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Sticky Innovation: Exploring the Problem of the Bees through Engineering and Art
"While humans are reliant on bees for pollinating essential food crops the worldwide emergence of colony collapse disorder threatens the vitality of the honeybee population. In this course students will learn multiple approaches to inquiry to consider this “wicked problem” of contemporary times. This course incorporates documentary film, fiction, arts based inquiry, scientific research, and multiple modes of reflection to design creative solutions to the problem with the bees. The course will seek to enhance interdisciplinary collaboration, foster discussion and investigate the links that connect artistic and scientific disciplines. Integrating engineering and art, students will gain experience in a variety of modes of inquiry that will develop creative research approaches, problem solving skills and innovative habits of the mind."
"While humans are reliant on bees for pollinating essential food crops the worldwide emergence of colony collapse disorder threatens the vitality of the honeybee population. In this course students will learn multiple approaches to inquiry to consider this “wicked problem” of contemporary times. This course incorporates documentary film, fiction, arts based inquiry, scientific research, and multiple modes of reflection to design creative solutions to the problem with the bees. The course will seek to enhance interdisciplinary collaboration, foster discussion and investigate the links that connect artistic and scientific disciplines. Integrating engineering and art, students will gain experience in a variety of modes of inquiry that will develop creative research approaches, problem solving skills and innovative habits of the mind."
Field Trips
The class attended trips to Greenacres and the Livewell Collaborative. I wanted my reflection of our trips to follow the innovative theme of the class, so rather than writing my reflection, I used digital media to capture the experience. I enjoy photography and learning how to use adobe products like Illustrator (though school does not allow for much practice with these things), so I used this experience as a way to practice my skills in each. I created all of the graphics in my presentation with the use of Illustrator and combined them with my pictures in InDesign. The visit to the Livewell Collaborative provided the inspiration for the graphics used to represent the problems facing the bees; and the Greenacres trip gave me a greater appreciation for sitting back and watching the bees at work.
Link to reflection: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1p_6lynH0k-p224jSZx9WtUNQntQ7Gzg7
Link to reflection: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1p_6lynH0k-p224jSZx9WtUNQntQ7Gzg7
Ideal Bee
"For this project your team will “redesign” the bee itself. You may use any method, material, or platform to design and prototype a 3d artifact in real time and space. As you approach this project incorporate the research and readings and experiences up to this point."
Link to reflection: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1WzPITrJk6maZFYKfxJar5syjNTyUOcLh
Link to reflection: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1WzPITrJk6maZFYKfxJar5syjNTyUOcLh
Fishbowl Discussions
Provocations were developed from the presentations given by (6) groups reading separate groups and reporting the main themes of their respective books. Fishbowl discussions were held on the (3) main takeaways connecting all texts. Things got heated and things got deep.
Once again, all graphics and images (minus those used for the book covers) were created by me.
Link to reflection: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1_-b-nMnak4HCHZpjePRfAADEjrvcN4VE
Once again, all graphics and images (minus those used for the book covers) were created by me.
Link to reflection: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1_-b-nMnak4HCHZpjePRfAADEjrvcN4VE
UC Research Fair Abstract
Reimagining the Human perception of Honey Bees
There is a need to reinvent the perception humans have of the honey bee towards one built on empathy and interest. The development of an empathetic view on honey bees is critical to facilitate the protection and growth of the species. Our group used a hands-on approach geared towards children to develop an educated foundation of bee knowledge. We found that interaction with subject matter is increases the learning experience, inspiring the creation of an interactive and informative exhibit which may be used in a variety of settings.
There is a need to reinvent the perception humans have of the honey bee towards one built on empathy and interest. The development of an empathetic view on honey bees is critical to facilitate the protection and growth of the species. Our group used a hands-on approach geared towards children to develop an educated foundation of bee knowledge. We found that interaction with subject matter is increases the learning experience, inspiring the creation of an interactive and informative exhibit which may be used in a variety of settings.
Reimagining the the Human Perception of Honey Bees:
A Day in the Life of a Bee
A Day in the Life of a Bee
For our Final Sticky Project, my group decided to tackle the human-bee interaction. The University of Cincinnati's Honors Program has as vision to "[Develop] students into global citizen scholars who lead innovative efforts toward solving the world’s complex problems". Solving the world's complex or "wicked" problems necessitates a strong foundation of knowledge; it is this foundation we sought to create with our project. Children are sponges when it comes to information, and creating foundations of knowledge and interests for children is much easier than adults. It is for these reasons, my group decided to create a hands-on learning experience for children revolving around the honey bee. The end product was an educational exhibit providing children with an interactive approach to learning about bees. This exhibit was designed to be mobile and ideal for the classroom, library, or museum setting. The exhibit comes with an interactive children's book which is meant to continue education for children after leaving the exhibit - this book could be left with a class after the exhibit was brought to class, sold in the museum gift shop, or available for purchase/ borrow from the library.
The make-up of our group was an architectural engineer (myself), a biology, and a fashion major. None of us had experience designing for children, so we used our expertise in different ways. I'm familiar with modeling programs, so I took over 3D printing and some research. The two other girls knew how to sew and hand crafted many of our interactive pieces, and the fashion major was extremely proficient in Adobe Illustrator so she created all of our graphics. Due to our expertise lying in very different fields, it was fairly easy to spread the work apart, and the project progressed smoothly start to finish. I'm very proud of the work we created and the 1819 Innovation Hub was the perfect home for the Sticky Innovation class to carry out this and all other class projects.
The make-up of our group was an architectural engineer (myself), a biology, and a fashion major. None of us had experience designing for children, so we used our expertise in different ways. I'm familiar with modeling programs, so I took over 3D printing and some research. The two other girls knew how to sew and hand crafted many of our interactive pieces, and the fashion major was extremely proficient in Adobe Illustrator so she created all of our graphics. Due to our expertise lying in very different fields, it was fairly easy to spread the work apart, and the project progressed smoothly start to finish. I'm very proud of the work we created and the 1819 Innovation Hub was the perfect home for the Sticky Innovation class to carry out this and all other class projects.
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Elements of the exhibit:
Opening segment introducing bees
Honey bee vs. other bee-like pollinators (info graphic)
Worker v. drone v. queen bee (info graphic)
Bee hive (3D printed)
How bees see (UV filter for VR goggles)
What bee wings are like (plastic replicas of bee wings)
What bee fur is like (fur painted to look like a bees')
Sprinkling pollen on bee fur (sprinkling cornmeal on the fur)
Weight of pollen on bee legs (sand bags for children to carry based on their weight)
Waggle dance (Vinyl sticker placed on the floor)
Monocultures (showing the kids it would be equal to eating broccoli for every meal)
Pesticide effects on bees (glasses with film showing its hard for bees to see after ingesting pesticides)
Mites (a "mite backpack" to show how big a mite is in relationship to a bee)
Ending statement/ book
Opening segment introducing bees
Honey bee vs. other bee-like pollinators (info graphic)
Worker v. drone v. queen bee (info graphic)
Bee hive (3D printed)
How bees see (UV filter for VR goggles)
What bee wings are like (plastic replicas of bee wings)
What bee fur is like (fur painted to look like a bees')
Sprinkling pollen on bee fur (sprinkling cornmeal on the fur)
Weight of pollen on bee legs (sand bags for children to carry based on their weight)
Waggle dance (Vinyl sticker placed on the floor)
Monocultures (showing the kids it would be equal to eating broccoli for every meal)
Pesticide effects on bees (glasses with film showing its hard for bees to see after ingesting pesticides)
Mites (a "mite backpack" to show how big a mite is in relationship to a bee)
Ending statement/ book
| in_the_life_of_a_bee.pdf |
End of Class Reflection
Sticky Innovation led itself to be my favorite class last semester. I didn't sign up for the bees, as much as I signed up for a refreshing and new subject matter to learn about. I'm absolutely tired of STEM classes taking over each semester, and even though Sticky Innovation is coded partly as engineering, it maintained the creative aspect I craved. I love to teach myself Adobe products such as InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop; and this class allowed me to have a creative outlet for my nerdy hobby. I enjoyed the creative process and assignments of the class so much I often found myself giving myself more work to do than was necessary - going all out on reflections and spending hours upon hours creating graphics in Adobe Illustrator. An important aspect of the class to note - if not the most important - was the support and generosity of the professors. I have never taken a class where professors have provided students with materials so liberally to complete tasks and learn about different mediums or programs. Professor Gaskins and Sheth worked with honors to provide us with the monetary resources to complete our projects without us having to worry about money, which allowed us to expand our knowledge of different programs and materials, and I can confidently say due to Sticky allowing those opportunities, I am a more well-rounded engineer. I found a new love for laser cutting and I eagerly await my first visit back to the 1819 space to continue personal projects on the laser cutters. So, I conclude my reflection with a sincere "thank you" to the professors and honors for making this experience fantastic.
Sticky Artifacts
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Above are a few of the graphics I made during the class. For others, see the linked reflections. Full disclaimer, the cartoon bee is a recreation of The Sleepy Bee Cafe logo.
