Today was a TOTAL blast.  We got to find our inner geek (or use our outer one) and engineer buoys. Buoys play an important role in monitoring the environment and providing data to find trends in ecosystems.

The instructors proved a great maker space of different sizes of PVC pipe and connectors along with swimming noodles.  Our goal was to create a buoy that would float upright and keep a frisbee still to prop up an Arduino board.  The Arduino board contained sensors to measure air temperature, ambient light, barometric pressure, and humidity.

Once we tested the buoy for buoyancy, we added the Arduino weather monitor.  Our “eBOB” or “Bobino” collected data every minute for 30 minutes.  Some groups kept their eBobs inside, while others placed theirs outside.

Then, we analyzed the data using the information stored on the enclosed SD card.  WOW!  Using Excel, we graphed the data and saw neat patterns:  a rise in temperature once the unit was placed outside, correlating with a rise in ambient light.

The gentlemen who provided the equipment, free of charge to us teachers, were part of the North Carolina School of Technology.  Taylor Brockman, Chief Technology Officer at Brain Power Software, helped two young men create the Arduino boards.  These young men, Benson and Maxwell, were polite, intelligent, and inspiring.  (I asked for the leader’s business card to seek out opportunities for my son.)

Jen, my partner in crime, and I had so much fun and were proud to be first to finish our sea turtle inspired buoy.  Peace out!

–Sarah