A group of Durango High School students traded their fluorescent-lit classrooms for the soft, filtered sunlight radiating through a grow dome on Tuesday.
Students in Durango High School’s Applied Engineering and AP Computer Science classes were challenged to design automated moisture and temperature control systems for the grow dome: a recent addition to the SOIL Outdoor Learning Lab at Riverview Elementary School in northeast Durango.
The SOIL lab is a community resource and educational space that provides students of all grade levels with hands-on learning opportunities.
Durango School District SOIL Lab Specialist Charlie Love said the addition of the grow dome greenhouse is a way to extend the garden activities and field trips through the entire school year.
On Tuesday, high school teachers Jordan Englehart and Peter Fogg took their students to see the space and receive instructions from Love.
Love will serve as the “client” for the design project, and he outlined the real-world needs within the lab’s grow dome – such as automated watering and temperature control – that the students need to create.
Henry Broeren, irrigation specialist and owner of Soylent Greens Produce, answered questions about ventilation efficiency and the moisture requirements of soil.
“Please make my life easier,” Love laughed before sending students off to examine the watering and ventilation mechanisms independently.
The engineering and computer science classes will work in groups of three: two engineers with one computer scientist.
It’s a good way to bring the two skill sets together to tackle more advanced problems, said Fogg, the AP computer science teacher.
Drawing from the observations and data collected at the grow dome on Tuesday, groups will spend the next four weeks designing systems that address the dome’s challenges.
At the end of the unit, students will present their finished products to Love and the most effective solutions will be implemented in the SOIL lab.
Following Love’s instructions, students began taking measurements and sketching designs.
Ayzee Brandt, a computer science student, said he planned on developing an app that would unify the control of airflow and sprinkler systems.
Other students were focused on tackling the physical mechanics of the ventilation systems.
Several engineering students said they were thinking about using beeswax hinges to control the dome’s airflow. They said rising temperatures induces a change in the composition of the wax that can be used to open the vents automatically.
“It’s really neat, looking around and seeing each group thinking and drawing and going down different paths,” Love said. “I love that no one’s approaching this the same way, they’re all putting their own ideas and personality into it.”
jbowman@durangoherald.com
