Finally Pau!!

    We are finally done with our project for Physics!!! I think we did a wonderful job and made a difference at Kamehameha with this project. So this blog was made to finally wrap it up.
   This project went very well. We did not encounter a time when we had serious trouble with our project. We keep within our budget, we did everything on time, and we worked together as a group. Things that did not go as planned is that we kept adding on more solutions to our problem. Our original idea was not good enough by itself so we had to add on posters to draw more awareness to what we were trying to accomplish. Another problem we encountered was the school schedule. I think the inconsistency of the schedule during this fourth quarter had affected the outcome of our project. I think if we had a consistent schedule then our data could be more accurate.
   I learned many a things from this project. The first thing I learned was how much food we waste at Kamehameha. Another thing I learned was that trying to prevent food from being wasted made me more conscious about the people around me and how much they take. This project also showed me that physics is everywhere and in everything we do. The last and most important lesson I learned was to be able to work with others, others who I did not know very well. In the end we got to know each other much better.
   One thing that I would do to make this activity better is to encourage students to pick "failed" projects and to improve them. I think that this project brings out many ideas in students, and some ideas won't work within the given time frame. For example, Jenai, Tati, and Ian's idea of a senior lounge is great, but they were not able to get it done within the time frame. I think getting students to pick up and continue these ideas will really help to improve the school.
  Throughout most of the project I was not thinking about science. Although we were working with physics everyday, I did not realize how much physics things we were actually doing. For example, being in the spc and creating posters is all physics related things. Not only is creating the posters have to do with physics but hanging it also deals with physics. I think one thing we could have done better with our powerpoint is talk more about the physics, if we were allotted more time.
     This project was lots of fun, it expanded my circle of friends, and it also showed me the connection to physics in everyday problems. Now, all that is left to do is the Peer Evaluations, it should be easy to fill out because I had an awesome group that was always focused, when I wasn't.

Project Reflection

Overall, I thought that this quarter’s project was an interesting experience and I preferred it to the course’s more traditional curriculum. Although I normally prefer individual work to group work, I did not mind working with my group since the parts that they contributed to the project were quite helpful. When we implemented the carousel poster, we received some positive comments about it. Another aspect that I appreciate is the fact that we conducted our presentation competently and within the accepted time limits. However, our numerical results of the project do not fully indicate the true effectiveness of what we did. Our project involved many changes before we reached a more satisfactory solution, so I wish that we collected more information about our better improvements. I also wish that we had actual pictures of our display signs instead of just the draft that we featured on the presentation. Before this quarter, I knew about ‘Akahi’s food waste but I did not discover the horridness of the situation until this project brought the issue directly to me. In order to make this project better I think that some of the criteria could have been clearer, such as the grade for the working prototype. I did not think of this project as being a physics assignment in the traditional sense. Although anything could pertain to the scientific method, this project’s connections to it are not as obvious as regular lessons. 

Final blog

So here, viewers, is my final blog. Both for this project, and for physics class in general. As you know, we had the project presentation last week friday, which ended up finishing closer to 9pm. It was interesting to see all of the different projects/ bugs that other groups of students were trying to fix on campus. Some of them implemented things that I didn't even notice, but now that I know, I think they were very good ideas.
Some of these included the bag hooks that are now conveniently placed near the bathroom stalls, and the bag hooks that are located on some of the chairs in Akahi Dining Hall.

ANYWAYS, my overall thoughts on the project are that it's a great project. It's better than having an actual exam about physics because we're actually applying what we learned (in some cases, not in all projects) and we get to try to do good deeds and make lasting differences on campus.
I really liked getting to work with Amber, Allie, and Kalamaku. I think we made a FANTASTIC group and we were able to get along very easily and bring multiple perspectives and talents to help with our project. Because of this, we were able to coordinate and plan effectively.

Perhaps the only thing that did not go as planned was that we didn't get as big of a response to our food waste attack as we hoped for. Yes, there was some waste reduction, but I was hoping for a significant difference.

I don't think that there's very much that needs to be changed for this activity in the future. I think it's a great idea!!!
Honestly, I don't think i was doing science AT ALL for this project. Well, I mean, of course there were sciencey things if I really dug down and searched for it. I could talk about the friction of the tape needed to keep the poster on the wall, but other than that, my intentions moved more towards trying to reduce food waste rather than reduce food waste VIA science.

I DIDN'T REALLY HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT TO POST FOR A PICTURE, AND THIS MADE ME LAUGH JUST NOW SO I HOPE YOU LAUGH TOO. 

Pau Hanz

Group 4 <3 <3 <3

My overall thoughts of this project is that I appreciated that it was a very real life situation. The group setting, collaboration, communication and presentation were all a part of what each of us may and will most likely do in the future with our education and careers. I enjoyed working with a hard working, well spoken and motivated group. Things that went well with this project is that each of our group members were very hard workers and we all got a long. Everyone was open to sharing their ideas and executing them. We did not have many things go unplanned, however, after our initial experiment, we did add parts to make it better. When our first solution didn't seem to be working, we implemented more ideas that would help in making our project a success. What I learned from this project is that solving real life problems are actually fun and it's a good feeling to see when a difference is actually being made. I also learned that the make up of a group can make the process really smooth or the opposite. I wouldn't change anything in this activity. I did think I was doing science, but it did not seem like as much science as the other physics classes. But, I am sure that I enjoyed doing this project way more than I would've a traditional 4th quarter.

Final Paper

 This weekend was a much needed weekend because we are reaching the end of the school year! And one of the last things we need to do before we are done is the final paper for our project. All of us have been working hard on this project for this last month or so; and I for one am ready for it to be done. Luckily there isn't much to add to the paper because we have been keeping up with it throughout the project. All we really have to do is review and edit it so we don't make any grammar or spelling mistakes. 

  Here is a preview of the cover page of our paper.

Thumbs Up All Around

This picture is of everyone on their way out after the completion of everyone's presentations. Not that I didn't expect everyone to do well, but I was really happily surprised that so many groups did REALLY well. Many groups took their projects over the top by using skits and recorded video productions to relay their ideas. We are all proud of each other as group members, but also of our peers in other groups. It was really impressive to see the processes that each group went through in order to obtain their ultimate goals. Many groups had small successes but those will definitely lead to bigger and better plans in the future, thanks to their planning. It is exciting to see how far some of these projects may go, and it is obvious that some projects will do much good for the future of Kamehameha Schools, which was the goal and intention of this project.

Presentation Eve

Today is the last day before our presentations. During class today we analyzed the data we received and worked on the powerpoint presentation. The Akahi Food Services Staff has been awesome in helping us with our project. Yesterday they sent us the data we need to make comparisons of the amount of food wasted. We compared the amount of food wasted while our project was implemented to food items that have been used before. For example, we compared the amount of chili wasted while our project was implemented, to the previous times that chili was served. After we had created our own charts from the data we received, we added it to our powerpoint. The powerpoint is almost done, it needs a little bit more refining and we will be set. All we have left to do now is do our presentation tomorrow!
     Here is a photo of a calendar we made today to show when our project was implemented and what meals were being served on this day. (Click it to enlarge)