Ohio Energy Project Elementary STEM Design Challenge

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Project Overview

Each group is required to create their own turbine from scratch, using any materials they have available. The turbines will be powered by a fan, and each group must stand the same distance from the fan and use it at the same setting to ensure consistency. Students will have the opportunity to conduct multiple trials and make redesigns to improve their turbines. It is essential to document the final weight of pennies lifted by each turbine to evaluate their performance.

Student Award

1. Engineering Award- For the best Re-design 2. Master Architect- For the best blade design 3. Innovation Award- For the most innovative design. 4. Heavy Lift Award - For the design with the most pennies lifted.

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    Design Process and Reporting

    Accepted file types: pdf, txt, doc, docx, Max. file size: 50 MB.
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    Turbine Performance Fields

    Need help? See common fans (on the highest setting) and corresponding wind velocities on this cheat sheet.
    Need help? Check out this calculation guide. The typical range for this value is 1000 cm2 - 8000 cm2.
    This value must be a whole number. Do not use decimals or spaces. Need help? Check out this guide.
    Need help calculating voltage? Check out this guide.
    Wind Load Chart
    Load
    Qty
    Notes
     

    Solar Home General Information

    1 image of the surrounding environment
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      Solar Home Narrative

      The Solar Home and all accessories must fit within a 2’ width, 2’ length, 1’ height space.
      Describe in two sentences or less what the solar home is (that could be its name, materials, shape, general purpose) what inhabits it, the environment it’s in, and its general purpose.

      For example: The LoneStar Space Garden provides astronauts in space an Earth-like sanctuary and food garden with plants, waterfalls, insects, and animals, all made possible by solar power.
      Set the stage by briefly describing the environment and why the selected environment was a good place for the solar home. Introduce the inhabitants and their wants and needs. Talk about the solar powered features and how those features address the wants and needs of the inhabitants.
      1 image of the surrounding environment
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        1 image that shows the inhabitants
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          1-3 images that zoom in on the solar powered features.
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            Tell the origin story of the design idea by explaining why the team used certain materials and technologies. How does the team think the solar home they created is inspired by real world problems? Explain why the team shaped, designed, and organized the solar home in response to its environmental factors. Describe how the needs, health, entertainment, and comfort of the inhabitants were considered.
            1-3 images that highlight the solar home design
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              Explain how the team considered the social and cultural connections of the inhabitants when making the solar home. Describe how the solar home is “green,” and how it has a low impact on its environment.
              1-3 images that focus on how the solar home is “green,” optional photo of how the design considers social and cultural connections.
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                Team members describe their roles and how they worked within the team. Each team member lists some part of the process, design, or build of the solar home that they really enjoyed doing.

                Additional Files

                In the solar panel schematic, include each solar powered circuit's configuration (parallel/series), and a label to what the terminals connect to. Label each panel's rated voltage and current, the length, width, and area of each solar panel, and each configurations voltage/current/wattage total. This Schematic is different from the wiring diagram because it only includes the solar panel arrangement, not the rest of the circuit. For example, if the team has up to three circuits that are powered by solar, they will need to provide three solar panel schematics.
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                Max. file size: 10 MB, Max. files: 10.
                  Each circuit requires a separate wiring diagram. Teams must provide a wiring diagram for no more than three circuits. Each wiring diagram must include a symbols key. The wiring diagram should have the symbols labeled for all the electrical parts of a circuit, and every emergency switch clearly labeled as such in the diagram. If using power storage, teams will label how the solar panels are charging the power storage and how the storage is powering the loads on the device. Solar Home Elementary 4th-5th Division can create a hand drawn wiring diagram. For Solar Home 6th-8th and Solar Smart Home 9th-12th a printout is required and using a wiring diagram application is optional. If the wiring diagram is complicated, there is no need to fit it into a 8.5” x 11” paper size. The team can expand their diagram onto other pages as long as the continuation is clearly labeled.
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                    Documentation is important, please provide where your code was sourced from and describe how each resource was used. You do not need to include the code.
                    Materials Used
                    Material
                    How was the material used in the build?
                    Is the material recycled, found, or purchased?
                    If purchased, how much did it cost? If free, put a zero
                     
                    Project Submissions
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                    The Leafs

                    Wright Brothers · Bradley Bertke
                    Key Metrics
                    Weight Lifted
                    G
                    Material Costs
                    summing...

                    Project Overview

                    We made as many blades are we could fit into the fan and still allow the air to move through. We also tried to twist the blades so they were at the perfect angle. Then we tested multiple times and we kept adding and adjusting.

                    Project Images
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                    Material Table

                    Material
                    How many?
                    Cost each ($)
                    Total cost ($)