Joe H.

8/21/24 - 8/23/24

Personal:

This first week of W.I.S.R.D., I acquainted myself with the W.I.S.R.D. space, staff, and equipment and began research and minor work to help others with their projects.

8/26/24 - 8/30/24

W.I.L.D. Laboratory:

I joined the Wilderness Immersion and Local Discovery Project (W.I.L.D. Project). I became familiar with their standard practices and goals for their project through working with a project investigator.

9/3/24 - 9/6/24

W.I.L.D. Laboratory:

This week, we worked on tank maintenance and adding new flora and fauna to existing tanks. We conducted several logs of water information on each tank and tracked its health and needed improvements. I designed a copepod and amphipod cage to inhabit and feed them to other fauna.

Personal:

I explored various engineering and design projects that interested me and observed various coding and robotic limb projects. I am using these current projects as an inspiration to my own

9/9/24

W.I.L.D. Laboratory:

Me and Oli conducted tank maintenance and monitored the conditions of each tank. We saw in the uninhabited tank that was to be a shrimp breeding tank, the conditions are not valid for life. Most other tanks are in good condition, but the salt water and small bio cubes have concerning P.H. and G.H. levels.

Personal:

We had a lab meeting about The Inquirer and Dark Matters Day. I am planning a pitch to create an article for The Inquirer.

9/10/24

W.I.L.D. Laboratory:

We retrieved old 3D-printed animal skulls for Dark Matter Day, as the group will be using them again for skull identification activities. We also researched new skulls to 3D-print for the activity.

Personal:

I researched what I wanted to do for my Inquirer piece. I will be pitching the functions of an internal combustion engine and how it interacts with the environment.

9/12/24

W.I.L.D. Laboratory:

This was an extremely efficient class. We integrated two new pump filters into the small freshwater and the shrimp breeding freshwater bio cubes. We also implemented a large 2-gallon tank and set it up with water, flora, filter, L.E.D. light, and an aerator. The filters cleared and revitalized all tanks that the pumps were used on. We are preparing for new fauna and environments for them to interact with.

Personal:

I reviewed the inquirer pitch and plan to pitch the functions of an internal combustion engine and how it interacts with the environment.

9/16/24

W.I.L.D. Laboratory:

We maintained the tanks by recording water tests and organizing the information spreadsheets. I cleaned the filters and ensured all tanks were functioning to their best ability to apply more life.

Personal:
I drafted and wrote my inquirer pitch, revolving around the functions of internal combustion engines and how they interact with the environment.

9/17/24

W.I.L.D. Laboratory:

I conducted tank maintenance of every tank and tracked unhealthy factors of each tank. We are researching a way to track and locate shrimp and also creating a misting system for the large terrarium.

9/18/24

W.I.L.D. Laboratory:

We organized our entire workspace from other projects and also cleaned filters and moved a copepod cage into the shrimp biocube. I plan to start helping Ronin in coding a misting system.

9/19/24

W.I.L.D. Laboratory:

We cleaned the filters and also researched the bands to use to track shrimp activity. The shrimps are using the copepod cage, as the copepods and box have not been implemented yet.

9/23/24

W.I.L.D. Laboratory:

I have begun tracking trends in the unhealthy elements of each tank, allowing us to record the progress of each tank and exactly what needs to be improved. I am designing a copepod cage lid and grate for copepods to reside in for feeding.

9/26/24

W.I.L.D. Laboratory:

There was an issue in the project today. The superglue contaminated the entire tank while attaching the amphipod cage to the holder. We moved the shrimps from the tank away from the tank into another tank and cleaned the water. The tank is now in safe condition.

9/30/24

W.I.L.D. Laboratory:

I am redesigning another prototype for the amphipod cage holder and also beginning to work on the creation of a multi-environment tank. For this tank, I have already 3D printed two basic rectangles to begin separating parts of the tank.

10/1/24

W.I.L.D. Laboratory:

Oli is absent today, so I conducted tank maintenance and filter cleaning. The condition of most tanks is improving, with some unhealthy factors. I am designing an improved filter funnel for both large cubic tanks to combat this.

10/7/24

Personal:

I worked on my WISRD Inquirer and began refining my ideas on the subjects of engines, how they impact the environment, and how we can reduce their impacts.

10/8/24

W.I.L.D. Laboratory:

We reorganized and cleaned all tanks and their filters, as it had been too long since they had been last maintained. After this, I added more water to the small shrimp breeding cube that is currently empty due to glue contamination. After the cleaning, we began implementing a water camera using the WISRD television, a Raspberry Pi, and connection cables. We could not connect it to the television during class, but I will attempt to connect it next class. We will use the camera to observe more independent tanks that do not require as much intervention or ones that are harder to observe in general.

10/14/24

Today, we only prepared the Dark Matter Day materials. We made the poster and prepared the activities for the skull identification stand.

10/15/24

W.I.L.D. Laboratory:

Oli and I conducted tank maintenance, cleaned filters, and provided treated water to freshwater tanks. We also significantly organized our workspace to accommodate a large tank that is soon going to become a main project involving several types of flora and fauna in order to have a fully self-sustaining ecosystem.

10/21/24

W.I.L.D. Laboratory:

In this class, we organized the activities for Dark Matter Day and also looked at how we can connect the camera feed to the TV for Dark Matter Day. We did maintenance on the tank and are planning to re-implement amphipods into the tank systems.

10/22/24

W.I.L.D. Laboratory:

We cleaned and re-organized our space because it had been moved around significantly. We also fully cleansed a large tank. We began building an environment with sand. The tank will become a large fully self-sustaining project with minimal human intervention.

10/23/24

W.I.L.D. Laboratory:

Today is Dark Matter Day. We have prepared all our activities and are readying a camera so that people can see the inside of the terrariums. All the animal identification activities are ready.

10/28/24

Personal:
I did Inquirer work and developed my ideas on how to combat the environmental impacts of engines.

10/29/24

W.I.L.D. Laboratory:

We maintained the tanks and cleaned the filters. We are researching natural interventions for maintaining the new tank we are designing, such as animals that can filter and balance the environment.

11/4/24

W.I.L.D. Laboratory:

I finished designing the filter and the most efficient water intake.

11/5/24

W.I.L.D. Laboratory:

The first prototype of the filter canal is finished. We observed different organisms and objects under the microscope of each tank, especially used animal matter like snail shells and shrimp sheds.

11/6/24

W.I.L.D. Laboratory:

I implemented. cleaned out, and prepped the filter canal into the first tank: I need to make a larger second prototype.

11/7/24

W.I.L.D. Laboratory:

The large rectangular tank now has water and aeration, filtration, and temperature monitoring. The flora is set up, as well as the Pothos plants used for the natural filter. The next step is to build a lid for the tank that fits a light that can provide adequate wattage to plants and animals.

11/11/24

W.I.L.D. Laboratory:

We added more flora to the new tank so we could almost fully finish the tank's environment and begin moving forward by implementing fauna. We conducted tank maintenance using a more accurate chemical testing kit, which I have been taught to use and can now use moving forward, though it takes more time. The Pothos plants are successfully supporting the filtration systems. In the saltwater tank, the red algae contaminated every surface. By turning off the lights for multiple days, the algae could not receive any nutrients, so it successfully died off. The tanks are improving internally and it is an exciting move forward as we try to create fully self-sustaining ecosystems.

11/12/24

W.I.L.D. Laboratory:

Today, we planned how we can track shrimp movement in the Freshwater tank by placing a rubber band on their torso. We also stained a planter for the other branch of our project, where we are experimenting with vegetation plants and how mushrooms affect growth.

11/14/24

W.I.L.D. Laboratory:

Today, I performed simple activities such as cleaning the filters and observing how well the new tank functions. I also implemented the filter canal into the tank filter, which I enlarged from the prototype by increasing its length and width.

Personal:
I finished up my inquirer and began incorporating graphs into the writing.

11/18/24

W.I.L.D. Laboratory:

Today, I fed all the tanks and cleaned the filtration systems of the copepod tank. I also implemented the moss that the freshwater tank has an excess of into the copepod and shrimp cylindrical tanks. The copepods can feed on the detritus from the moss, and the shrimp tend to hide and spend most of their time in it when it is present.

Personal:
I fully finished my Inquirer and am also thinking about how I could potentially further explore the topic of engines and exactly how they interact with the environment.

11/19/24

W.I.L.D. Laboratory:

I reorganized the workspace and tank and managed the filters that were actually needed. Some filters were not even on in various tanks, so freeing up the cable space was helpful as it allowed me to connect more aerator systems if needed.

11/21/24

W.I.L.D. Laboratory:

For the last day of WISRD before Thanksgiving, we ensured that instructions on how to take care of the tanks were clear. We logged tank statistics so we could compare them when we came back. The cylindrical tank will also be ruled out for a new square tank for efficiency and maintenance reasons.

12/2/24

W.I.L.D. Laboratory:

Because of the overflow of duckweed inside the freshwater bio cube, I implemented that duckweed and the moss into the new tank and the amphipod tank, as they will both feed on the detritus from those tanks.

12/3/24

W.I.L.D. Laboratory:

We worked on the poster for our project today. We incorporated images and descriptions. I created a graph of our tank test tracking to implement into the log and into the poster.

12/10/24

W.I.L.D. Laboratory:

We organized and revised the poster so it is fully prepared for next week's poster session.

12/11/24

W.I.L.D. Laboratory:

We measured and designed lids for the exposed tanks to prevent the water inside them from evaporating too much, eliminating the need to refill them. We used electric and manual saws.

12/11/24

W.I.L.D. Laboratory:

We have implemented the lids into the scud breeding and rectangular tank. The scud thrives in darker climates, so their tank has been covered in tape to lessen the lighting. The scud have multiplied enormously in the cylindrical tank for unknown reasons and are constantly attacked by shrimp. I have taken scud from the cylindrical tank and implemented them into the scud breeding tank.

1/13/25

Personal:

We are slowly returning to school and norms after the Palisades and LA fires.

W.I.L.D. Laboratory:

Because of the long break, items and tanks have become unorganized and need maintenance. We cleaned and organized the tanks and are making next steps for our project, such as making a mushroom maze and writing a paper about it and doing further studies on the new tank.

1/14/25

W.I.L.D. Laboratory:

Today we primarily did tank maintenance and tracking. We did water changes on the freshwater bio cube and amphipod breeding tank and we tracked the conditions of every tank we have.

1/21/25

W.I.L.D. Laboratory:

I redesigned the floral structures of the rectangular and cylindrical tank to connect the animals that dwell on the bottom of the tank to the ones that stay in the weeds. I notice that my funnel filter designs are also not big enough, so I will need to redesign them.

2025-2026 School Year Journal Entries.

2026-2027 School Year Journal Entries.