A Very Wormy Vermicomposting Adventure

Research and field visits to the Museum of Science and Paul Revere Elementary School were conducted to understand the topics and items that appeal to a youth audience. Vermicomposting employed a familiar organism and promoted a community-engaging sustainability concept. 

Design a portable museum exhibit that educates students on the importance of sustainable engineering in a travel-friendly, cost-effective, safe, engaging, and widely accessible manner. The solution will focus on the process and environmental benefits of vermicomposting and aims to clearly and memorably educate users.

I designed the box structure in AutoCAD to be laser cut and the interactive components and final exhibit in SOLIDWORKS to be 3D-printed. Throughout this process, the dimensions of the sliders were adjusted to slide smoothly along the wooden box, and the button and worm holes were rearranged to promote a smooth and satisfying exhibit experience. 

To make the project autonomous and user driven, I designed the graphical user interface (GUI) in Adobe Illustrator and assembled the accompanying video in Canva. The GUI introduces the character of the game, an earthworm named Bio, who leads the user through the game. Beyond the video, graphical elements included the button and slider labels. Two versions of the GUI were created - in English and in Spanish. 

The exhibit sliders operated on five switch circuit systems - one circuit on each side of each slider. One circuit consisted of 100 Ω or 330 Ω resistor soldered to two pennies. Understanding that each slider had a correct and incorrect answer, the 100 Ω resistor corresponded to the correct answer and the 330 Ω resistor corresponded to the incorrect answer. When the circuit was closed, the response graphic projected on the screen. 

Throughout the project, my group prepared biweekly milestone reports to our peers. I delivered two of four milestone presentations. I collected peer and professor feedback to integrate into the exhibit development. 

This project was completed in a service-learning course where the class would travel to Paul Revere Elementary School to lead hands-on STEAM activities. At the conclusion of the club, the students were presented with the first iteration of the exhibit and their feedback was gathered in a Google Form. 

A $100 budget constraint was assigned to the project. To optimize the budget, supplies were sourced from recycling bins, the engineering center, and local hardware stores. The budget was closely monitored for the entirety of the project, and the budget was exceeded by $0.66. 

A First Year Engineering Expo showcased the final exhibit to the general public and the Paul Revere Elementary School students. I gathered final user feedback, photographed audience reactions, and compiled a video summarizing the exhibit's engineering design process. A final report documented each stage of the project.