Monday, November 10, 2014

The Summer Day


This is my faculty advisor (Jill)'s favorite poem. For me, it says everything we're after with The Upcycle: the Earth stuff, the higher education stuff...everything.


I hope you enjoy it.

The Summer Day

Mary Oliver

Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean-
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down-
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?

Monday, November 3, 2014

Zero to Hero

"Zero to Hero" is a favorite phrase among my friends who are entrepreneurs. But what does it mean?
It means that you start with nothing but an idea - a light bulb moment that illuminates a vision that you have for the world; that something that does not exist yet should exist.
You share your excitement about that idea with others, and if you're lucky, that excitement is infectious. You build support. Perhaps a little money comes in, and some willing hands to build a dream, and some incredibly creative people who take your idea far beyond anything you could have imagined.
And that is what is happening before my eyes, here on the UMBC campus. We have zero storage space or space in which to build (none that is heated or secure, anyway). We have occupied the overhang space on the south side of the Fine Arts building. The hundred or so bottles that we have collected, and the bin we were using, disappeared today. Back to zero.
But we have the support of the Breaking Ground initiative, and a quadricycle, and barrels for flotation, and more brilliant ideas. So we will show up this weekend to build, whether we have "permission" or bottles or not. We will claim our space.

Saturday, October 25, 2014

The Surrey has arrived

Thanks to the efforts of Kirby Kelbaugh, we purchased a used Surrey (also known as a quadricycle that   four people can pedal, but can carry at least six people). Kirby traveled to Ocean City to pick up the cycle at Dandy Don's bike rentals. Here he is on a test drive at UMBC a few minutes after we unloaded the Surrey from the truck:
Next step: we need at least four peddlers to get up the hill and test this machine on Hilltop circle!
On Monday the UMBC Baja Team will join us to talk about modifications and attaching flotation.
Other tasks - stripping off any unnecessary components, and learning how to change a flat tire on this thing.

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Visit to the Baltimore Bike Experience

   Mai and I traveled to downtown Baltimore today to visit the Baltimore Bike Experience (https://www.facebook.com/baltimorebikeexperience).
   The B'More Bike Experience occupies a large storage area in Digital Harbor High School (http://www.baltimorecityschools.org/416). I was struck by the number of bicycles and the well organized piles of bike parts that they had. MICA grad Andy Dahl (MFA 2014) co-directs the program with  the help of Nima Shahidi as co director/facilitator and three teachers from Digital Harbor. As Andy noted, "Nothing is wasted." They fix up bikes and sell them, or use the frames to build bike racks, or bring broken parts to scrap metal dealers. Students who have put in enough hours also receive a repaired bike for free. One of their students has been offered a job as a bike mechanic at the Race Pace bike shop a few block down Key Highway from the school. 
   Andy and Nima are inspiring to watch - Andy circles everyone up to summarize what they learned the previous week and what they plan to do this afternoon. Nima challenges everyone to a visual/mechanical puzzle. Pointing to a bicycle hanging from a bicycle repair stand, Nima asks the students, "This frame was donated to us after the owner claimed it was defective and was given a new one by the manufacturer. Can anyone see what is wrong with it?" After a few seconds, a student notes that the "drop out" is broken. Nima turns to the group: "Everybody understand what a drop out is? Right, that piece broke off - supposedly when the owner tried to place the bike in his car - but we can harvest a lot of good parts from the this frame and make it into a bike rack." Nima and Andy then list the number of tasks that need to be done, and they let students choose. Mai and I sort through a box of chains, gears, and cranks to see which can be salvaged and stored in the parts bins. If it hadn't been raining outside, we would have taken some of the bikes out for a ride. I will look forward to another visit when the weather is clear.

   The program operates from 3pm to 6pm every Wednesday. Andy noted that if he had more funding, he would expand the program to multiple afternoons. I would like to see this happen; when I was in graduate school in Dr. Gil Noam's course on after school programs (Harvard Graduate School of Education, 2002), it was estimated that only 10% of the expressed need for after school programming was being met. Funding and space are major obstacles. For more information on after school education, please visit the Program in Education, Afterschool and Resiliency (PEAR) at http://www.pearweb.org.



Monday, October 13, 2014

October reflections

1. What have I learned from the assigned readings and videos that we can include in our
design?

The content we’ve covered has raised a critical awareness of the impact we have individually and collectively on our Earth. I’m left in awe of our planet’s elasticity. The force of our world must be represented in our design, evoking a deeper appreciation for its majesty and central role in our survival. For me, that means the difference between simply using plastic water bottles as a representation for our waste, and allowing them to become a medium for a broader, more abstract message.

2. What have I learned from our site visits, photographs & videos that can inform our design?

Visiting the Baltimore Foundery was an experience that enlightened and inspired. In a practical sense, I learned the names of various tools and their applications: the difference between a drill press and a miter saw, for example. I also learned about the work that they’re engaged in, and how it relates back to my own interests. As always, the site visits have reminded me of the interconnectedness of all things. This relates back to our design in a more abstract way, when discussing the thematic elements and how to communicate a vision of sustainability that speaks to its interdisciplinary nature.

3. What have I learned from the kinetic sculpture web site and KSR blog that can inform our design?

The KSR website and others have grounded my thoughts in the practical realities of creating a sculpture that will make it through the race. Having our resident engineer visit the group was particularly insightful, and the axioms he spoke to, “the more wheels you have, the more points of contact you have with the ground, the more trouble you can run into”. That’s very the kind of common-sense driven engineering that pulls me back toward what can actually be executed.

4. What have I learned about the importance of building partnerships in our community?

The more we progress, the more I realize how many people we will need to be involved in order for us to be proud of what we put out. I’ve put much of my time into thinking about what groups to engage, from artists to engineers, in order to ensure our project’s success.

5. What have I learned about the design process (about developing a design in collaboration)

An Aristotelian quote comes to mind, “How many a dispute could have been deflated into a single paragraph if the disputants had dared to define their terms!" It’s not that there are any ‘arguments’ during our process, but rather that the best outcomes come from each participant engaging in a carefully edited thoughtfulness, so that questions and answers are understood as they were intended. Allowing for this process to flourish is something I think often about.



6. How can I draw from all of the above in order to “tell our story” (describe our project) to a wider audience?

I think the most appealing way to describe KSR and our class’s involvement is by allowing everyone to see their own interests in our process. Like anything that is truly interdisciplinary, it is our job to articulate the ways of knowing in a way that is inclusionary, and broad enough to inspire all. In terms of engaging folks, I think about it in similar terms of The Garden, allowing people to self-select based on their own inherent talents and passions, challenging our creativity to find the link back to our project. If we are able to do that, then I think we have succeeded.

7. How is our work interdisciplinary? Has there been any “transfer” of understanding from an
artistic perspective to an engineering perspective, for example?


There has been a clear shift through the semester in our process: individuals on either end of the spectrum have demonstrated more thoughtfulness toward considerations that may not have to do with their inherent interests, and in my opinion this has led to more productive work. 

Monday, October 6, 2014

Design Idea #4: Mountains of Plastic Trash and the Plastic Bottle Infographic

I know that is not an appealing name, but after watching a "Story of Stuff" episode about plastic water bottles at http://storyofstuff.org/movies/story-of-bottled-water/ we brainstormed a new design that has more to do with downcycling (plastic ending up in a landfill in a foreign country) than upcycling (finding new uses for plastic bottles).
Our design process progressed from reviewing the design parameters (the official race rules and the how to build section of the Baltimore Kinetic site) to a simpler but sturdier four wheel design. We briefly considered welding two tandem bicycles side by side, but Gabriel suggested that we modify and old four person pedal car called a "Surry."it looks something like this:
We discussed the Lorax again, and the need to build awareness about mindless consumption of bottled water as well as mindless disposal of plastic bottles. Two key images emerged from our design discussion: the mountains of plastic bottles in landfills, and the need for a bottle infographic depicting the amount of resources (including petroleum and water) used to manufacture and transport plastic water bottles. 
It is fascinating to listen to the artistic challenges of making "a mountain of plastic" into an aesthetic whole with symbolic value; how to create a large water bottle graphic on each side of the pedal car; and how to depict as a whole the lifecycle of the typical plastic water bottle. Where to put the information? Won't words and numbers get in the way of artistic images? How to mount the artwork to the chassis in a way that won't be dislodged when we splash into the Baltimore harbor? how will this thing float, anyway? Stay tuned for more…
Adventures of the Kinetic Sculpture Racing team!

Design Idea #3: Four Trikes and a Submarine

We were hoping to distribute the weight of the sculpture and four riders (a.k.a Pilots or "Kinetinauts") over twelve bicycle wheels on four adult size tricycles, then wrap a submarine hull made of up cycled  plastic bottles around it. The idea was - and still is - to raise awareness about the crisis of plastic garbage in our oceans, especially the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/encyclopedia/great-pacific-garbage-patch/?ar_a=1) as well as the amount of energy (and petroleum) that goes into the production of plastic water bottles. 

We discussed the Lorax as a champion of environmental protection, so we would include an actor dressed as the Lorax, reciting a slight variation on Dr. Seuss' story: 
"I am the Lorax, I speak for the seas;
which you seem to pollute as quick as you please."

It was all coming together rather nicely when our engineering consultant, Mike G. showed up to critique the design. It turns out that so many bicycle wheels fixed in position are very likely to "taco" - to warp or buckle - under the stresses of turning, load shifting, and uneven pavement.

Also, quick egress in the event of an accident (most likely in the harbor) is important, and difficult in a submarine. So our resilient team is working on… Design Idea #4.

Thursday, October 2, 2014

KSR Monthly Report - Gabi



1. What have I learned from the assigned readings and videos that we can include in our
design?
  • I’ve learned how much we throw away when we could really recycle it or more importatnly upcycle it. Through watching some of the videos I’ve been able to grasp how some of these KSR designs function in both land and sea.

2. What have I learned from our site visits, photographs & videos that can inform our design?
  • Going to the AVAM I got to see a few different design ideas. The one that stood out the most was the crocodile design. I thought it was interesting how they were able to constrain the trikes in a line while allowing them to swivel by turning the handlebars. I also thought the use of foam blocks on the side of each trike was a good flotation concept although I don’t think it would be able to displace the full weight.

3. What have I learned from the kinetic sculpture web site and KSR blog that can inform our design?
  • From the KSR website I’ve learned all the do’s and the do not’s of the race. I’ve also gotten a lot of ideas for floatation mechanism which I think is going to be the most challenging part of the design. From the blog I’ve gotten to know the strengths of our individual members.

4. What have I learned about the importance of building partnerships in our community?
  • Partnerships are essential to the development of a design. We wouldn’t have the design we have now without reaching out to the community and other individuals. We have a place to weld and person who’s going to get us bikes and many more opportunities and resources because of our outreach.

5. What have I learned about the design process (about developing a design in collaboration
with students with expertise in a variety of areas)? What has been meaningful? What has been challenging, and what are some ways in which we could meet the challenges?
  • I’ve learned that it is very difficult to convey a mechanical design concept to someone with a background in psychology and I’ve also learned it is like talking to a wall when an art major is talking to an engineer about how the materials colors are important to the design. In the end the range of thought processes are what make it such a well rounded design. The hard part is continuing down a path and not getting bogged down in the details.

6. How can I draw from all of the above in order to “tell our story” (describe our project) to a wider audience?
  • I’ve been slowly trying to pick up on how other members interact with the community so that I can better convey the story of our design.

7. How is our work interdisciplinary? Has there been any “transfer” of understanding from an
artistic perspective to an engineering perspective, for example?

  • Every class there is input from people of all different disciplines and that is what our design is based on. It’s not solly an engineer designing the frame or an artist making the sculpture. It all flows together and in that we see how interdisciplinary action is affecting this project.

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

KSR Monthly Report- Vijay Raju

1) I learned a lot from the readings and videos. From the materials that we went over in class I realized new ways to think of this project such as the environmental conscious and up-cycle approach to building the sculpture

2) The photos from the site visit gave me some insight into what has to go into the sculpture mechanically to make it run.

3) The kinetic sculpture website has tons of knowledge and info to make the sculpture the best it can possibly be. It has a section of do's and dont's in the build and race process.

4) Without community partnerships this project would be near impossible. It takes cooperation and determination to complete a project. Resources are also needed, which is why community partnerships are also important.

5) I think the main thing that I have learned about the design process is that the group has no shortage of creative ideas. The amount of creativity in this group is amazing! Different ideas are never put down, instead they are welcomed. Another meaningful part of the design process is the group members different backgrounds. We have artists, engineers, cyclists, and free thinkers. Overall this group is perfect for building a kinetic sculpture.

6) I think the representation of art and symbols is a good way to tell our story. The KSR recycling drive came out really nice and believe they will have a huge impact on the UMBC community.


Monday, September 29, 2014

Team Member Introduction: Jack Neumeier


I've always been too stubborn or impatient to follow the dreams and orders of others;I sucked so badly at following that I had to learn to lead.

My time at UMBC has been defined by that struggle: finding the way to bring all of the talents and passions of our campus together to create beauty, help others, and move.

The Garden began over a year ago. As originally conceived, through a community food garden we would bring together the disparate forces that define our University's unique nature of higher education: our diversity, our focus on undergraduate research, and our burgeoning emphasis on civic agency.

Today, with over 12,000 sq ft, The Garden is most obviously a physical space aimed at addressing food issues. It's also about "enabling people to discover how their special talents and passions could be blended with others' to build community and shape our world" as written by UMBC's David Hoffman.

This mission bears itself out in an incredibly broad assortment of projects, indelible embellishments for our campus, that are detailed here: http://my.umbc.edu/groups/thegarden/news/46683

All of this--all of it--comes to KSR with me.

I am here first as someone with a deep academic interest in Democracy and Higher Education. I am working to describe the qualities of applied learning experiences and justify them in relation to learning outcomes we traditionally expect. It is my belief that learning should always engage all manners of people and all ways of the mind--clearly KSR is an example of that ambition made real.

My goal is to link this work back to our University as an institution, and that institution to our Democracy--how are we ensuring the most vibrant democracy made up of the most participatory, engaged citizens?

Make them build shit.

Then race it.













Team Member Introduction: Andres Camacho


In my element


I like to think of myself as a story teller. Story, like my love of knee deep snow, has always been an important part of my life. Narrative defines how I make meaning of the world. I am a senior at UMBC and a member of the Interdisciplinary Studies department. Through my degree, titled "Entrepreneurship and Digital Communication",  I strive to develop my ability at using the power of story to create both digital and physical spaces that allow people to interact with seemingly abstract values (such as sustainability) in a way that is meaningful to their own life experiences.

What purpose will our kinetic sculpture serve?

As a member of this Kinetic Sculpture Race team I would like to create a digital narrative that answers the above question by shedding light on the issue of linear resource streams, the burden that plastic waste puts on the environment, and the opportunities for "up-cycling" resources such as plastic.  I like websites that make use of vertical movement to present information in a visual  and dynamic manner. Here is an example: http://lostworldsfairs.com/atlantis/. Will post soon with more details about the content and scope of the digital component of our sculpture project.

Sunday, September 28, 2014

Community partner visit: the Baltimore Foundery

Andres, Jack, Ryan and I helped out today at the Foundery cleanup. I helped to get an old Shop Vac working again, an we swept, vacuumed, and moved tables and equipment around.

Behind Jack and Andres is a laser cutter; the Superman symbol that Andres is holding and the wooden eyeglasses on Jack were both made in that machine.
 
This is Audrey Van de Castle, self described "welder blacksmith sculptor bad ass"  and instructor at B'More Foundery. If we have any hope of welding together a frame that won't come apart during the race down Key Highway, this is our Goddess.

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Design Idea #2: Plastic Bottle Boat

With about 1000 pounds of bikes and riders to float in the Baltimore Harbor, how many plastic bottles would it take? How will we integrate boat hull and bicycle frames? Let me know if you figure that out.

Great Moments in Recycling

We received our beautiful "KSR plastic bottle drive" posters yesterday from Commonvision. The design, mostly hand drawn by team member Mai Huynh, features an image of a plastic water bottle and the sketch of a city street around it. I set up a collection bin with the sign in front of it, and then returned a few hours later to see how many bottles we collected.
By 9:30 pm we had collected... one Starbucks coffee cup. Was this a subtle hint that we should construct the sculpture out of coffee cups instead? After all, Americans dispose of 25 billion coffee cups per year (http://www.carryyourcup.org/get-the-facts).
But as I looked around the hallway in which the bin was placed, there were no trash cans or other kinds of recycling.  So I placed a trash can next to the collection bin.
So we shall see if the trash alternative helps. In the meantime, what do we do with all the coffee cups??


Monday, September 22, 2014

Generative tensions

In graduate school my arts in education professor, Jessica Hoffmann Davis, framed our analyses in terms of "generative tensions." As I listen to artists and engineers and environmental educators and entrepreneurs negotiate what form our kinetic sculpture might take, I can hear how generative - how creative - such tension can be. The artist has been asking questions primarily about engineering and the engineers ask about the form the art will take. Does form follow function, or vice versa? Will the spectators understand our theme of sustainability (our "up cycle")? How will we interact with the crowd? Can the sculpture also serve as a musical instrument as well as a sculpture and a pedal powered cycle that can float?

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Another piece of the sustainability puzzle: Turning plastic bottles into string.
Rather than purchasing new fasteners, our kinetic sculpture team should consider this upcycling technique with used plastic bottles:
http://www.core77.com/blog/materials/the_most_creative_recycling_weve_seen_yet_turn_plastic_bottles_into_string_27206.asp

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Design Idea #1: Bamboo Boat Bike

I know, we need a better name. Suggestions? Here's the concept:
When he visited Vietnam, Vijay saw boats made out of bamboo called "gondolas."
Along the themes of sustainability and renewable resources, what if we built our sculpture out of bamboo in a boat shape? Four riders, one in the bow, two side by side in the middle, and one in the back. Four wheels, all powered. Still trying to figure out how to steer the thing on land.

Resilience and group creativity

"It's not about being THE best; it's about being YOUR best." - Roy Anderson


At our Thursday night design jam we began by discussing the qualities of resilient groups that enable team members to overcome obstacles and bounce back from failures:
- Clearly identifying a common goal
- Building mutual understanding and respect
- Giving positive reinforcement
- Honest and comfortable communication (being open) with one another
- Thinking outside the box (creating a creative atmosphere)
- Pushing boundaries
- Maintaining effort, drive, and determination
- Goal setting and Accountability
- Inviting outside interaction, new and fresh perspectives on the project
- Balancing enough support (financial, technical, community) with challenge to create a "zone of proximal development" (Vygotsky's term)
- Believing in the ideas generated, then following through
- Remembering to have fun and play great music at design/build sessions


We added Kaili to the team, who will be researching the health benefits of working in this group (how we balance multiple demands on our time, deal with stress, keep communication flowing, use humor, fun and excitement to fuel progress, etc.).

Sunday, January 12, 2014

Scenes from the 2013 Baltimore Kinetic Sculpture Race

Giant bicycle powered pink poodles and elephants… where's the Chesapeake Bay Retriever?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFNcq3x9cjc

A view from the water section of the race - difficult to see the sculptures, but gives a good sense of the huge crowd that shows up:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9iB2lQlpy8


Saturday, January 11, 2014

KSR Project Timeline

The advice from a veteran kineticaut is to budget plenty of time for building and testing. So we have developed an 18 month timeline that allows us to volunteer for different sections of the race in 2014 and then race our Trashmonster Upcycle in 2015. Here are the dates:

Spring 2014
(early Feb) Design contest campus wide; recruit student team (can announce at Involvement Fest).
·       Design contest prize: $250
·       (March) Meet with consultant Mike G in INDS to learn about project timeline, materials needed, tips etc.
·      (April) Visit Arbutus Middle School to observe Mike's KSR project.
·       (April) Visit the American Visionary Arts Museum to meet with Rebecca Hoffberger and discuss the role of the arts in urban revitalization. Attend April meetings for Race volunteers.
·       (May 3rd) participate in KSR as helpers at each stage to learn logistics etc.
·       Entry fees (will volunteer 2014)
·      Visit CCBC Fab Lab with Stephen Bradley

Summer 2014
·      INDS moves into new space with room for KSR team "fishbowl"
·     Gather materials for Trashmonster Upcycle

Fall 2014
(September) Mike G. leads 2nd workshop for UMBC KSR team on project management of build process
(October) Revisit design and check detailed specs and measurements
(Nov – Dec begin building frame and “sculpture”)

Spring 2015
Feb-Mar: Assembly and fabrication (
April test ride and float!
May Race! 

Friday, January 10, 2014

Trashmonster Upcycle

Yes, that is the name of the Kinetic Sculpture that we wish to design and build for the Baltimore Kinetic Sculpture Race (the theme for the 2014 race is "Smells Like Green Spirit" - a clever reference to Nirvana AND sustainability).
Our goal is to put the notion of upcycling ("converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality or for better environmental value") into motion by collecting discarded materials (also known as trash) that could be used as part of a bicycle powered sculpture.
Materials that could be used for aesthetic, structural or flotation purposes include:

  • water cooler bottles
  • buckets
  • PVC pipe
  • discarded lumber or shipping pallets
As suggested by Jason Hardebeck, we could also incorporate renewable materials such as bamboo, especially for frame materials.

makerspace

I attended project night at the Baltimore Foundery last night and spoke with co-founder and entrepreneur Jason Hardebeck about UMBC's KSR project.

First of all, they offer Welding 101 classes - a valuable skill for creating a kinetic sculpture frame. Second of all, they host project nights on Thursdays from 6-9pm, and would welcome a KSR group who want to build components. Check out this list of tools!
The third thing - and this is a really cool idea - is to use bamboo and epoxy for the kinetic sculpture frame. Bamboo is light, renewable, and incredibly strong. There is at least one company that is building bamboo bicycle frames: Calfee Design.

Breaking Ground on design

Thanks to a Breaking Ground grant from UMBC in January 2014, Interdisciplinary Studies now has funding to recruit a team of UMBC students to design, build and race a kinetic sculpture in the annual race in downtown Baltimore. What is a kinetic sculpture?

"Kinetic Sculptures are amphibious, human powered works of art custom built for the race. Each May, the American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM) hosts the East Coast Kinetic Sculpture Race Championship on the shore of Baltimore’s Harbor in central Maryland.  The eight-hour race covers 14 miles—mostly on pavement, but also including a trip into the Chesapeake Bay and through mud and sand." Retrieved from the Baltimore Kinetic Sculpture web site.

The Baltimore KSR web site has a wealth of resources, including a How to Build section by Elliot Naess.