Moving with the Future: Creating an Agricultural STEM experienceRUTH COVAL, JACOB FRITZ, JUMAN FARIZ, EMILY KAERCHER, CHRISTIAN LOZADA

Engineering Design 100, Section 008

Table of Contents 1. Opportunity

2. The Team

3. Stakeholders

4. Specifications

5. Satisfying the Standards

6. Goals

7. Objective Tree

8. Brainstorming

9. Producing Results

10. Final Product

11. Conclusion

12. Questions

The Opportunity at Hand

To create a business that is agriculturally-based in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) disciplines through a virtual world to motivate and educate students

Systems Diagram

Who are the stakeholders in this business?

Educational professionals◦ Feedback received

Parents and students◦ No feedback received

◦ Future plans

Computer programmers, software designers

Dr. Colledge

Pennsylvania State Standards

Standard: 3.1.6A2◦ Describe how energy derived from the sun is used by plants

to produce sugars (photosynthesis) and is transferred within a food chain from producers (plants) to consumer to decomposers

Standard: S8.B.3.1.2 ◦ Identify major biomes and describe abiotic and biotic

components (e.g., abiotic: different soil types, air, water sunlight; biotic: soil microbes, decomposers).

Matching up the Standards with our Goals

Goals:◦ Affordable and marketable◦ durable◦ Safe◦ open-minded learning environment with respect to the agricultural disciplines ◦ Engaging◦ Modular◦ Achieves the Pennsylvania educational standards put forth

Pairwise matrix

Weighted Objective Tree

Brainstorming• Standard 3.1.6A2• Flower petals food coloring experiment• Grow plants with varying factors• Sunlight• Soil• Water• Temperature

• Growing different plants in the various biomes

Brainstorming • Standard: S8.B.3.1.2

• Biomes • Rotating pyramid of different biomes• Different plants, watering game• Highlight different aspects of each biome that the user would click on

and a description would come up on the screen• Zoom in on specific aspects of each biome to learn about each aspect

in relation to survival• Survival game- you personally surviving in each biome making

decisions about what to eat, clothing, activities, and answering questions on the various factors of the biome

Concept Screening Matrix

Concept Scoring Matrix

Pairwise Comparison

Final Product 3-Level Virtual Experience• Level One• The user would enter the green house and be taken by the host to the

plants• The user would then be able to explore and experiment with 7 plants from

the 7 different biomes • Level Two• Assessment of the information learned in Level One• Failure to score a 4/5 on this quiz would result in having to go back to Level

One• Level Three• Survival Game in a biome

Entering the Virtual World

Assessing Knowledge Level 2 Assessment

1. What is the importance of photosynthesis for plants?

2. What factors affected the growth of the plants in the green house?

3. Name 5 out of the 7 main biomes of the world.

4. What is the difference between abiotic and biotic factors in each biome?

“Playing the Game”

ConclusionIn conclusion our business has designed and is working toward creating a method of educating students in the agricultural aspects of the STEM disciplines through a virtual experience that satisfies our objectives, goals, and the Pennsylvania state standards.

This system not only teaches kids values of agriculture in the STEM discipline but in an engaging and enjoyable way through the three level process. Because our system is modular, our team will be looking toward making improvements and further developing the program.

Gantt Chart

Questions