Winter 2008 Continuation ReportTIES: Middle School Environmental Education

Team Members:

Slade AlexanderKevin CampbellCesar FloresTim ManestitayaPamela MatsuokaFabiola MunozKyung ‘Richard’ ParkJaclyn RapadasBrandon ReynanteMaribel RochaVincent VarelaMariel WongAram Yoo

Advisors:

Dr. Mandy BrattonDirector, Teams In Engineering Service

Dr. Jan KleisslAssistant Professor, MAE Department

1. Introduction

Studies have shown that girls begin to lose interest in the fields of science and mathematics during their middle school years (6th-8th grade) in part due to educational methods and material that are targeted towards boys. The goal of our team is to promote science and engineering interest in middle school girls through engaging interactive educational techniques focused on environmental issues, such as the recent San Diego wildfires. For this purpose, a low-cost particulate matter (PM) sensor was designed, constructed and tested in order to provide a basis for the establishment of a particulate matter sensor network throughout San Diego County, thereby allowing middle school girls to monitor local air quality. A curriculum based on this PM sensor is currently being developed. Moreover, lesson plans focused on hand-held sensors with multi-parameter measuring capabilities are being implemented in local classrooms.

An interactive website is being developed that utilizes a novel data mapping tool to provide students with access to environmental measurements by other students across the county, such as PM and water quality data. The website also contains a database of lesson plans developed by the team for teacher use, student-to-student forums and teacher-to-teacher forums, and it will allow students to receive mentoring support from the TIES team. Additionally, technical and educational support is offered to teachers implementing the hand-held sensor curriculum in their classrooms. The team is also peripherally involved in the development of a collaborative role-playing game about environmental awareness in conjunction with the San Diego Supercomputer Center.

2. Project Timeline

Winter 2008 Gantt Chart

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Create New Sensor Enclosure

Create Enclosure For External Equipment

Mount Sensor on Preuss

PM Sensor Field Testing

Get Interactive Website Operational

Develop PM Sensor Curriculum

Perform Outreach Activities

Classroom Visits

Week

Figure 1: Team Gantt chart

3. Particulate Matter Sensor

The Middle School Environmental Education team has been trying to mount a particulate matter sensing system on middle schools. An indoor PM sensor was purchased from APC Netbotz, and modifications are being done to allow the sensor to be used in outdoor conditions. Below is a diagram that shows how the sensor works.

Figure 2: PM sensor diagram

This sensor is the Shinyei Corporation’s PPD20V particulate matter sensor, which is internal to the Netbotz system. As particulate matter (1 micron or larger in size) enters the sensor, an updraft causes the particles to move into the light path of the LED. The particles reflect some light towards the focusing lens on the left of the sensor. A light receptor receives the light and outputs a voltage drop proportional to the amount of light received. In this way, particle concentration is correlated to reflected light.

3.1 Mounting on the Preuss School

One of our team’s goals this quarter was to have the sensor mounted at Preuss School. The particulate matter sensor system consists of many components including a fan for produce in/out airflow, Netbotz PM sensor box, Netbotz 320E for data acquisition, and an extensive wireless network system for efficient data transference. The fan and Netbotz PM sensor box are located within an acrylic enclosure and are specifically designed for long term measurement purposes. The Netbotz 320E data rack connects to a Linksys Gateway router and an operating system (laptop) via CAT5 cable. Data acquisition is generated by connecting the Netboz 320E data rack directly onto Netbotz PM sensor with a PS2 cable. In order to access the laptop, a high gain antenna is attached to the Gateway router via a 30ft extension cable and pointed in the direction of EBU II.

On the roof of Preuss Elemtnary, two enclosures are designed for long term sustainability of electronic components. One enclosure protects the data rack, PC laptop, and Linksys Gateway router. This enclosure is kept underneath the ventilation system on the roof to shield it from adverse weather conditions such as rain and prolonged exposure

to heat. The second enclosure is solely used to sustain the PM sensor and allow measurement of the particulate matter that flows through the system. This enclosure is kept on a wall near the ventilation but away from the exhaust. See the setup instruction manual from 2007 for more details.

BUILDING F:

Note: Here is a diagram of the proposed layout of the Netbotz system. Red boxes indicate enclosures. Orange indicates the cement wall on the roof that the particle sensor sits atop. Blue indicates the ventilation system that provides cover for the steel enclosure housing the data rack, PC, and gateway. The green box indicates the electrical outlet that is on the side of the ventilation.

Figure 3: Preuss Roof Diagram

Enclosure with PS100 particulate sensor

Steel enclosure with data rack, gateway, and PC

Green line indicates path of power cables within conduit. Green box is power outlet.

Roof entrance

We came up with a list of items that are necessary in order to mount our sensor. These items included: conduit (1 ½” x 10’), conduit elbows (1 ½” at 90 degrees), pvc cement, pipe support (3’), cement bit (3/8”), conduit support (4”x4” x 8’), concrete screws (3/16” x 1 ¾ set of 8), bracket screws, support bracket (1 ½”), conduit bracket, enclosure mount, and wood (4” x 4”). We then went to Preuss School; got on top of the roof of F Building, Walton Center End and took measurements, which allowed us to get a precise count of the items that would be needed to mount the sensor. We then went to Home Depot and purchased these items.

Our main goal of getting the PM sensor prototype mounted on the Preuss School raised two main problems: how can the electronic equipment be stored on an exposed rooftop and how can the data be collected from the sensor.

3.2 New PM Sensor Enclosure

This quarter the team designed a new enclosure for the Netbotz particulate matter sensor and fan assembly. The enclosure has a completely rigid and sealed top case made from transparent acrylic and is sealed with clear epoxy. The bottom piece of the enclosure is the only piece that can be disassembled from the rest of the enclosure. A new design aspect that went into the design of the enclosure was the slotted bottom piece. It performs two functions, the first function is to keep animals and large bugs from crawling inside the enclosure, and the second function is to prevent a wind from creating a backflow through the enclosure by breaking up the flow across the opening to help maintain a laminar flow. Two bottom pieces have holes or slots for intake. Both bottoms also have holes for wires and connections to exit enclosure. Enclosure with slotted bottom is shown below.

Figure 4: Three-dimensional CAD image of PM Sensor Enclosure

Figure 5: CAD diagram of PM Sensor Enclosure

3.3 Preuss Particulate Sensor Circuit Protection and Heating Pad

For several quarters, the problem of condensation build up has been a concern of the MSEE team. Last quarter, a heating pad was purchased to help heat the air within the enclosure and prevent condensation development. Should excess condensation form on the sensor board, a short circuit could occur.

The heating pad purchased uses a maximum of 115VAC. Most common household electronics avoid the use of AC voltage and convert the voltage seen at the wall outlets to DC using AC-DC adapters.

Before placing a potential fire hazard on Preuss, the team decided to test for hazards when applying 110VAC to the heating pad. The experiment and testing is outlined below:

Two-dimensional CAD drawing and dimensions of the overall sensor enclosure. Inside the sensor enclosure includes a fan, Netbotz PS100 PM sensor box, and heating pad.

1. To determine whether inputting 110AC V into the heating pad would have any negative effects on the electronic components within the Netbotz Sensor Box, we conducted an experiment. The experiment required measuring the temperature of the anterior wall of the PS100 Netbotz sensor box with respect to time at a constant voltage input of 110 Volts in alternating current. The following represents the steady curve at which the temperature rises at an average rate of 1 1oC/min. As portrayed on the graph, the initial slope of the curve proves to be fairly horizontal for the first minute and slowly rises exponential with time. This serves to demonstrate the lag time at which heating pad is warming up.

Time vs. Temperature

23.0

24.0

25.0

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28.0

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0 30 60 90 120 150 180 210 240 270 300 330 360 390 420 450 480 510 540 570 600 630 660 690 720 750 780Time (sec)

Temperature (oC)

Figure 6: Time-Temperature Graph for Heating Pad

2. The heating pad mount has been designed for convenience where two of the screws can easily lock the mount in place with the original tapped holes on the Netbotz Sensor Box.

3. Programming using PBasic has been established. A few modifications must be made before we actually test the close-loop feedback system.

4. The enclosure for the handheld sensing OEM sensor board has been created using AutoCAD software and LaserCAMM machine.

5. Circuit diagram for the temperature/relative humidity regulating system has been designed and soon to be implemented. We are still working on getting the proper solid state relay needed to complete the circuitry:

Circuitry for Temperature/RH Regulator:

Figure 7: Temperature/Humidity Regulator Circuit Diagram

NetBotz Enclosure Material

While figuring out how we wanted to attach the heating pad to the enclosure, we realized that we need to know what kind of metal the NetBotz sensor enclosure is. There was no documentation that came with the sensor, so we had to call the company instead. We were able to get into contact with Michael Troha, a certified NetBotz Support Engineer, who was able to do some research and dig up some useful information about the material of the sensor enclosure. He basically found that the enclosure if made from a third party called EC Manufacturing and is fabricated using “20 Gauge Sheet metal.” He did warn that what we were doing would void any warranty that we had on the product so he urged against it. But if further information is needed, or for any reason the team needs to contact him, his contact information is:

Name: Michael TrohaEmail: Michael.Troha@APCC.com

BASIC Stamp

This quarter, the team looked into using Basic Stamp, a microcontroller produced by Parallax. The microcontroller will allow the team to have more control over the functions of both the overall system that will be housed at Preuss and the hand-held sensor that will be described later. Below is a table of different microcontrollers that can be purchased and used. They differ by voltage requirements, memory, speed, size, and price. Eventually the voltage outputs should pass from the PPD20V to Basic Stamp. Basic Stamp could possibly be programmed to interpret the voltage inputs and produce an output suitable for a digital display. If so desired, other components could be integrated into the hand-held system and controlled by the microcontroller.

After doing research on www.parallax.com information about the different types of BASIC stamp chips, boards, and kits was compiled (available in the Appendix). For our purposes we would want to get the kit, which comes with a BASIC stamp, a programming board, and everything you would need to get started with the programming. We need to purchase a BASIC stamp in order to control certain aspects within the sensor set-up, such as temperature and humidity. The BASIC stamp is pretty much a self-sustainable mini computer that we can program using PBASIC. We can use it to detect humidity and temperature within the enclosure and turn on and off fans and heat pads as needed. Ultimately, we ended up buying the Board of Education Development Kit (BoE Dev. Kit), which came with a BS2-IC BASIC Stamp and a Board of Education USB programming board.

3.4 External Equipment Enclosure

This quarter, in anticipation of mounting the sensor at the Preuss School, we learned that all the sensor’s associated equipment would have to be stored on the roof and be exposed to the elements. The PM sensor is useless without its associated equipment including the data rack, laptop, router, and power strip. These sensitive electronic devices must be kept free of any moisture and direct sunlight. To keep these electronic devices in good working order potentially around the clock, we needed a NEMA 3R rated enclosure. Because designing and fabricating such an enclosure needs to be exact, the process was deemed overly time consuming and the team then located an affordable enclosure that was suitable to our needs. The dimensions of the enclosure needed are 20” x 16” x 10”. This enclosure needed to be waterproof thus being safe for electrical equipment and at the same time aesthetically pleasing. This enclosure was found on-line and purchased from Graybar (www.graybar.com) for $242.50.

Figure 8: Graybar External Equipment Enclosure

3.5 PM Sensor Testing

To view data coming from the Netbotz particle sensor (which uses the Shinyei Corp. PPD20V sensor), the Netbotz320E data rack is used as a data acquisition tool. Using Netbotz Advanced View program, the data sampled by the data rack can be viewed. However, a history of sensor data is only presented graphically. To view the data in a spreadsheet format, another program was written in a previous quarter. Once Advanced View is loaded and it is sampling data, the custom program can be loaded (it exists in the Middle School Education folder on the desktop of the tablet PC). This program executes and outputs the data history in C: drive with the day’s date as the file name. See the Fall 2007 Continuation Report for instructions in the use of the entire Netbotz system and the custom program.

Figure 9: Image of Graphical Data from Advanced View

To see an example of tabulated particle sensor data taken from 3/12/08 see appendix C.

3.6 Wireless Network

The team’s vision is to have the data transmitted to a local access point on the UCSD campus. This requires a wireless network that would extend approximately 1 mile, from the Preuss School to the Jacobs School of Engineering on the main UCSD campus. Research on wireless solutions was performed and the following data gathered:

802.11 b/g “WiFi” Routers Cost: affordable, approximately $30-60 for the average router Range: approximately 300 ft, not very far at all Power: high-power consumption in comparison to ZigBee; low battery life Connection: coax cable (N jack) Pro: Readily available with wide-ranging options to fit our needs Con: the relatively weak signal needs to be amplified somehow

High-Gain Directional Antennae Would probably use two; one at the source and another at the Preuss site Range: top of range is accomplished with 2 antennae

o 9dBi gain: 1-1.5 miles ~$60 per unito 14dBi gain: 1.5-2 miles ~$70-200 per unit

Cost: approximately $40-200, potentially cheap Connection: many directly screw into consumer WiFi routers in place of stock

antenna (coax/N-jack); easy setup Power: Consumption is approximately 7 Watts; relatively high in comparison

with ZigBee Examples

o Hawking Tech HA09SDP - $60 2.4 GHz, high-gain 9dBi, Directional antenna Installs directly into WiFi router Needs Low Signal Loss outdoor antenna cable (coax using special

material), not included $30-70 extra, depending on length

o HD20679 - $60 2.4GHz, high-gain 9dBi, directional antenna Max. Power 4W Installs directly to WiFi router Need extra cable

o 14dBi gain antenna Greater range More expensive: $70-120 plus any low-loss cable

Build and design our own antennao It is plausibleo Would be very cheapo Requires a large time commitment, potentially 2-3 quarters

802.15.4 “ZigBee” Routers Cost: potentially very low cost

o However it is a new technology and not widely-available Range: approximately 1 mile, could meet our needs Power: 1mW to 60mW; long battery life Connections: Pin connector needs USB adapter; 2 total

o Need AC adapter for coordinator node and router; 2 total Pro: robust signal is highly resistant to interference and frequency-shifting

o Increases range of system node (e.g. router) Pro: slow, steady signal is good fit for sensor network (0.250Mbps) Pro: low-power requirement ~50mW when active and ~0.5mW in sleep mode

o Able to run on battery power for extended periods without maintenanceo Low failure rates; self-maintaining

Companies: Digi http://www.digi.com/products/wireless/point-multipoint/

o Pervasa http://www.pervasa.com/products.php was expensiveo Example for our use: XBee-PRO 802.15.4 (formerly Series 1) Starter Kit

$179 http://store.digi.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=621

o Otherwise may be able to purchase components a la carte to save money Con: would have to fabricate or purchase housing for any outdoor components

Results ZigBee is a good idea, but would be a larger time commitment

o Purchase data boards, modules, cables, outdoor housing ~$100-300o Mount at least two component outdoorso Learn to install new software

802.11 b/g is what we are usingo Team already acquainted with hardware and softwareo Need at least two high-gain antennae

Will be potentially more expensive depending on cables needed to be outdoors ~$150-300

Need to mount two antennae outdoors Overall, it is a close call as to which way to go The short-term solution (this quarter) would be to purchase the high-gain

antennaeo It will be slightly more expensive, but would be relatively easy to

install The long-term solution may be to use a ZigBee network

o It is cheapero Once the network is installed

The maintenance is minimal The power consumption is minimal The signal is strong and reliable

Researching the available options for wireless routers we found that a zigbee network would be a viable option for the future of the MSEE team because it has a strong and reliable signal that requires minimal maintenance and power. However, because we already have a 802.11b/g router in our sensor setup and that technology is widely available, we decided to continue using the 802.11b/g network, or a WiFi network. Although, these routers have a reliable signal, it is not strong enough to cover the distance we required. So, we decided to use high-gain antenna in order to boost our router’s signal. We found a 14dBi directional high-gain antenna that would easily be installed in place of the router’s existing antenna and drastically improve the signal range to approximately 1 mile. With this new equipment, the data collected on site at the Preuss School can be accessed remotely at the team’s convenience.

Figure 10: Image of Hawking Wireless Antennae

The Purchased Antennae System

To create a point-to-point wireless network between the Preuss School and campus, a pair of 14dBi high gain directional antennae were purchased from Hawking Technologies. Each antenna can transmit wireless signals up to a mile. Two 30-foot extension cables were purchased since the antenna cord was not sufficiently long enough. A wireless USB adapter with detachable antenna was also purchased.

The wireless network is envisioned to consist of a Preuss site and a location within a mile range (for example, EBU II).

The Preuss site would have a system consisting of the particle sensor, data rack, and wireless router. The antenna on the wireless router is detachable, and using the N-jack to SMA adapter as well as the 30-foot extension cable that accompanies the Hawking products, the high gain antenna can be connected to the router.

The UCSD site that is within a mile range of Preuss, would consist of a laptop with the USB wireless adapter. Like the wireless router, the adapter has an SMA removable antenna. Again, the other high gain antenna can be connected to the adapter using the 30-foot extension cable and the N-jack to SMA adapter. The antenna system costs roughly $400, but provides much needed convenience. It would be problematic if teams had to mount an antenna on a roof and gain access every other day.

It should also be noted that the antennae needs to be able to “see” the other antennae’s signal. The directional antennae propagate their waves in a general direction. As the wave propagates, it will expand, so there should be a sufficiently large reception area. However, when directing the antenna at Preuss to campus, caution must be taken to avoid buildings and objects that may obstruct the line of sight.

3.7 Handheld PM Sensor

This quarter, we discovered the actual vendor that produced the particle sensor used in the Netbotz PS100 particle sensor. Netbotz purchased the PPD20V from Shinyei Corporation and integrated it into their system. Since the team would like to have inexpensive particle sensors in the hands of students, direct purchases were made from Shinyei Corporation in order to begin designing a hand-held PM Sensor.

Shinyei OEM Sensor Information

This quarter we were able to contact Shinyei Corp. to discuss the purchase of an OEM PM Sensor chip. Shinyei Corporation’s contact information is listed below. See the appendix for documentation that was sent to us about the sensors. Ultimately we were able to purchase four PPD 20V particle sensor units (the same that is used in the NetBotz PS-100 sensor that we are currently using). Be careful to keep in mind that Shinyei Corp. is located in New York, so be sure to compensate for the time difference.

Contact Information:Name: Tony TokuyaEmail: tony.tokuya@scsa-shinyei.comPhone #: (212) 682-4610 ext. 14Fax #: (212) 286-8426Website: www.shinyei.com

If you want to look up information on the website, go to ww.shinyei.com and then click on “Particle Sensor Unit.” That should give you most of the information you will need.

Since the team desires to make science and engineering hands-on, the OEM sensor boards need to be integrated into a hand-held system. The sensor boards themselves provide output voltages through output pins, but a method of viewing data needs to be created.

3.8 Research on Alternative Sensors

The overall goal of our project is to get middle school students involved and excited about science and engineering. Thus, we are continually investigating new technology that can be developed for in class demonstrations and experiments. CO2 can be easily measured using a small Non-Dispersive Infrared sensor. This technology is widely available and fairly inexpensive. Once the appropriate OEM sensor is found it could be possible to design and fabricate a handheld sensor that will be sensor to CO2 levels of approximately 3000 ppm, which can differentiate between a resting human and an exercising human or an indoor or outdoor environment. CO2 can also measure, or indicate, the relative levels of car exhaust in the air.

CO2 Sensors

Technology: Non-Dispersive Infrared (NDIR) Outdoors: Vapor and dust don’t affect measurement Digital Control Systems http://www.dcs-inc.net/Percentco2.htm Edinburgh Instruments http://www.edinst.com/oemgassensors.htm Vaisala http://www.vaisala.com/instruments/products/carbondioxide

Table 1: CO2 Sensor ComparisonModel Range

(ppm) unless noted

Power (VDC)

Power Consumption

(mA)

Warm-Up Time (min)

Sampling Method Output Signal Processor Price

DCS Airsense M300M400

0-20% of Volume

8-20 125 < 5 Diffusion 0-1 VDC4-20 mA

32-bit

EI GasCheck 3000 15 0.9 W 5 Diffusion 0-5 VDC 4-20 mA

low cost

Vaisala Carbocap GMM220

0-2000, 3000

11-20 <2.5 W < 15 Probe 0-1 VDC4-20 mA

The best CO2 sensor to date is the DCS 300 model that is approx $200-250http://www.dcs-inc.net/Percentco2.htm

Figure 11: DCS 300 CO2 Sensor

The team also researched alternatives to our Netbotz PM sensor because it only detects particles in the range of 1 micron, and to ideally measure harmful PM we need the capability to measure particles down to 0.3 microns. A comparison of various Particulate Matter Sensors is given below:

Maker

PM detection

Range CostPower

ConsumptionNetBotz Particle Sensor PS100 1.0μm $240 Airnet 201, 301, 301 OPC, 501, 501 OPC, 310, 510, 510 OPC, 510XR, 510XR OPC

http://www.pmeasuring.com/particleCounter/air/pharmaceutical/airnet 0.2 - 5.0 μm

$6,550, $2,800, $3,325,

$3,125(max.10% discount) AC adaptor (24V)

Rnet 301, 501, 510(Particle Measuring Systems)

http://www.pmeasuring.com/particleCounter/air/sensor/Rnet 0.3 - 0.5 μm

$1,200, $1,200, $1,200(max.10%

discout) AC adaptor (24V)ZN-PD03(Omron) - This product is not registered in USA

http://www.ia.omron.com/product/family/1830/index_fea.html

0.3,0.5 or 1.0 μm

minimum $1,812

24 VDC ±10%, Ripple (p-p):

10% max(Cable Connection) - ZN-PDA11

KC-01,03(RION; MGN International)

http://www.mgnintl.com/products/products_rion.cfm 0.3 μm

alkaline, rechargeable or

AC adaptor (24V)Kanomax Model 3887 Airborne Particle Counter

http://www.particlecounters.org/kanomax/ 0.3 - 5.0 μm $1,875

alkaline, rechargeable or

AC adaptorKanomax Model 3886 GEO- alpha Particle Counter

http://www.particlecounters.org/kanomax/ 0.3 - 5.0 μm $299.95

alkaline, rechargeable or

AC adaptorRemote 2012,3012,5012 (TES Clean Air System)

http://www.tes-cleanairsystems.com/sensors.htm

0.2, 0.3, or 0.5 μm

maximum$1,650, $1,925,

$2,250 24 VDC FMS 31C

http://www.rr-elektronik.de/PDF_en/FMS-Englisch.pdf 0.3 - 10 μm N/A N/A

Table 2: Particulate Matter Comparison

4. TIES Website Management

The TIES program requires that each project manage a homepage hosted on TIES server. This website is geared towards a target audience consisting of other TIES groups and the general public, and it contains general information on our project as well as access to most of the documents generated during the quarter. The home page can be found at http://ties.ucsd.edu/projects/k-12/.

WinSCP

The program we use to upload and modify the TIES homepage is called WinSCP. This application helps you transfer documents and files on to websites by connecting onto the server. You can download it through the link http://winscp.net/eng/index.php. After installing it on your computer, a Login window pops up and the following information will be needed:

Host name: projects-jsoe.ucsd.eduUser name: k12adm00Password: 7EtheFrE

Below is a screenshot of the Login window:

Figure 12: Image of WinSCP log-in screen

The TIES files can be found by returning to the srv directory and then going to: www -> projects -> k12 -> current. Current is just a link to the real directory Sp06, where all the files are held.

Your address window should say /srv/www/projects/k-12/Sp06:

Figure 13: Image of WinSCP directory screen

5. Interactive Website

The creation of an interactive website is another aspect of our project. The web site will be hosted on the TIES server with the goal of providing access to the sensor network that will be established, as well as contain a database of lesson plans available to the participating teachers. In addition, there will be student-to-student forums and teacher-to-teacher forums where they can discuss anything from details of our project to general science information.

Jeff Sale (jsale@sdsc.edu) of the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) has already made a website that addresses all of our needs. The software used to maintain the website is called Moodle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moodle).

Data Mapping Tool

As part of the interactive website, Jeff Sale has created a Data Mapping tool. This tool allows users to add points of interest on a Yahoo! map, and then add data corresponding

to those areas. The team envisions a location on the map for each of the middle schools on which a PM sensor is mounted.

Figure 14: Image of Data Mapping Tool

Transferring the Website to the TIES Server

The website was previously on the San Diego Super Computer Center server. One of the main goals of the education sub-team was to transfer this website to the TIES server. The transfer was made using the WinSCP application.

This quarter we were able to accomplish the task of installing Moodle on the TIES ITEST website (http://ties.ucsd.edu/ITEST/index.html). The image below shows how the website looks as of now. Jeff Sale should be modifying this by next quarter to include all the necessary files and it will look more like the mapping tool.

Figure 15: TIES Interactive Website Screenshot6. Classroom Outreach

6.1 ITEST Teacher Support

A main component of the MSEE team is to provide support to teachers participating in the ITEST grant. This includes providing instruction on the use of Vernier (www.vernier.com) handheld sensors and visiting the teachers’ classrooms to assist in the implementation of lessons based on these sensors. The Vernier handheld units are able to accommodate many different detachable sensors. Available sensors include pH sensors, UV sensors, and temperature sensors.

Figure 16: Image of Vernier Datalogger

6.2 Lesson Plan Development

This quarter, the Education Team also worked together to develop lesson plans geared toward generating science and engineering interest in middle school students that

incorporate environmental learning with the use of the Particulate Matter Sensor and the Vernier handheld sensors.

We used one of these lesson plans (available in the Appendix) to teach students about air quality in different areas of the environment. This lesson was implemented at The Preuss School UCSD in the classroom of Ms. Season Mussey (smussey@ucsd.edu) with four different groups of students, and during the Enspire event, which is described under the Engineer’s Week Events section of this report. This also gave our team the chance to further interact directly with middle school students. We introduced them to the concept of particulate matter, and discussed it in terms of the work we were doing on the Middle School Environmental Education team, as well as in relation to the San Diego fires.  The students responded well to any prompting questions we included in the presentation, and they were very enthusiastic about participating in the lesson. The experiment that we had the students do involved them making their own handmade "particle sensors," which they hung up in several locations around the school. After a few days, their teacher would instruct them to collect all the sensors, and they could then analyze the data and observe the amounts and types of particles that accumulate in different parts of the environment. We received very positive feedback from Season Mussey, who expressed her interest in having our team come back and teach more lessons in the future. The students seemed to enjoy themselves, getting particularly excited about interacting with their classmates and members of the MSEE team, as well as being able to do part of the experiment outside.  Overall, our first round of classroom visits was a success.

Some other possible lesson plan ideas were found at the following links:

Where in my neighborhood is it most polluted? (http://www.terimore.com/072106/bp/17028/)What are the effects of acid rain on seed germination and plant life?(http://www.terimore.com/072106/bp/26433/)What is the pH (acidity) of many common substances?(http://www.terimore.com/072106/bp/17424/) These lessons have been reviewed by the team but have not been modified or tested.

7. Engineer’s Week Events

7.1 Enspire

During national Engineer’s week (February 18-22, 2008), the Triton Engineering Student Council arranged for approximately 400 middle school students from local San Diego schools Pershing Middle School and the Gompers charter school to attended the Enspire outreach event. The day’s events were numerous, beginning with a welcome speech by Dr. Jean Ferrante, Associate Dean of the UCSD Jacobs School of Engineering. This was followed by tours of campus research labs and other notable campus locations by UCSD student volunteers, as well as an engineering fair in which a few engineering organizations allowed students to perform engaging and interactive engineering

experiments. The middle school students then participated in a design competition in which they were given straws, tape, and paper clips with the goal of creating either the tallest, longest, or most creative structure. The students were divided into teams of 5, and a UCSD student volunteer mentored each team. Many UCSD faculty members served as judges, including Frieder Seible, Dean of the Jacobs School. The middle school students were on campus for a total of 4 hours. The MSEE team set up a table at the engineering fair where the students could use the handheld sensors and perform the air quality experiment. Team members also served as mentors to the visiting students during the design competition.

7.2 EUReKA

Eureka is the Engineering Undergraduate Research Conference and Assembly hosted annually by the Jacobs School of Engineering. The MSEE team created a poster to showcase our project as well as attempt to recruit new students to the TIES program. The poster is currently in the TIES storage room and will be used for future TIES program events.

8. Budget Analysis

9. Conclusion

The following are a few goals for next quarter:

Install and test wireless antennae network Integrate temperature/humidity sensor, heating pad, BASIC stamp, and protective

circuitry into PM sensor system Mount PM system on the Preuss School UCSD Design, fabricate, and test handheld PM sensor Continue classroom outreach (participating ITEST teachers have already

scheduled dates that they will implement the handheld sensor lessons)

Item PriceAir Quality Lesson Plan Materials $50.00Copies of Air Quality Lesson Plan $25.00Lesson Plans Purchased Online $20.85Graybar Outdoor Enclosure $283.56Antennae System $420.00Wires & Adapters for Antennae System $73.00Preuss Mounting Supplies $80.00Temperature/Humidity Sensor $29.95LCD Screen for Handheld Sensor (x2) $29.95BASIC Stamp Kit $99.95Shinyei PM Sensor $224.98Total $1337.24

Develop PM sensor curriculum (Season Mussey has agreed to assist with this) Test the Antarctica game and provide feedback to Steve Cutchin

(cutchin@sdsc.edu) at SDSC. Game is available at http://visservices.sdsc.edu/projects/gamegrid

Appendix A

Basic Stamp Comparison Chart

Column1 Price SizeProcessor

Speed Ram Size Voltage RequirementRev D/ Basic Stamp 1

Module $29.00 2.5"×1.5"× 0.5 4 MHz 16 Bytes 5-15 vdcBasic Stamp 2e Module $54.00 1.2"×0.6"× 0.4" 20 MHz 32 Bytes 5-12 vdc

Basic Stamp 2p24 Module $79.00 1.2"×0.6"× 0.4"

20 MHz Turbo 38 Bytes 5-12 vdc

Basic Stamp 2pe Module $75.00 1.2"×0.6"× 0.4" 8 MHz Turbo 38 Bytes 5-12 vdc

Javelin Stamp 1 Module $89.95 1.24"x0.60"x0.45"25 MHz Turbo

32768 Bytes 5- 24 vdc

Basic Stamp 2 Module $49.00 1.2"×0.6"× 0.4" 20 MHz 32 Bytes 5-15 vdcBasic Stamp 2sx Module $59.00 1.2"×0.6"× 0.4" 50 MHz 32 Bytes 5-12 vdc

Basic Stamp 2p40 Module $89.00 2.1"×0.6"× 0.4"

20 MHz Turbo 38 Bytes 5-12 vdc

Basic Stamp 2px Module $79.00 1.2"×0.6"× 0.4"32 MHz Turbo 38 Bytes 5-12 vdc

Programing KitBASIC Stamp Activity Kit

Board of Education Kit

Basic Stamp Discovery Kit Boe-Bot Robot Kit

Scope Most cost effective approach to exploring the BASIC Stamp microcontroller.  Not as flexible as

Best choice if you are using a

modular approach to advance in

the Stamps in Class series or

Very complete and flexible introduction to the BASIC Stamp 2 module; includes the

Best introduction to the world of robotics and the BASIC Stamp microcontroller. Very expandable

BS2-IC module on a Board of Education yet still very powerful.

if you don't require any components

or sensors.

entry point guide to our Stamps in Class series

platform. Alternative entry point to the Stamps in Class series.

Featured Hardware

HomeWork Board project platform (with surface mount BASIC Stamp 2); What's a Microcontroller Parts Kit

BASIC Stamp 2 module; Board of Education carrier board

BASIC Stamp 2 module; Board of Education carrier board; What's a Microcontroller Parts Kit

BASIC Stamp 2 module; Board of Education carrier board; Robotics parts kit

Recommended Power Supply 9 volt battery 9 VDC 300 ma 9 VDC 300 ma 4 AA batteries

Price $99.95 $99.95 $159.95 Parallax BASIC Stamp Specifications

For any further information about the modules, just go to www.parallax.com -> Store -> Microcontrollers-> BASIC Stamp. From there you can find all of the information abo9ut the different modules, boards, and kits.

TIES MSEE Winter 2008 Air Quality Lesson Plan

Introduction

What is engineering?Applying math and science to design, analyze, and construct things for practical purposes.

Describe TIES program and our team.

Background of Particulate Matter o What it is: Ask “Does anyone know what Particulate Matter is?”

PM is a mixture of tiny liquid or solid particles that float around in the air. PM is made of particles such as chemicals, dust, pollen, salt, and even animal

dander from your pets. PM comes from factories, dust storms, car exhaust, wood burning, the ocean,

etc.o How it affects us: Ask “How (or how much) do you guys think PM affects us?”

Small particles can enter into our lungs and affect our breathing (like asthma), while larger particles affect the visibility (how far we are able to see.)

Ask them “Does anyone know what a micron is?” Tell them “a micron is a unit of measure, just like inches or meters.” Tell them to look at their hair, or the hair of the person next to them. 10 microns is 1/7 the size of our human hair. PM this size or larger affects visibility because light from the sun reflects off of the larger particles and scatters the light. 2.5 microns is 1/28 the size of our human hair. Particulate

matter this size or smaller can affect our respiratory system (our breathing) because the smaller the particles are, the more easily they can enter into small places.Tell them to look at a ruler at the millimeters. Tell them “a millimeter is 1000 times the size of one micron.” What does this tell us? Even though PM is very small and you often cannot see it, it greatly affects how well we breathe and see.

o Relation to SD Fires: Ask “Did anyone experience the fires in October?” When the fire burned, a lot of wood and chemicals caught on fire, which

released chemicals and large particles (such as ash) into the air. Did you see the air outside in October? It was tough to see very far because of the large particles affecting visibility. Did you notice how people were told to stay indoors or wear a breathing mask? This was because the ash and chemical particles from the fires could harm your lungs.

Did you notice how much warmer it was than usual? This was not just because of the fire itself. It was also because the heat from the sun was absorbed in the dark ash in the air. (Light colored particles like droplets in clouds reflect light and cool, while dark colored particles like ash absorb light and warm).

o Relation to smoke detectors CO from fires is what causes smoke detectors to sound off, and our TIES team

has created a sensor which works similarly: (Show a diagram on the board) Our TIES sensor has a fan that blows air

through the enclosure. We have an LED light in the enclosure pointing away from a sensor. When large particles flow through, the particles reflect the light from the LED, and this reflected light hits the sensor. This information is collected as a particle count, and we can then measure the amount of particles in the air at a given time. We can also find the number concentration, which is #particles/volume.

Air Quality Experiment

Objective

In this experiment you will test the quality of air by measuring the number of air particles from different locations.

Introduction (Have students volunteer to read)

The air we breathe has a lot do with our health. As we breathe in fresh air, our lungs absorb oxygen from the air and pass it into our blood stream so it can be transported throughout our bodies. Oxygen is important for our whole body to have the energy it needs to survive.

It is important for all of us to have clean air to breath. People living in industrial areas are more likely to develop asthma. People who smoke are more likely to suffer from lung disease. You may have seen an example of the lungs from a smoker which are small, black and unhealthy looking. Years and years of breathing particles of tar and smoke can cause the lung tissue to develop cancer, and can even cause death.

Breathing clean air is important for keeping your lungs nice and healthy. Tiny particles of dust and soot in the air can enter your lungs when you breathe, and can block the movement of oxygen. Harmful particles can come from pollutants in the air like dust, smog, soot, smoke, and other chemicals. Because of the importance of clean air to our health, most cities keep track of air pollution by issuing smog warnings on days when there is a high level of air pollution.

How clean is the air where you live? What about around your school, where you play at the park, or where your parents go to work? Is the air at a park cleaner than air near a busy intersection? You can do a simple experiment with Vaseline to find out the answers to these questions.

Terms, Concepts and Questions

You should understand the following terms and concepts:

air quality smog particles lungs asthma

Materials and Equipment

Vaseline string black permanent marker poster board hole punch magnifying lens

Experimental Procedure

(Students form groups of 5 or 6 to perform the experiment)

1. Cut the poster board into square pieces approximately 3 inches long and 3 inches wide. You should make a total of 12 squares.

2. Using the hole punch, punch a hole in one corner of each square. 3. Tie a piece of string through the hole to make a loop for hanging the square up, on

a tree branch for example.

4. Make a data sheet to record where you place your squares, and what data you later will collect from them:

Location:                                                                                    

Square 1        

Square 2        

Square 3        

TOTAL        

Average        

5. Decide on your five locations. Good locations are: inside your classroom, by the bus stop, on the playground, etc.

6. Write the name of each location in your data table. 7. Using your black permanent marker, draw a 1-inch by 1-inch box in the center of

each square. 8. Write the name of the location on the bottom of each square.9. At each location, find a place to hang up three of your collection squares. You can

hang the squares from a tree branch, signpost, light post, or any other safe landmark.

10. Before you hang each square up, spread a thin layer of vaseline in the black box in the center of each square with your finger (or popsicle stick). Hang up the collection square.

11. Leave your collection squares for a couple days. 12. After you have waited, it is time to collect your data from the squares. 13. Revisit each location to retrieve your squares. Remove the squares one at a time. 14. Proceed to the next square and/or location until you have collected all of your

squares.15. Return to your classroom with your squares. Use your magnifying glass to count

the number of visible particles you see stuck in the Vaseline inside the boxed area. Write the number in your data table.

16. Now you are ready to make a graph of your data. Make a bar graph by writing a scale for the number of particles on the left side (y-axis) and then by drawing a bar up to the correct number of particles for each location. Remember to label each bar of your graph, or make a color key. (Show example)

17. Make a large graph of the average results for the entire classroom.18. Which sites had the most particulate matter in the air? Is this what you expected?

What do you think this tells you about the relative air quality at each location?

Air Quality Experiment

Team Name:Team Members:

Date:Hypothesis:

Mounting Locations

  Location Amount

     

     

     

     

     

     

Total    

Which sites had the most particulate matter in the air? Is this what you expected? What do you think this tells you about the relative air quality at each location?

Appendix C

Date and Time Particles/cubic inch3/12/08 12:19 413/12/08 12:19 423/12/08 12:19 433/12/08 12:19 443/12/08 12:19 453/12/08 12:19 443/12/08 12:19 433/12/08 12:19 443/12/08 12:19 453/12/08 12:19 463/12/08 12:19 443/12/08 12:19 453/12/08 12:19 463/12/08 12:19 453/12/08 12:19 423/12/08 12:19 383/12/08 12:19 343/12/08 12:19 333/12/08 12:19 343/12/08 12:19 353/12/08 12:19 363/12/08 12:19 373/12/08 12:19 353/12/08 12:19 363/12/08 12:19 383/12/08 12:19 393/12/08 12:19 41

3/12/08 12:19 423/12/08 12:19 443/12/08 12:19 45

Note that the data logged does not show per second change. This may need to be addressed by future teams. The actual data itself can be viewed by accessing the C: of the laptop. The data files are shown as dated spreadsheet files.