week 7

This week we worked very hard on our project. Our last version was not correctly sealed and was leading water escape. We also did not have a way to direct the water down. We completely replaced the plastic and made sure it was sealed correctly without any openings which air could pass through. We have started to test and have found that it is working better. Water is forming on top of the device and it seems like there is more of   it. Next week we have to present our project to the whole school. We have began work on a presentation that we will share.

We are working on a presentation to further explain our project. It started with many different powerpoints and prezis but Kendall made a prezi account that we can share and put all that we have done into it. We will use some of the photos that we have taken(some have been seen on this blog) and will take videos and show our plans that we took a few weeks back. so far its all looking great and will be an easy step in the project.

This upcoming week is our last week to finish the project. I feel that our group is not going to be super stressed this week, though we will be, but will still be working very hard. As long as our new revisions to the solar still work, our project is looking to be going perfectly. It's great to see a group of classmates come together for a cause. it's great to see all the projects and hard work being put into them. I'm sad that it's almost over but glad that it was fun.I will never forget this project.

Week 6

Last week we had wrapped up our project and were ready to test. We've started testing this week and have made a few adjustments. We have removed the flap and placed a whole sheet of plastic over the flap hole. We have placed it out in the sunlight and have marked off where the water level was before we tested so we know if it is working. Im afraid that we will find a hole somewhere and will have to replace the plastic. Our project hopefully will work and so now we are focused on the presentation.

Our presentation will explain what we chose to be our main problem to solve. We started brainstorming about what we would build and who/where we would help. We then researched solar stills and water problems in Africa. We made a blueprint of the solar still that we modified alot from our original design to our final project. We'll also explain the problems we had while designing it and how we solved them.

I am sad that the school year and the project are ending soon. We need to hurry and fix our project so that it works without any problem. Hopefully we have none and if we do they are fast and easy to solve. Our group is glad to test and excited to see the results. I hope that this works well enough that it could actually be used to help people, that I think is what is pushing us to get this done. I cannot wait to see the results.

Week 5

Last week we had figured out the way we would obtain the water easily after it evaporated. This week we were tasked with finding a way to put in the water without having to dissassemble it. We Had to find a way to support PVC pipe so that water can be put into to the heating resevoir. We found an easy solution! We cut an l shaped piece out of wood and put it in the corner. There was just enough room for the PVC to fit snugly. We also put the still on supports so that we could put a thing to catch the water.

Next week I hope to get out of I.S.S. so that I can help build again. We have come to the part where we have to cover and test our still. We really hope it works, we've worked really hard on it. It's almost done and we've been working at a good pace. If our project works we could help so many people that don't have access to clean water. It's crunch time but we have the spirit to get it done as fast and as good as we can.


Our project is looking good and hopefully will work. We are a dedicated group, willing and able to finish this project. We only have a few more challenges to solve. We have to find how to waterproof the seal of the plastic. We will also have to make sure it works so that the project is a success. I hope our project works!

Week 4

This week we had to make a few adjustments to our project. We first had to find the angle for both of the side rails. We also had to cut and waterproof our run off ramp. We still have a few things we need to work out though like how everything will fit and we definitely need to test it and hopefully we can do that soon. Our project is looking really good and i cant believe that we've come this far in only one week.

All of us are very glad that we're still in the group and not in ISS. I feel that we all have good ideas for the project and that we are excited of how it is turning out. We need to meet again and talk since our project has been changing and we probably need too make a new blueprint. I think we are a little confused since we started changing things especially since we put in the runoff ramp.

Our group is doing great and moving at a steady pace. We are trying our best to not waste time but i think we need to meet again to put our heads together. Hopefully we can talk as a group on Monday.

Week 3

This week we planned what materials we needed to start building. We received the supplies needed to build the frame. We need to measure the angle of which to cut the wood for the longer side of the wood which we will need to make sure is correct. I have thought of trying to make a way to adjust the angle to test if the angle changes how much water comes out but i don't think we have enough time to do so.  Next week we will need to start working on cutting holes for PVC and hopefully test to see if it works. Building so far doesn't seem like too big of a challenge but the angles and testing are what i think will be what is hard.

So far our group is doing great we are all hard workers and all have positive input for our project. We are all excited to see the results of this project and hope that it turns out successful. I think we have chosen a good project and that our group fits well for what we are doing. I think that we need to find out what kind of water we are going to use to test our project. I believe we have chosen some of the pond water but am not totally sure. I will have to bring this up on Monday. Overall I think we are satisfied with our results so far.

I'm glad we are finally of the computers. I like them but we used them too much and we have had what we needed, as far as research is concerned, for a while. Our group is excited to build and test as soon as we can!

2nd Week

Last week our group discovered solar stills, a cheap fast water filtration system that uses the sun to clean the water. This week we looked further into what we need to do and what our final goal is. We found an article explaining that this idea is not new, in fact one teenager made one called the Solarball. We have created our own design (above) that we are going to experiment with. We want to ensure that cost, quality, and portability are not a problem.

Cost is one thing that we need to figure out. If the product is cheap it is easier to make more of and the more people we could help. Some of the items needed are near free or recyclable, but some like wood and PVC are something we need to calculate. We also need to make sure that the quality is good so that nothing is harmed during transfer or while being used, this means finding the right balance of money and quality. Lastly we need to make sure that it is portable. They need to be light to move in to the suns light, along with being able to reduce shipping costs.

The questions we have we hope will be resolved by the end of our project. I hope that our product is a success and that we can find a cheap easy model that meets all of our standards.