Support Documents Below
Evelyn and Her Futuristic Greenhouse
Evelyn chose to make a greenhouse for her STEM Expo project. This was motivated by her passion for efficiency, sustainability and plants. Check out her video below and read the desciption of her project below.
"This prototype greenhouse is a miniature version of what would be a regular sized greenhouse. The self-watering contraption is designed to be easily recreatable and it will water the plant a measured amount on a timer. I used a gear with a servo and a standoff attached to kink the tube that is connected to the reservoir. When the tube is kinked no water comes out and when the standoff is rotated the water will flow into the plant." -Evelyn
"This prototype greenhouse is a miniature version of what would be a regular sized greenhouse. The self-watering contraption is designed to be easily recreatable and it will water the plant a measured amount on a timer. I used a gear with a servo and a standoff attached to kink the tube that is connected to the reservoir. When the tube is kinked no water comes out and when the standoff is rotated the water will flow into the plant." -Evelyn
Riley and
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Peyton's Carnival |
Peyton, being inspired by carnival games and her families passion for game night, created two unique projects. Check out her description below, then watch her video. Don't forget about her code off to the left.
"The hydraulic claw is a fun game for two people. Each person gets two syringes. The team has one minute to get two balls into the cup. The syringes are color coded so that way it is easier for the players to see which part of the claw they are moving. Two of the syringes move the body of the claw left to right and up to down. The other two syringes move the arm of the claw up and down and open and close the claw. The coded basketball hoop is a competitive game for one or more people to play. The basketball hoop is on a 20 second timer going left to right. The player gets 10 balls and has to shoot them from 10 feet back. Once the 20 seconds is up, the hoop will stop moving, then once the bump switch is pushed again it will start moving for another 20 seconds." -Peyton |
Parker's Motorized DeskParker has a strong interest in compuer engineering and because of this is a self labelled computer nerd. That often means long stretches of sitting at a desk. Fortunately, he found a way to make that a better experience. Read his project description below and checkout his project to the right.
"The desk will raise and lower at the press of a button. It will raise to a height that could be stood at and it will lower to a height that could be sat at." -Parker |
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William and His Dumbwaiter
William has a passion for history and noticed how frequently dumbwaiters were used in older buildings. Combining architecture with his love of history resulted in this project. Check out his video where he explains his project and read his description below.
"2 compartments made out of cardboard with a metal bottom going up and down in a tight rotation. Powered by a pulley system with a very strong string. A large back wall supports the pulley system going up and down. Can put something in the compartments that can go up and down." -William
"2 compartments made out of cardboard with a metal bottom going up and down in a tight rotation. Powered by a pulley system with a very strong string. A large back wall supports the pulley system going up and down. Can put something in the compartments that can go up and down." -William
Tylor's Simple GeneratorGenerators are becoming more common as power outages are increasingly discussed in the media. Tylor used this project to explore generators and electric motors in general. Read his description below, then checkout his video.
"Putting together a chain and sprocket system attached to a motor. Once spun, the motor powers the bread board with a series of LEDs. The power from the generator varies based on the speed of the chain and sprocket system. The highest voltage I was able to achieve was 9 volts." -Tylor |
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Matthew's 426 HemiWith a passion to build cars and trucks along with a desire to learn about engineering, Matthew decided to build an engine. Though some 3D printing skills were outsourced the project is certainly Matthew's creation. Make sure you read through his explanation before watching his video.
"I’m going to make a model 426 HEMI V8 engine that all of the basic parts like the lifters, cam and crank shaft, injectors, cylinders, pistons and serpentine belt are all included. A drill will be connected to the crankshaft and the drill speed will be regulated by the accelerator pedal. Pushing on the accelerator will make the engine move faster and letting off will make it go slower and off the accelerator completely will let the engine idle. To turn off the engine completely, you must turn off the drill." -Matthew |
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Isaac and the Pitching MachineSince he has played baseball for over a decade he has used countless machines to improve his swing a pitching machine was a natural first choice for this final project. Read his description below before watching his video explanation.
"A pitching machine uses a dial to set the desired speed of the pitch (motors spin faster or slower), the actual motors, a gearbox to increase flywheel speed, and a flywheel for the ball to fly from. " -Isaac |
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Hailey and the Modern BookshelfReading voraciously for years has resulted in a love of books and even the goal of owning a book store. Bringing that goal and this final project together resulted in a unique spin on a classic bookshelf. Checkout her description below, then watch her video explanation.
"Each book on the shelf will have a corresponding color with a bump switch. If someone were to choose a book, they would press the bump switch that corresponds with the color on the book. When the bump switch is pressed, a paper will pop up that will show information about the book that someone may want to know, the genre, difficulty level, ratings, etc. If they press the same button again, the paper will go back to how it was. If the button is not pressed a second time after 3 minutes, the paper will go back on its own. This bookshelf will be made out of vex pieces, and the papers that have the information will flip up using servo motors." -Hailey |
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Brody's GaragePracticality won out when Brody chose his final project. His skills in coding and building with VEX was pushed further in this real world problem of creating a typical garage door. Read his description below, then watch his video demonstrating the door in action.
"A cardboard garage with a balsa wood frame, working(bending) garage door, and detachable roof to make the garage easier to work on" -Brody |
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Casey's R.U.T.T.-Rocky & Uneven Terrain Transport
Moving fragile objects across uneven terrain can be difficult and Casey chose to create RUTT as his final project. Read his description of his vehicle below and make sure you checkout RUTT in action in the video.
"R.U.T.T. is a vehicle that covers rough and rocky terrain that isn’t suitable for some transportation vehicles. The vehicle uses treads to allow it to cross rough terrain. It is also made of VEX parts to allow for maximum durability during transport. The vehicle uses ultrasonic sensors to avoid terrain that is too rough for even it to cross. It also uses line followers to discern when the vehicle has reached its destination. With multiple axles to allow for better movement and reduced unwanted turns, R.U.T.T. is one of the best vehicles for transporting fragile objects." -Casey |
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Grant and the
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Jacob's Automated
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Caleb's AirplaneHoping to work for SpaceX or Blue Origin in the future inspired Caleb to create his own plane. Check out his description and his video.
"A single winged aircraft made from a frame of balsa wood and a cardboard/construction paper covering. The aircraft will utilize 2-3 propeller engines and a string that will connect the plane to the operator" -Caleb |
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