New
York, May 5th, 2000. She
attended The Packer
Collegiate Institute from
2005 to 2018. She is
currently attending
Northeastern University in
Boston, Massachusetts, USA. There she is
pursuing a B.S. in chemical engineering.
However, she intends to shift to focus on
health sciences in the near future.
She was a head editor for the online
publication Intersections. This journal served
as Packer Collegiate’s science and math
related content publication. Aside from her
affiliation with Intersections, Lucinda also
served as the editor in chief of the Pelican,
Packer’s yearbook publication. Although
Lucinda’s academic interests lie in science
and publishing. She has also done work in the
fashion and home design fields as an intern at
Mestiza, NY and Christina Soriano Inc.
Although she doesn’t intend on pursuing
those fields further, her experience in these
fields often produces more cohesive and
distinct pieces of work. Furthermore,
Lucinda was also a distinguished Track and
Field Athlete in high school, captaining the
cross-country, indoor and outdoor track and
field teams her sophomore, junior and senior
years. She was also named League All Star in
track and field her sophomore, junior and
senior years and cross-country League All
Star in her senior year. Lastly, she was
awarded the Stephen Manternach award for
sportsmanship in her junior year.
Ms. Lucinda Parsons Shotts is a proud
member of the Northeastern Track and Field
team and hopes to further expand her reach
into the Northeastern community before she
graduates. She hopes to pursue outlets that
will help her in her mission to marry her
passion for understanding cultural relations
and her academic interest in the sciences.
83
Andrew P. Conlon was
born in Pittsfield,
Massachusetts, in 2000.
He grew up in Lenox,
Massachusetts and
attended Lenox Memorial
Middle and High School
and graduated with High Honors in 2018. At
Lenox Memorial Middle and High School, he
was a part of the National Honor Society,
Robotics club, and the Quiz Team.
Additionally, he was a varsity member of the
cross country, tennis, and hockey teams
throughout high school and was a captain of
the hockey team in his senior year. Currently
he is currently pursuing a BS in mechanical
engineering at Northeastern University in
Boston.
He currently has no work experience besides
mowing lawns and doing yard work but
intends to get a job in the coming summer. He
has always really enjoyed math and science
throughout his life and decided engineering
would be the best career choice after doing
engineering assignments in high school and
seeing engineers working. Specifically, he
chose mechanical engineering because he
found it the most interesting and felt that he
would be the most passionate about. His
brother Patrick also studied mechanical
engineering at Clarkson University and really
enjoyed it, which inspired him even more to
pursue it. He also wants to have a positive
impact of the world and as many people as
possible and engineering is one of the best
ways to do that.
At Northeastern University he is a part of
ASME, Baja SAE, and the ski club. He
currently plans to join even more engineering
clubs in his second year once he has more
engineering experience. Finally, is interested
in working in FYELIC and helping first year
engineers because he found it very valuable
in his first year at Northeastern.
 APPENDICES

APPENDIX A – TEAM CONTRACT

Contact Information
Andrew Conlon Lucinda Shotts Nicolas Abadir Sam Chin

conlon.a@husky.neu.edu shotts.l@husky.neu.edu abadir.n@husky.neu.edu chin.sa@husky.neu.edu

(413)-822-7019 (917)-318-9221 (914)-620-5680 (201)-669-7968

Table 1. Group members contact information

Respect
Group members are expected to be on time; however we will give up to a ten minute grace
policy. Group members will be expected to notify the group if they will be late at least ten
minutes ahead of time. All personal obligations must be on the team calendar at least 24
hours in advance of the event. As far as handed in work, there will be no tolerance for work
handed in late. If work is turned in late, the offender must buy the group a pizza. At the
beginning of every meeting all group members will recap what they have worked on prior
to the meeting as well as any grievances they may have. If there are any disagreements they
will be solved by simple majority vote. If there is a draw then a discussion must be carried
out to settle the problem. If this does not resolve the problem we leave the decision to the
power of coin flipping.

Commitment
All work must follow the rubric guidelines and for reports make sure there is detail and
clarity before presenting to the group. If the work is not satisfactory (clear, organized,
proofread, explainable and defendable), the group will offer their criticisms and the
offender will use the criticisms to better improve upon their work in a efficient manner.
The group will use weekday evenings from 5:00 pm- 8:00 pm, Friday during the day from
10:30 am - 3:00 pm and Sundays from 10:30 am - 3:00 pm as possible meeting times.

84
Transparency
Decisions will be made through a process in which group members first present their
ideas to the rest of the group. A group discussion will then occur about the ideas
presented. Consensus will be marked by a simple majority vote on whether or not to
incorporate the idea. In the case of a draw a coin toss will decide. All project files must
be uploaded to the google drive folder to insure that all members are included.

Inclusion
The team will primarily communicate through the Cornerstone iMessage group chat
already created and secondarily through email. Conversation with the broader class can
be held through slack. At the end of every meeting the group will go through and doll at
tasks to each member. These tasks should be finished by the next meeting, and if not the
group should be notified ahead of time. In the event that one of our members stops
coming to meetings, a meeting will be arranged with Kathryn Schulte Grahame and all
members of the team, in order to determine a solution.

Fairness
Work will be assigned based on the time it takes to finish assignments, rather than
number of tasks, and on the strengths of each individual in order to finish things in an
efficient manner. Conflicts will be resolved by first taking a ten minute break of silence
for everyone to process their own thoughts. Next, we will discuss the issues with a clear
head. We will use “I” statement when arguing and try to be as clear as possible with our
concerns. At the end of the disagreement we will form an action plan in order to resolve
the issue, so that the disagreement doesn’t continue.

Signatures

85
Team Goals
• Find something we are all passionate about to base our project on so that is a
positive and engaging experience for each member.
• Build a strong sense of group trust.
• For all members of the group to receive an A on this project.
• Cultivate an environment that is filled with positivity and openness.

Individual Goals
Lucinda Shotts
• I would like to learn how to code and understand how to code creatively.
• I aim to build a team that truly enjoys working together and produces amazing work.
Samantha Chin
• Learn how to code and be able to use programs like AutoCAD and Matlab efficiently
• Being able to complete assignments and understand what I am doing for the assignments
and asking for help when needed
• Create projects that stand out from the rest of the class
Andrew Conlon
• Learn about different disciplines of engineering and what it means to be an engineer
• Enhance my skills when working with a group and with time management
Nicholas Abadir
• To become a more proficient coder by learning Matlab
• To make something super interesting

Milestone 1 Lucinda Shotts

Milestone 2 Nicholas Abadir
Milestone 3 Samantha Chin
Milestone 4 Andrew Conlon

86
 APPENDIX B - DESCISION ANALYSIS
After presenting ideas to each other and the mentor, the group performed decision
analysis on each idea to find the best one going forward. A Kepner-Tregoe analysis table
was made and utilized to find the design that fits the group’s musts and wants without
any bias. The must haves of the table were a sustainability topic that each group member
was passionate about and a technology that could be maximized or improved on in some
way. The wants of the table were that the design would not be too ambitious, too simple,
easily understood by kids and viewers, and interactive. After evaluating each idea and
completing the table it was determined that Lucy’s design was the best and the group
would use it going forward. However, the group also wanted to incorporate the best of
each individual’s proposed idea into the final design. For instance, Andrew’s solar trough
idea and wind turbine, Sam’s biomass concept, and Nick’s hydroelectric crank idea. So
the final proposed design will be based off of Lucy’s initial design but will incorporate a
few of the technologies from the other members of the group.

Kepner-Tregoe Decision Analysis Table

Andrew's Lucy's Nick's Sam's

Musts Weight Idea Idea Idea Idea
A Sustainability topic everyone is
GO GO GO GO
passionate about
Can be maximized/made more
GO GO GO GO
efficient
Wants
Not too ambitious 0.5 4 8 7 6
Not too simple 0.5 8 8 6 8
Can be understood by kids 0.8 6 8 5 7
Interactive 0.7 8 8 4 8
Total 16.4 20 13.3 17.6
Table 2. Kepner-Tregoe Decision Analysis for group members' ideas

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 APPENDIX C - FINAL AUTOCAD/SOLIDWORKS DRAWINGS

Fig. 33. Final Solidworks blueprint of project design

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Fig. 34. Solidworks blueprint of smokestack

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Fig. 35. Solidworks blueprint of windmill

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Fig. 36. Solidworks blueprint of watermill

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Fig. 37. Solidworks blueprint of solar panel

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 APPENDIX D – PRODUCT TESTING RESULTS
Questions Asked
For each of the beta testers a google form was distributed after the test to retrieve feedback.
The first question was “How old are you?” This question was asked in an effort to collect
information in correspondence with age demographic. The next question asked was “How
fun was the exhibit on a scale of 1-10 and why?” As this making the exhibit fun was one
of our main objectives SACC wanted to gather information on how the fun of the game
was perceived by different ages. They also hoped to gain insight on what to keep or get rid
off to enhance the fun. SACC then continued to ask “How much did you learn from this
exhibit on a scale of 1-10 and why?” This question helped the team determine whether the
learning goals were being accomplished or not. Lastly, they asked “If you could change
one thing what would it be?” This is a good question whenever collecting feedback and the
team was hoping to receive creative responses.

Feedback and Actions Taken to Address Responses

Student at the Clubhouse in Roxbury (minor):
The first tester was a student from the clubhouse. He thought that the game was interesting
and challenging. However, he identified an issue with the layout of the exhibit in that it
didn’t make it clear how or where to start. This prompted SACC to add labels and directions
to the project. Although he offered the team some important feedback, he did not have a
theme recommendation. Overall, the student enjoyed the game portion of the exhibit but
was confused by the layout.

Anastasia Zorlas (non-engineering student at Northeastern):

SACC also had Anastasia Zorlas, Sam’s roommate, who is a computer science and business
dual major beta test Power The States. One of the things Ana had noticed was that the
locations weren’t states. This was also mentioned at the gallery walk during milestone 5.
This feedback prompted SACC to change the name from Power the States to Power the
Cities. Ana was also confused by the lack of labels or instruction. However, Ana did make
a comment about pleased she was with the continuity of the exhibit from color to theme
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and poster to the 3D pieces. She enjoyed the postcards idea but she thought that the back
of the wooden part should also have the same theme instead of being just wood. SACC
decided to print a blue background to match the hints that were on the postcards.

David Shotts (museum attendee):

Our final tester was David Shotts. David Shotts is the father of Lucinda Shotts. He has
spent his career as an environmental engineering consultant specializing in air pollution.
David thought the project was well designed and particularly appreciated the “cute 3D
models”. He had some concerns about the code working properly and the content on the
slides in the GUI. He was concerned that some of the wording may have been misleading
or incorrect. This prompted SACC to reread all of the slide in the GUI and make sure the
wording was as simplistic and to the point as possible. Overall, it was nice to get a real
working engineers prospective.

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APPENDIX E –CODE USED IN PROJECT

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96
97
98
Fig. 38. Processing code used to display GUI

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100
101
102
103
104
105
Fig. 39. Arduino code for RFID scanner and tags

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 APPENDIX F – WIRE DIAGRAMS FOR SPARKFUN BOARDS

Fig. 40. Wire diagram used for project

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APPENDIX G – PHOTO LOG

Fig. 41. First Milestone group meeting

Fig. 42. AutoCAD drawing of proposed project

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 Fig. 43. Milestone 2 group meeting with mentor

Fig. 44. Updated autoCAD drawing of final project

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Fig. 45. Andrew and Sam working on dimensions for project

Fig. 46. Andrew and Lucy cutting cardboard for prototype

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Fig. 47. Andrew, Sam and Lucy taping cardboard prototype

Fig. 48. Andrew, Sam and Lucy formatting cardboard prototype

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Fig. 49. Front view of cardboard prototype

Fig. 50. Top view of cardboard prototype

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Fig. 51. Side view of cardboard prototype

Fig. 52. Lucy and Andrew transporting wood pieces

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Fig. 53. Lucy and Andrew taking a break from transporting wood

Fig. 54. Milestone 4 group meeting with mentor

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Fig. 55. Lucy drilling hinges into project

Fig. 56. Lucy cutting background poster of project

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Fig. 57. Lucy, Andrew and Nick cutting and drilling wood for project

Fig. 58. Andrew, Lucy and Nick changing formatting of project

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Fig. 59. Andrew drilling hinges into project for postcards

Fig. 60. Final wood prototype

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Fig. 61. Final product without painting

Fig. 62. Back of project with wires for LEDs

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Fig. 63. Side of project with updated supports

Fig. 64. Nick drilling holes for solar panel

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Fig. 65. Mentor meeting for Milestone 5

Fig. 66. Hannah giving advice on poster edits

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Fig. 67. Poster rough draft for Milestone 5

Fig. 68. Project after base layer of paint

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Fig. 69. Painted 3D pieces

Fig. 70. Solar panel 3D print

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Fig. 71. Windmill 3D print

Fig. 72. Watermill 3D print

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Fig. 73. Smokestack 3D print

Fig. 74. Final solar panel energy source

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Fig. 75. Final windmill 3D print

Fig. 76. Final hydroelectric source

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Fig. 77. Final geothermal energy source

Fig. 78. Example of energy source with RFID tag glued on bottom

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Fig. 79. Presentation day at Museum of Science

Fig. 80. Final project at Museum of Science

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Fig. 81. Final product with poster reformatted

Fig. 82. Group picture at Museum of Science with team shirts

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Fig. 83. Final game is being played with by kids

Fig. 84. Final Poster formatting

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Fig. 85. Test GUI screen for program

Fig. 86. Welcome screen for GUI

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Fig. 87. GUI slide for level 1

Fig. 88. Wrong choice GUI screen for level 1

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Fig. 89. Getting closer to the answer level 1

Fig. 90. Try again screen for Level 1

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Fig. 91. Correct answer chosen for level 1 GUI

Fig. 92. Level 2 introduction screen

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Fig. 93. Worst answer for location GUI slide

Fig. 94. Try again slide for level 2

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Fig. 95. Good try, but try again with hints for level 2

Fig. 96. Correct answer given for level 2 GUI screen

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Fig. 97. Level 3 introduction slide

Fig. 98. Incorrect answer for level 3

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Fig. 99. Incorrect, but better answer for level 3

Fig. 100. Not the worst answer but not the best answer for level 3 GUI screen

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Fig. 101. Best answer chosen for level 3

Fig. 102. Level 4 introduction screen

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Fig. 103. Wrong choice chosen for level 4

Fig. 104. Not the best choice for level 4 screen

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Fig. 105. Good choice but not the best choice for level 4 GUI slide

Fig. 106. Best choice for level 4 screen

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Fig. 107. Congratulatory screen to move onto the next level

Fig. 108. End screen once game has been completed

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APPENDIX H – FINAL GANNT CHART

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APPENDIX I – FINAL BUDGET

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 APPENDIX J – PROJECT HOURS LOG

SACC Individual Hours Log

Start Hours Worked
Milestone Task
Date Andrew Lucinda Samantha Nicholas Total
Team Contract 1/9/2019 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 14

Gantt Chart 1/20/2019 1 0 0 0 1

Brainstorm 1/20/2019 1 1 1 1 4
1 Question Discussion 1/20/2019 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 2

Choose Top 3 Issues 1/20/2019 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 2

Create Problem Statement 1/21/2019 0 1 0 0 1

Project Manager Tasks 1/22/2019 0 3 0 0 3

Milestone 1 Total 6.5 9.5 5.5 5.5 27

Individual Research/Sketch 2/10/2019 3 3 3 2 11

Problem Statement 2/11/2019 0 1 0 0 1

Autocad Sketch 2/11/2019 0 1.5 0 0 1.5

2
Decision Analysis 2/11/2019 1.5 0 0 0 1.5

Group Meeting With Mentor 2/11/2019 2 2 2 2 8

Project Manager Tasks 2/12/2019 0 0 0 3 3

Milestone 2 Total 6.5 7.5 5 7 26

Measurements of Cardboard
1 0 1 0 2
for Mock Up 2/23/2019
Main Board (Cardboard) 2/24/2019 0 2 0 0 2

Fake GUI/Levels Design 2/24/2019 0 1 0 0 1

AutoCAD Drawing 2/24/2019 0 0 1.5 0 1.5

Gantt Chart 2/24/2019 0 0 2 0 2

Back Supporting Board of
3 3 0 0 0 3
Mock Up 2/24/2019
Universal Design Paragraph 2/24/2019 0 0 0 0.5 0.5

Budget 2/24/2019 0 0 0 0.5 0.5

Flow Chart 2/24/2019 0 0 0 2 2

Taping Together Mock Up 2/25/2019 0 2 0 0 2

Energy Source Cardboard
0 1 0 1 2
Models 2/25/2019
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 Taping together Mock Up 2/25/2019 2 0 2 0 4

Final Touches 2/25/2019 3 3 3 3 12

Project Manager Tasks 2/26/2019 0 0 3 0 3

Milestone 3 Total 9 9 12.5 7 37.5

Wire Diagram 3/8/2019 0 0.75 0 0 0.75

Full GUI Powerpoint (content,
0 2.5 0 0 2.5
text, art) 3/10/2019
Solid Works Rendering 3/10/2019 0 0 5 0 5
Researching and coding RFID
2 0 0 0 2
scanner and LEDs 3/10/2019
Wood working in FYLIC for
3 3 3 0 9
Prototype 3/10/2019
Descriptions of Beta Testing
0 1 0 0 1
Plan and Wire Diagram 3/12/2019
Budget Fixes 3/12/2019 0 0.5 0 0 0.5
4
Changes from Milestone 3
1 0 1 0 2
Writing 3/13/2019
Gantt Chart 3/13/2019 0 0 0 2 2

Finalizing GUI 3/13/2019 0 0 0 0.5 0.5

Arduino Code 3/13/2019 1.5 0 0 0 1.5

AutoCAD Laser Cut Post
0 0 2 0 2
Cards 3/13/2019
Designing, Laminating and
0 2 0 2 4
Cutting of Postcard/Notes 3/13/2019
Project Manager Tasks 3/13/2019 3 0 0 0 3

Milestone 4 Total 10.5 9 11 4.5 35

Solidworks Windmill 3/24/2019 0 3 0 0 3

Solidworks Smoke Stack 3/24/2019 0 0 4 0 4

Solidworks Solar Panel 3/25/2019 0 0 0 3 3

Solidworks Watermill 3/26/2019 4 0 0 0 4

Team Write Up 3/25/2019 0 2 0 0 2

5
Code/RFID Testing 3/25/2019 4 0 0 4 8

Poster Content 3/26/2019 0 2 0 0 2

Poster Compiling 3/26/2019 0 2 0 0 2

Report/Budget 3/26/2019 0 0 2 0 2

Woodworking 3/26/2019 2 2 2 2 8

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 Soldering/Wire Setup 3/26/2019 1.5 0 0 0 1.5

Gantt Chart 3/26/2019 0 0 0 1 1

Milestone 5 Total 11.5 11 8 10 40.5

GUI workshop 3/29/2019 0 0 0 3 3

Painting Base of Project 4/1/2019 1 1.5 1.5 0 4

Milestone 6 Report 4/1/2019 0 2.5 1 0 3.5

Code 4/1/2019 10 0 0 3 13

Poster board 4/1/2019 0 0 0 1 1

Painting 3D Printed Models 4/2/2019 0 2 2 0 4

Filing 3D Model Bases 4/2/2019 0 0.5 0.5 0 1

6
Appendix to Final Report 4/2/2019 0 0 3 0 3
Individual Sections of Final
2 3.5 3 4 12.5
Report 4/2/2019
Re-attaching Hinges 4/2/2019 0 0 0 1 1

Editing Book Images 4/2/2019 0 0 0 0.5 0.5

Final Gantt Chart 4/2/2019 0 0 0 1 1

Individual Hours Chart 4/2/2019 0 0 1 0 1

Poster Revision and Printing 4/3/2019 1.5 0 2 0 3.5

Milestone 6 Total 14.5 10 14 13.5 52

Reformatting Individual Hours
0 3 0 0 3
Chart 4/11/2019
Reformatting Postcards and
0 2 0 0 2
Gluing 4/10/2019
7 Individual Section of Report 4/16/2019 9 9 9 9 36

Team Letter 4/18/2019 0 1 0 0 1

Formatting Final Report 4/18/2019 0 0 5 0 5

Editing Final Report 4/18/2019 1 1 1 1 4

Milestone 7 Total 10 16 15 10 51

Final Total 68.5 72 71 57.5 269

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