Cornerstone 2016

Monday and Thursday

ENERGY IN YOUR TRASH

SUBMITTED BY:

Surabhi Gupta, Geralyn Moore, Alain Berdkan, Patrick Jimenez

Report Submitted: April 21st 2017

 Team Headquarters Locale
Davenport A Residence Hall
700 Columbus Ave
Boston, MA 02120

Professor K. Schulte Grahame

Northeastern University
College of Engineering
Room 365, Snell Engineering Center
360 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02115

Dear Professor Schulte Grahame,

At the beginning of the semester, we embarked on a three month long journey to

create an interactive children’s science museum exhibit that demonstrated a form of
sustainable engineering. Team LOST chose to educate children about food waste and the
ways it can be utilized to produce energy, particularly anaerobic digestion. Now, at the
end of this process, we have compiled a report that outlines the details of our project and
the steps involved in each aspect of the final design.
The report will begin with an executive summary that will present an overview of
the project. Then each of the students will have an individual report on the problem
statement, the background of the problem, the intended beneficiaries, methodology and
organization of the project, and contributions to the final design. A reflection on learning
and working as a team will also be included. At the end of the report a series of
appendices will include images and descriptions of every part of the design, such as the
initial cardboard prototype, the final wire diagram, the Matlab code, photos of the final
design, and the changes made to the budget over the course of the project.
Our team has been incredibly hardworking this semester in creating a design that
was not only kid-friendly, but also effective in educating about the process of anaerobic
digestion and the ways it is sustainable. We would not have been able to accomplish this
task without the help of our TA Justin, our peer mentor Romain, and of course, our
professor. Thank you for your time and we look forward to your review of our project.

Sincerely,
Surabhi Gupta, Geralyn Moore, Alain Berdkan and Patrick Jimenez.

ii
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

List of Figures .................................................................................................................... vi

Executive Summary ......................................................................................................... viii

SURABHI GUPTA ............................................................................................................. 1

1.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 1
Problem Statement ...................................................................................................... 1
Intended Beneficiaries ................................................................................................ 1
Sustainability in Engineering ...................................................................................... 2
Project Objectives ....................................................................................................... 3
1.2 Background ............................................................................................................... 3
1.3 Methodology & Organization ................................................................................... 4
1.4 Alternative, Evaluation and Evolution ...................................................................... 6
1.5 Final Design .............................................................................................................. 7
Description .................................................................................................................. 7
Contributions............................................................................................................... 8
Resources .................................................................................................................... 8
1.6 Conclusion ................................................................................................................ 9
Reflections on Learning .............................................................................................. 9
Reflections on Working in a Team ............................................................................. 9
1.7 Recommendations ................................................................................................... 10

GERALYN MOORE ........................................................................................................ 11

1.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 11
Problem Statement .................................................................................................... 11
Intended Beneficiaries .............................................................................................. 11
Sustainability in Engineering .................................................................................... 11
Project Objectives ..................................................................................................... 12
1.2 Background ............................................................................................................. 12
1.3 Methodology & Organization ................................................................................. 13

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 1.4 Alternative, Evaluation and Evolution .................................................................... 13
1.5 Final Design ............................................................................................................ 14
Description ................................................................................................................ 14
Contributions............................................................................................................. 15
Resources .................................................................................................................. 16
1.6 Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 16
Reflections on Learning ............................................................................................ 16
Reflections on Working in a Team ........................................................................... 17
1.7 Recommendations ................................................................................................... 17

ALAIN BERDKAN .......................................................................................................... 18

1.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 18
Problem Statement .................................................................................................... 18
Intended Beneficiaries .............................................................................................. 18
Sustainability in Engineering .................................................................................... 18
Project Objectives ..................................................................................................... 19
1.2 Background ............................................................................................................. 20
1.3 Methodology & Organization ................................................................................. 21
1.4 Alternative, Evaluation and Evolution .................................................................... 22
1.5 Final Design ............................................................................................................ 25
Description ................................................................................................................ 25
Contributions............................................................................................................. 25
Resources .................................................................................................................. 27
1.6 Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 27
Reflections on Learning ............................................................................................ 27
Reflections on Working in a Team ........................................................................... 28
1.7 Recommendations ................................................................................................... 28

PATRICK JIMENEZ ........................................................................................................ 29

1.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 29
Problem Statement .................................................................................................... 29

iv
 Intended Beneficiaries .............................................................................................. 29
Sustainability in Engineering .................................................................................... 29
Project Objectives ..................................................................................................... 30
1.2 Background ............................................................................................................. 30
1.3 Methodology & Organization ................................................................................. 31
1.4 Alternative, Evaluation and Evolution .................................................................... 31
1.5 Final Design ............................................................................................................ 32
Description ................................................................................................................ 32
Contributions............................................................................................................. 32
Resources .................................................................................................................. 32
1.6 Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 33
Reflections on Learning ............................................................................................ 33
Reflections on Working in a Team ........................................................................... 33
1.7 Recommendations ................................................................................................... 33

References ......................................................................................................................... 35

Author Biographies ........................................................................................................... 38

Appendices ........................................................................................................................ 40
Appendix A – Descision ANalysis ............................................................................... 40
Appendix B - Final AutoCAD/Solidworks Drawings .................................................. 43
Appendix C –Code Used in Project .............................................................................. 50
Appendix D – Wire Diagrams for SparkFun Boards .................................................... 58
Appendix E – Photographs ........................................................................................... 60
Appendix F – Final Gannt Chart ................................................................................... 77
Appendix G – Final Budget .......................................................................................... 78
Appendix H-Project Hours Log .................................................................................... 80

v
 LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Kepner-Tregoe Decision Analysis Used to Choose a Project Concept ...............41

Table 2: Graphical User Interface for Questions and Answers .........................................69

Table 3: Key to Determine Status of Required Parts .........................................................78

Table 4: Summary of Project Costs for Milestone 4..........................................................78

Table 5: Summary of Project Costs for Milestone 5..........................................................79

Table 6: Summary of Project Costs for Milestone 6..........................................................79

Table 7: Summary of Hours Worked .................................................................................80

LIST OF FIGURES

Fig.1. Simplified Process of Energy Generation from Food Waste [4] ...............................2

Fig.2. Simplified logic for Motor code ................................................................................4

Fig.3. My Individual Project Concept Sketch ......................................................................6

Fig.4. ..................................................................................................................................13

Fig.5. ..................................................................................................................................13

Fig.6. ..................................................................................................................................13

Fig.7. Anaerobic Digester [11] ..........................................................................................20

Fig.8. Part of the Sainsbury Power Plant Process [12] ......................................................21

Fig.9. "The Energy Shopper" Sketch .................................................................................23

Fig.10. Anaerobic Digester [2] ..........................................................................................30

Fig.11. Energy in our Trash Exhibit [2] .............................................................................30

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Fig.12. Energy in our Trash Exhibit [2] .............................................................................32

Fig.13. - Fig.21. SolidWorks Screenshots and Orthographic Projections.………………34

Fig.22. Wire Diagram………………..…………………………………………………..50

Fig.23. - Fig.28. Pictures of Prototype.…………………………………………………..51

vii
 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Team LOST is an engineering design group whose members are Surabhi,

Geralyn, Patrick and Alain. The team’s goal is to educate children about sustainability
and the use of food waste as a renewable energy source. The team hopes to bring to light
the possible benefits of anaerobic digestion to produce energy, and map its integration
into urban households.
The exhibit explains the benefits and possible reductions in carbon dioxide and
methane if energy generation from food waste is widely adopted. The group thoroughly
explains the process behind the creation of energy from anaerobic digestion. Many
animated images are incorporated to help the children relate to and understand the
process in a less complex manner. Scattered throughout our poster board are various
questions that are similar to questions used during the exhibition game. The game
displays up to ten questions about food waste, its availability and the amount of energy
that can be generated from various food products. This provides the children the initial
awareness of the availability and feasibility of food waste as a renewable energy
resource. A car race will be used to further attract children to the exhibit. Depending on
if the answer to a question is right, wrong, or close to the right answer, the car will move
a corresponding distance.
The game is an effective way of capturing the children’s attention to this issue and
creating an interactive learning environment. Turning the complex issue of food waste
utilization into a simplified game introduces the children to the world of sustainability
early on. Subsequently, the group incorporates kid-friendly elements that attract the
children to the exhibit; such elements include carrot and pear cars, as well as cartoon
visuals, farming backgrounds, and colorful writing.

viii
SURABHI GUPTA
1.1 INTRODUCTION
PROBLEM STATEMENT
In the past century, there has been an
ever-growing shift from the use of fossil fuels as
an energy source to more renewable and clean
sources of energy. This shift is stimulated by the
increasing rate of greenhouse gases such as
methane and carbon dioxide released into the
atmosphere from the burning of fossil fuels.
Higher rates of greenhouse gases present in the
atmosphere result in global warming and climate
change. However, burning fossil fuels is just one
factor contributing to this problem.
Another factor that is frequently
overlooked is decomposing food waste. Forty
percent of the U.S. food supply is wasted [1].
After it is transported to landfills, food waste rots
and releases large amounts of methane into the
atmosphere. However, this can be prevented by
utilizing food waste as an energy source instead.
Therefore, our team aims to educate younger
generations about the importance of exploiting
food waste as a renewable and sustainable
energy source.
1
INTENDED BENEFICIARIES
The majority of people are currently
aware of the necessary changes that must be
made to prevent the damage done to the planet
from progressing further. However, from lack of
fundamental understanding of the effects of
greenhouse gases and other energies that should
be taught at a younger age, many people find it
difficult to adapt to just the idea of another
energy source. Therefore, our exhibit is designed
to educate children about a widely unfamiliar
energy source that can be exploited.
This will be done through an interactive
game about energy generation from food waste,
a display board, and a hand out which will
educate children about the process of how energy
can be generated from food waste through
anaerobic digestion.
The highlight of the game is winning a
car race by correctly answering questions
pertaining to energy generation from food waste
and the availability of the energy source. The
display board, the game, and the GUI (Graphical
User Interface) are all kid friendly and purposely
incorporate a variety of animated pictures,
designs, objects and functionalities that appeal to
children. Users will be entertained through the
car race itself as they compete against one
another. The information on the display board is
concise and kid-friendly to allow children to
easily understand the concepts behind energy
generation from food waste. The display board
contains colorful graphics and string lights to
attract children.
SUSTAINABILITY IN ENGINEERING
Today, it is essential to ensure a product
is sustainable for it to be successfully adopted in
society. Energy generation from food waste
accounts for all factors necessary for
sustainability and is therefore ecologically,
socially and economically viable.
Using food waste as an energy source
instead of fossil fuels greatly reduces our carbon
footprint as less carbon dioxide is released into
the atmosphere. More importantly, food waste is
also known to naturally release methane as it
decomposes in dumps [2]. Methane is twenty-
one times more potent than carbon dioxide as a
greenhouse gas [1]. Therefore, by eliminating the
amount of food waste rotting in fields, we can
hinder climate change.
Food waste is readily available in
exorbitant quantities. Additionally, food waste
requires little effort to transport to energy
generation sites once a system is established.
Also, generating methane from food waste
requires the exact same infrastructure used at
2
wastewater treatment facilities to generate
methane from sludge. Therefore, companies do
have to go to greater lengths to obtain the
resource or implement the process. These factors
ensure the financial long-term viability of this
energy generation process.
Using food waste as a renewable source
of energy also benefits society because people
feel good as they hinder their use of fossil fuels
which harms the environment to a much greater
extent. Additionally, this process requires no
extra implementation from people other than
dumping their food waste in a separate bin for
easy collection.
Currently, the Zero Waste Energy
Development anaerobic digestion facility in San
José is turning food waste into energy as a means
of reducing the amount of greenhouse gas
released by decomposing food waste. They are
utilizing anaerobic digesters in which food waste
is anaerobically digested and after, the methane
released is used to generate energy. The facility
produces 1.6 megawatts of electricity per year
from 90,000 tons of food waste [3].
Fig.1. Simplified Process of Energy Generation
from Food Waste [4]
PROJECT OBJECTIVES player enters, the car moves a fixed number of

The main goal of this projects is to steps. The first player to reach the end wins.

educate children about the importance of Finally, we intend to integrate each

utilizing food waste as a renewable energy aspect of our exhibit so that each part

source. Additionally, our team aims to complements another part. This will prevent

demonstrate to children the sustainability of the children from ignoring some aspects of the

process of energy generation from food waste. exhibit. We will do this by incorporating a

We will achieve all of these goals through a Phineas and Ferb theme into our exhibit. The

series of 10 questions in a game and through children will be instructed to look for Candice’s

images on our poster board. Our exhibit meets clues all over the display board in order to win

the dimension constraints of 19 x 60 x 48 inches the game.

with a size of 19 x 48 x 48 inches. The 3D

1.2 BACKGROUND
printed parts constraint was met through the 3D
In our project, we had to overcome many
printed carrot car, pear car and anaerobic
challenges while using Matlab GUI and
digesters (refer to Appendix B). Additionally,
programming the stepper motors to work as
Sparkfun, Arduino, and Matlab are integrated to
desired.
control the LEDs, GUI, and the motors,
While coding, I faced difficulty trying to
depending on button inputs. Also, the budget
display images on the Design View of Matlab.
constraint was met as the total price of all items
However, I then decided it would be easier and
incorporated in the project were under $100.00
cause fewer errors to display our GUI on an open
(refer to appendix G).
figure instead of the design view. After
A car race will be used to further entice
conducting some research and with the help of a
the children into learning about energy
friend, I found the correct syntax to direct the
generation from food waste. Two players will
program to create an open figure, an UI Axes on
compete against each other to win the race. The
the figure and finally, to display images on an UI
game includes a maximum of 10 questions that
Axes using imshow and drawnow [5]. Also, I
will be displayed to the players. Each player has
realized that the UI Axes onto which the image
three buttons, which correspond to three answers
will be displayed must be the same size or even
in response to a question. There are two cars, one
larger for the image to be displayed at all. After
for each player. Depending on the answer the
doing some research, I realized that PowerPoint
3
can be used to easily resize images, create GUIs,
and finally, easily export slides as Portable
Network Graphics (PNG) files to display on
Matlab. I advised my teammate responsible for
the GUI to take advantage of this feature and
took advantage of it myself when creating the
poster board, cover for the track board and cover
for the button panel. Although PowerPoint does
not have a dimensioning feature to easily place
objects in specific locations, I was able to get
past this by using extra shapes as guidelines with
accurately known sizes.
Our initial project design included the use
of Matlab GUI to control the components
connected to the Arduino RedBoard. The buttons
and LEDs in our design worked adequately with
Matlab GUI, however, the stepper motors
continued rotating at a constant slow speed and
would not appear to respond to differences in the
code. Using the same code in Arduino, the
stepper motors would move at a much faster rate
and respond to changes in speed commands.
After conducting some research on the
Mathworks and Arduino website, I came across
posts where users had similar problems using
Matlab to control stepper motors. I learned that it
is impractical to use Matlab GUI to control
stepper motors over a USB connection because
of the apparent latency of the USB system [6].
Instead, we needed to direct the Matlab GUI to
send a single value across to Arduino.
4
Depending on the value received from Matlab,
the Arduino program would direct the motors to
spin at specific individual speeds. With the help
of our mentor, we produced a second design
including two RedBoards and two programs to
control both the motors and buttons. Our first
RedBoard would send inputs from the buttons to
Matlab GUI through the original port used.
Depending on the button inputs, Matlab GUI
sends a value to the second serial port using the
fprintf command. The Arduino program, stored
at the second port sends the value received from
Matlab GUI to the motors using serial.print to
move them (refer to Appendix C). A simplified
version of this process is displayed below in Fig.
2.
Matlab GUI
Arduino Serial
Logic:
Corresponding
Port:
Button pressed. Value sent to Motor moves.
value sent to
motor using
serial port
using fprintf.
serial.print.
Fig.2. Simplified logic for Motor code
1.3 METHODOLOGY &
ORGANIZATION
While I believe that the entire project was
a team effort, I believe that some teammates had
a larger workload. During the first few weeks I
realized that the team required countless
reminders to get work done, and as time passed,
I found myself constantly ensuring everyone
completed their portion of the work on time to
ensure we all progressed to the completion of the
project efficiently.
At the beginning, during the first
milestone, I believe we all contributed equally to
the brainstorming aspect of the project and we all
unanimously agreed to our initial problem
statement and project idea. However, as the
milestones progressed, the team started drifting
apart and it required a lot of effort to bring the
team back together. Although I tried equally
dividing the work among the team through, I
found myself finishing most parts of the reports
that were due within each milestone.
During the second milestone, after
individually coming up with our own project
concepts, we used a Kepner-Tregoe decision
analysis to choose Geralyn’s project concept. I
did the first AutoCAD design sketch of the
project in the third milestone, while the entire
team contributed to the building of the first
prototype. In the fourth milestone, Alain and I
both did the final design sketch in SolidWorks as
Alain did the larger components and assembled
most of the parts together, while I sketched the
smaller components such as the cars, hooks, and
rods. Patrick volunteered to do the programming,
while Geralyn did the wire diagram as that is her
area of expertise. Although Patrick took care of
most of the logic of the program, I had to run
through it and make several changes to syntax to
get a working GUI on Matlab. Geralyn and I
5
built the final prototype, and when the stepper
motors arrived, Patrick and I worked together to
create our final working code. Also, we each
made our individual 3D printed parts which we
added to the exhibit. I was responsible for 3D
printing a carrot. Lastly, Alain and I created the
poster board, while I created the covers for the
track and button panel. I created the covers for
poster board, track and button panel on
PowerPoint and then used a plotter to print them
out (refer to Appendix E, Fig.27.1.-Fig.27.4).
At the beginning of the semester, I was
assigned project manager for Milestone 2.
However, I felt like Project Manager throughout
the remaining milestones as well. Majority of the
time, I was the only team member taking
initiative to set meeting times, divide work, set
deadlines, overwhelm other team members with
reminders and finally, ensure that work was
complete and submitted on time.
Although I found myself working in most
aspects of the project, I believe Patrick played an
important part in the logic of the program while
Alain played an important role in the
SolidWorks and GUI for the project. Finally,
Geralyn played a major role in the use of
Sparkfun components, wiring, and the prototype.
Overall, although I would argue that Geralyn and
I spent the larger amount of time on the project,
it was a team effort that pushed us to the
completion of the project.
1.4 ALTERNATIVE, EVALUATION
AND EVOLUTION
My individual project concept involved the
use of a load sensor to measure a specific weight
that would correspond to a food item as
displayed in my concept sketch below.
Fig.3. My Individual Project Concept Sketch
Depending on the weight, the GUI would
display the amount of energy that could be
generated from that specific item. However, as a
group, we decided this would mislead the kids
into believing that the amount of energy that
could be generated from a food item depends on
its weight. We did not find that Patrick’s concept
to display facts about energy appealing to kids.
Additionally, Alain’s concept to build a mini
version of a supermarket seemed costly.
Therefore, we all decided to move on with
Geralyn’s project concept of an interactive game
that involved a series of ten questions about
6
energy generation from food waste. The goal of
her concept was to get the highest number of
total points. Although Geralyn’s project concept
was a great idea for kids, our mentor advised us
that we should add another aspect to the project
to make it more appealing to the kids. Therefore,
we added the aspect of a car race between two
players, competing to reach the end of the race
track first by answering the questions correctly.
Our first prototype was built out of
cardboard and included every specific aspect of
our design including makeshift conveyor belts
and pulleys (refer to Appendix E, Fig.23.6.). We
initially decided to move the cars using a
conveyor belt and magnets, however, we
concluded that this would be too costly. After
brainstorming more cost-efficient ideas, we
finally decided to use a string and hook
mechanism that would be more cost efficient and
more easy to put together. In this mechanism, a
string would be used as a conveyor belt and
attached to the cars using a hook (refer to
Appendix E , Fig.24.3.).
Initially, we decided to 3D print the
pulleys and I was responsible for the
SolidWorks. However, after consulting with the
professor, we decided to buy pulleys instead.
Unfortunately, Geralyn and I could not find any
pulleys in stores nearby and therefore, we
decided to create our own pulleys using tension
pins, rubber washers and friction tape (refer to
Appendix E, Fig.25.7.).
Additionally, instead of regular cars, we
decided to 3D print a carrot and pear car so that
it would be more applicable to our topic of
energy generation from food waste. We also
decided not to add wheels to our “cars” but
instead, add packing tape to the tracks so that the
carrot and pear could slide along easily. We also
added anaerobic digesters at the end of the track
with stream lights flowing out to create a light
bulb behind the track (refer to Appendix E).
Finally, we created a small farm towards the
starting of the track and displayed bags of
fertilizer because fertilizer is a by-product of the
anaerobic digestion of food waste. Together,
these small aesthetic parts portray the process of
energy generation of food waste as a continuous
cycle. Therefore, technically, the carrot and
pear are moving from the farm to the anaerobic
digesters to create electricity represented by the
light bulb.
For the final prototype, we found the actual
connection of the motors to the program
challenging. After writing the code to control the
motors in Matlab GUI, we realized that the
motors moved too slow due to the USB system
connecting Matlab to the motors. Therefore,
through research, we found developed a new
system to control motors using both Arduino and
Matlab. Both Patrick and I learned quite a lot
7
while developing links between Arduino and
Matlab and debugging the code for the entire
program to work accurately.
The aesthetics component of our design
was one of the last aspects of the project we
discussed. Alain and I quickly became
overwhelmed with many great ideas, most of
which we surprisingly ended up incorporating
into the final exhibit. We decided to use a variety
of animated images with limited text on the
poster board so that the kids would easily
understand the process of energy generation
from food waste. Alain found most of the
animated pictures incorporated on the poster
board while I put everything together on a
PowerPoint slide. In addition to the Phineas and
Ferb characters, Alain and I also decided to have
the title of our exhibit, “Energy in your Trash”,
pop up from the back of the poster board to make
it easily distinguishable from the rest of the
exhibit. To make our exhibit more appealing, we
decided to decorate the frame of the poster board
with string lights. Finally, I created colorful
covers for our track and button panel to cover the
bare wood.
1.5 FINAL DESIGN
DESCRIPTION
Two players compete at one time. Each
player has their own fruit car. The game includes
a maximum of ten questions that will be ensures that kids try to learn the material
displayed on the GUI with three different answer presented on the display board as well. In this
choices (refer to Appendix E). The GUI will be way, our design achieves our goal.
displayed on the laptop screen which will be
CONTRIBUTIONS
placed behind the tracks. Each answer choice has
a corresponding button for each player. Apart from keeping the team working

Therefore, there are three buttons for each player together, ensuring that each team member has

and one extra button to restart the game for a some part in each milestone and reminding team

new set of players. Depending on the answer the members of meetings, I believe I played a role in

player enters, the car moves a fixed number of most aspects of our final design. In addition to

steps. Two cars will be inserted in the tracks, one contributing to the overall design of the

in each, powered by the motors on the inside. prototype, I helped Geralyn in aspects of

Each motor, controlled by the program, moves building such as putting together the outer

the string attached to it, and thus, moves the fruit wooden casing, making the pulleys, putting

cars attached to the string. If the player answers together the hooks, rod, and string, and finally

the question right, the car moves three steps. If wiring the buttons (refer to Appendix E). Also, I

the player chooses an answer that is wrong but created the initial AutoCAD drawing, the smaller

close to the right answer, the car moves two components in the final solid works and most of

steps. Finally, if the player chooses an answer the orthographic projections (refer to Appendix

that is completely wrong, the car moves one step. B). I played a major role in programming as I

The goal of our final design and exhibit was responsible for debugging and making our

was to educate children about energy generation initial code work in Matlab GUI. Additionally, I

from food waste. The first step in achieving our played a part in the research and coding of the

goal was to attract kids to our exhibit. In addition motors (refer to Appendix C). For the aesthetics

to our kid-friendly use of graphics and design, I component of our design, I created the display

believe allowing two players to race against each board and the covers for the track and button

other encourages friendly competition, therefore panel. I also updated all the Gantt charts (refer to

attracting other kids to the exhibit. In addition to Appendix F) and finally, wrote up the majority

the competition, our Phineas and Ferb theme of reports.

forces children to look for Candice’s clues on the

display board in order to win the race. This
8
RESOURCES
My group managed to remain under budget
throughout the whole project and spent a total of
$41.52. We were able to do this by taking
advantage of the free wood supply in the
Northeastern wood shop, free 3D printing, sales
in nearby hardware and electronics stores, and
other resources available in the First-Year
Engineering Learning and Innovation Center.
The total amount spent will be split equally
among team members at the end of the semester.
Responsible for the circuit creation in our design,
Geralyn bought most of the stuff listed under our
budget as they were mostly electronic
components. I was responsible for buying the
poster board. I believe I spent from 5 to 16 hours
per milestone working on this project.
1.6 CONCLUSION
REFLECTIONS ON LEARNING
Through my contributions, I believe I
expanded my coding abilities aside from what I
have learned in class. Additionally, I believe I
am even more confident in the use of
SolidWorks having practiced my
throughout the course of this project. Finally, I
am more aware and confident in professional and
scientific writing for reports and
professional report composition.
REFLECTIONS ON WORKING IN A TEAM
Throughout the course of this project, I
came to realize the importance of teamwork,
especially in engineering. Prior to this project, I
was never faced with such a large workload in a
project and always believed, if another team
member did not finish their part completely, I
could do it for them. However, working on this
project, I realized that projects in college are
designed in such a way that it is entirely
impossible for just one team member to
complete the workload by themselves. Therefore,
although previously confident in my ability to
finish large portions of reports on my own, or
going over another team member’s part, I
realized that in the future, as a team leader, I
should not feel like the only person responsible
for ensuring all the work is done. Instead, I
should ensure that other team members complete
their parts entirely or face consequences decided
on as a team for incomplete work.
As a leader, I have learned to step back and
listen to other team member’s perspectives on a
decision to be made. Additionally, I have learned
to get an outside person’s perspective on a
abilities
problem or decision as they might be able to
notice something that the team has continuously
missed. At the beginning of the semester, we
overall
experienced a few difficulties as a team as some
members did not attend meetings or meet work
deadlines. Initially, we tried to overcome this by
9
first notifying concerned teammates of problems
noticed. However, as a last resort,
approached the professor who was able to talk to
those teammates about the issues at hand.
Lastly, I believe my biggest asset to the team
was my organization and my ability to bring the
team members together and ensure we completed
all work required of us.
1.7 RECOMMENDATIONS
we
If I could go back to the beginning of the
semester, I would not underestimate the time it
takes to get certain aspects of the project
working. I would start working on the different
milestones of the project even earlier and
approach my mentor for help more frequently
than we did. I would also try to get advice on
how to code different components such as
motors to prevent all the time wasted writing
code for the motors initially.
10
GERALYN MOORE
1.1 INTRODUCTION
PROBLEM STATEMENT
Global climate change has long been an
issue that has been addressed differently over the
last few presidential administrations, but with the
current political climate the issue becomes ever
more apparent. From struggling to find green
energy alternatives that can be implemented on a
large enough scale to reduce reliance on fossil
fuels to the consumer culture of America, it is
evident that alternative energy sources will need
to be found to ensure the vitality of the earth. In
America, about 40% of the food supply is going
to waste. In addition, much of this food does not
make it to the market to begin with due to
cosmetic issues. As a result, a large amount of
volatile organic compounds are being produced
and released into the environment by the
decomposing of this food waste. Anaerobic
digestion is a process through which bacteria
digest food waste and release methane, which
can then be utilized as biogas or burned to
produce electricity. This reduces the harmful
organic compounds that would otherwise be
released and contribute to global climate change,
and provides an additional source of renewable
energy.
11
INTENDED BENEFICIARIES
This exhibit is primarily intended for
children to educate about the global positive
impact reducing food waste and implementing
anaerobic digestion would have. Teaching about
renewable energy, as well as a huge source of
waste not only in the US, but worldwide, could
affect the amount of food waste that is created
overall. Team LOST aims to teach future
generations how the food that they waste impacts
the environment in the hopes that they will not
only shop smarter but make better decisions
about the food that they already have on
hand. Through appealing visuals and an
interactive exhibit, we hope to teach the 3rd to
5th graders of Beachmont Elementary in Revere
about anaerobic digestion and its potential
applications.
SUSTAINABILITY IN ENGINEERING
Anaerobic digestion provides a clean,
renewable source of energy that has several
applications. Not only does it utilize one of the
largest sources of waste in the US, it can be used
for biogas production which is a renewable
source of fuel. [CITATION] It can also be used
to generate electricity, which can power homes
and street lights in suburban and urban
communities. [CITATION] Because food waste
is such a prevalent issue and creating change in
the production of food waste across the country
is a nigh insurmountable task, anaerobic
digestion is a sustainable solution in the
meantime. Americans will always be generating
food waste, and if anaerobic digestion is
functioning at its full potential, it is estimated
that with the food waste in the US it can power
over 2 million homes. [CITATION] This is a
significant percentage of the US population,
showcasing the utility of implementing such a
technology.
PROJECT OBJECTIVES
Team LOST aims to educate 3rd through
5th graders on the benefits of reducing food
waste and implementing anaerobic
digestion. The project’s objectives include being
engaging and interactive so as to attract children
to the exhibit. In addition, an easy-to-read poster
board will provide information for the children
so they can learn about the issue before
interacting with the game part of the
exhibit. Once the game is in session, players
will race against each other in a trivia game
about food waste. Characters will move along a
track until they reach an anaerobic digester at the
end, at which point a winner is declared. The
gamification of education is an increasing trend,
12
and Team LOST decided to implement it in the
exhibit. A sense of competitiveness will help
with the retention of the information presented,
as the more familiar with the subject the children
are, the better they will do on the quiz and the
more likely they are to win.
1.2 BACKGROUND
In order to be able to proceed with this
project, extensive research was conducted. It
was found that EBMUD in Oakland, California
created an anaerobic digestion plant that they are
using to power homes. The idea seemed
intriguing, but obviously it could not be
implemented in a classroom setting. I came up
with an idea to create a game out of the
information that the children would obtain from
the posterboard. I had read papers on the
gamification of education and how competition
helped with the retention of information, so it
was an interesting option to consider, especially
since an actual anaerobic digester could not be
built or simulated. Interestingly, when
researching food waste, I discovered that the
volatile organic compounds (methane-rich gas)
that are released into the atmosphere are far more
damaging to the environment than carbon
dioxide emissions. Because methane takes about
40 years to break down, there is consistently 40
years’ worth of methane in the atmosphere
forming a layer that contributes to
greenhouse effect and climate change. However,
with the process of anaerobic digestion, the
methane is contained and can be burned in a
controlled environment, releasing just carbon
dioxide, which is much less harmful.
Fig.4.
Fig.5.
Fig.6.
1.3 METHODOLOGY &
ORGANIZATION
the distribution of the work was certainly
not equal, each person contributed a fair
amount. Alain worked on aesthetics of the
posterboard and creation of the question images,
Subi worked on coding, organization, and
management of the team, Patrick worked on
coding, and I built the casing, designed and
wired the electronics, and designed and built the
motor-pulley system. The organization of the
team certainly could have been better, but
between the difference in schedules and the other
classes that each person had, we made the best of
what we could. For our SolidWorks project,
each person 3D printed something that would be
used on the actual project, so as to avoid waste of
a 3D printing slot. I created a start gate, Subi
and Patrick created carrot and pear “cars”, and
Alain created an anaerobic digester to be put at
the end of the track.
the
1.4 ALTERNATIVE, EVALUATION
AND EVOLUTION
At the beginning, we were hoping to be able to
simulate an anaerobic digester, but before even
the first presentation it was evident that it was
not a feasible idea. Alternate results were
considered. Surabhi’s idea included a trash can
with a load cell in the bottom that users could put
various waste into and find out how much energy
they were producing. Alain proposed a mini
supermarket where users could choose which
foods they wanted to buy and upon checkout
could find out how much energy the products
chosen could have generated through anaerobic
digestion. However, this was a much too
complex idea that would have great difficulty in
implementation, so it was eliminated early on in
the decision making process. Patrick’s idea was
a simpler version of mine, where users could
choose foods and learn fun facts about how they
were produced and how they affected the
environment. My idea included a trivia game
(refer to Appendix A) that users could play after
reading information from the
posterboard. Initially, the design was intended to
be a single-player trivia game with no racing
track. However, after the town hall meeting that
13
the idea was presented at, it was decided that
building a physical race and implementing a
competitive aspect would make the exhibit much
more appealing for the children. Watching the
cars progress would be great motivation to do
well in the game, as well as provide incentive to
pay attention to the information presented on the
poster board. After creating the cardboard
prototype it was discovered that moving the cars
using a belt and magnet would be far too
difficult, as well as expensive, so a string with an
attachment rod was chosen instead. Many
options were explored in controlling the
movement of the car, particularly how the pulley
could be fashioned to avoid slippage of the
string. The original decision was to 3D print a
custom pulley. The final design was
mechanically fairly simple, and as a result we
struggled to find a good part to 3D print. After
being told that 3D printing a pulley would not be
a good utilization of a 3D printed part, we all
created mostly aesthetic additions as the 3D
printed aspect. Surabhi printed a carrot that was
used as one of our cars, Patrick printed a pear
that was the other car, Alain printed two
anaerobic digesters, and I printed a start gate
with LEDs. The start gate included three 10mm
blue LEDs that would light up in order at the
start of the game. Although the code and the
wire diagram include the LEDs, we did not use
the start gate in the final design.
14
1.5 FINAL DESIGN
DESCRIPTION
The final design includes many parts that in
conjunction aim to educate children about the
benefits of reducing food waste and the methods
that food waste can be utilized to produce
energy. A poster board includes the rules for the
game and a brief overview of what gameplay
will be like. In addition, it includes the 3 ways
in which anaerobic digestion is a sustainable
technology and a graphic describing the
anaerobic digestion process. String lights are
lining the poster with a 3D printed trash can on
the end of the string of lights to show that energy
can be produced from trash. The actual game is
constructed of ½ inch oak plywood, a choice that
in retrospect was not the best due to the weight
of the piece. The players each have control of 3
answer buttons, with a start/reset button in the
middle. The buttons are connected to a Sparkfun
Redboard which inputs data to the Matlab
program. A separate Sparkfun Redboard
controls the motor movement via output from the
Matlab program. Once the game begins, a
question with three answer options is displayed
on the screen, and the players choose. The
answers will not be displayed until both players
have answered to avoid cheating. Then, a small
delay occurs and the cars are advanced
corresponding distances based on the correctness
of their answer. The cars are attached to cotton
string which loops around a pulley with friction
tape and side stoppers to ensure movement and
reduction in the likelihood of slippage. Once
one player reaches the end, after at most ten
questions, a winner is declared and the game
resets. The cars are controlled via stepper
motors that are connected to a Sparkfun motor
driver. Since the motors are 12V and the
Redboard can only supply 5V, an external 12V
power supply was used.
CONTRIBUTIONS
I personally contributed a large amount to the
team and to the project. I was the first project
manager so I took the team through the process
of deciding which topic to proceed with and
doing research on our topic. We explored
passive solar heating, OLED vs LCD screen
efficiency, and kinetic tiles before finally settling
on food waste. In Milestone 2, I extensively
researched the gamification of education and
how we could utilize it in our exhibit. I also
created the flowchart for the preliminary code
during Milestone 3. I was the only group
member who had any experience using wood
shop equipment or with building, so I took on the
task of building the casing to avoid difficulties
with coordination and to save time from
teammates learning how to use the various
15
equipment needed. Once prototyping began, I
went to the wood shop and with the help of a
very kind carpenter, Darren, I constructed the
entire casing from ½ inch plywood. Though this
made the design very heavy, it is very
structurally robust. I then used a hole saw to
drill holes in the front panel, as well as a staple
gun and wood glue to construct the rest of the
casing. I took the project home every night, a
significant task as it is 4ft by 19inches and
weighs nearly forty pounds. I implemented all
of the electronics and wrote preliminary testing
code for the stepper motors to ensure that they
worked and to facilitate programming of them
later on. For the stepper motors, I initially used a
1 inch hole saw bit to drill holes for the 5V DC
motors we were using while waiting for the
stepper motors to arrive. Once the stepper
motors arrived, I used a 1 ⅜ inch hole saw bit
and the stepper motors fit snugly. This would
ensure that the motors would not move or rotate
while they were being used, and was the easiest
way to mount them for a side by side track. For
the buttons, I did all of the soldering for the
wires and laid out the wires along the floor of the
casing for better organization, and wired
everything up. I also built the pulleys, used the
bandsaw to cut various wooden pieces that are in
the interior of the design, and purchased most of
the materials. The wood I was able to get for
free, but I placed the orders for the motor drivers,
motors, and buttons, and from my own personal
collection I donated LEDs, string lights, header
pins, and wires to the project. In addition, I went
to Radioshack and True Value and made
additional purchases there for miscellaneous
electronics and pulley making supplies.
designed the pulleys using a rolled pin, friction
tape, and rubber washers, and I also designed the
plastic 3D printed start gate with LEDs. The
open end on the side of the rolled pin created an
interesting cogging sound upon rotation, which
was popular with users, though not wholly
intentional in design. I also designed the 3D
printed motor shafts we are currently using, and
soldered and wired all the necessary components
for the motor drivers to become functional. I
created the wire diagrams and proofread and
rewrote Alain’s part of the milestone reports due
to grammar and flow issues.
RESOURCES
Team LOST’s project was able to stay under the
$100 budget, partially due to the contribution of
things that I already had, as well as my
willingness to absorb cost due to the fact that I
would get to keep those items and use them
after. In the end, our team spent less than half of
the allotted $100 budget. One of the most helpful
resources we were able to utilize was the wood
shop. The carpenters working there were so
helpful in pointing me in the right direction when
I was trying to decide which cuts to make where
and how to attach it all together, as well as
letting me use the equipment for a project that
they were not even involved in. Our TA Justin
gave us great pointers and was available to help
I answer questions late at night and we certainly
utilized him as a resource throughout this
project. Another huge help was our peer mentor
Romain, who this would not have happened
without. He spent several hours helping us with
our programming and debugging, he helped us
figure out how to use serial print to control the
motors, and made the whole process much more
enjoyable. He was able to provide a lot of good
advice, having already taken the class, and came
to our aid even when he was not being paid to do
so. I would say that I spent between 5 and 15
hours on each milestone throughout this project.
.
1.6 CONCLUSION
REFLECTIONS ON LEARNING
Through the project I was happy that I was able
to utilize the previous electronics skills I had, but
I wish I had gotten to work on something more
design-heavy. I was able to expand my problem
solving skills as well as my creative palate when
faced with issues that needed solving. I realized
that learning to fail fast is an important skill that
16
is underrated. I also learned that ½ inch plywood my workload to ensure that the team’s work was
and a very large project do not mix well. quality and on time. Though Surabhi
experienced this stress to a greater extent than I
REFLECTIONS ON WORKING IN A TEAM
did, it was certainly a struggle for me to make
I usually struggle with groupwork because I ends meet in my other classes. Oftentimes we
dislike relying on others for work to get dealt with team members being late or not
done. This project in particular was difficult not showing up to meetings at all, and an overall
only due to the complexity of the project we lack of initiative and commitment to the
chose, but because of the team and the way team. However, this whole process taught me a
things were structured as well. I certainly have lot about communication and picking battles. It
faults when it comes to group work, in that I has taught me how to deal with problems that do
work very well under pressure which oftentimes not have a lot of time to be solved, and how to
leads to me leaving things to later than I resolve team conflicts. I still have a long way to
should. Throughout high school I have been go in terms of being the best group member I can
primarily in leadership positions when it came to be, but I think I have certainly improved
engineering situations. As a result, I carry significantly.
myself a certain way and I know that I’m capable
and expect to be treated as such. I regret being
the first project manager because I feel that my 1.7 RECOMMENDATIONS
skills could have been better utilized later in the
process. It was certainly a struggle to manage
the team, and oftentimes it felt as though Surabhi
and I were pulling the weight of the whole team,
when it should have been evenly split between
the four people. I went into this project with the
expectation that because this was a more
professional, college setting, a four person group
would mean that I would be doing one fourth of
the work. However, over the course of the
semester I learned that pulling your own weight
in a team is often not enough, and had to increase

17
ALAIN BERDKAN
1.1 INTRODUCTION
PROBLEM STATEMENT
Today’s generation could be described as
a generation of consumption. Therefore, it has
become essential to find new resources to reduce
the use of the diminishing resources that are used
today and are polluting our planet. In the
presence of an abundance of trash that creates
volatile organic compounds when left alone in
landfills, it is ideal to utilize this excessively
available resource to create biogas. This process
helps our planet by getting rid of the residues of
human consumption and by using them in the
benefit of humanity when turning them into a
cleaner form of energy through anaerobic
digestion. Therefore, the team’s problem
statement is defined as the presence of an excess-
capacity harming the environment can be utilized
instead of other resources to generate cleaner and
more sustainable energy.
INTENDED BENEFICIARIES
Through this project, we intended to
benefit, first, the user of the exhibit and game,
the children at the Beachmont School at Revere
Massachusetts, by teaching them about anaerobic
digestion through an interactive game and by
18
informing them about a crucial topic of
discussion nowadays, sustainability. We also
intend to entertain the children through our
exhibit, which is the reason why information has
been simplified and visuals have been highly
incorporated. We, as a team, made sure to know
and recognize our audience while executing our
project. Thinking of the topic discussed, the
intended beneficiary on a larger scale of the
exhibit is societies all around the world and
humanity, as our project consists of introducing
and explaining an energy source made of waste.
Consequently, the outcome would be helping our
planet by reducing the presence waste releasing
volatile organic compounds, simultaneously
reducing the use of fossil fuels to create energy.
SUSTAINABILITY IN ENGINEERING
As engineers, it is our first and foremost
mission to benefit societies and to solve
problems in ways that encourage human
prosperity. Therefore, sustainability is crucial to
think during the design process, as it embodies
continuity and prosperity. In fact, by the
definition of the US EPA, sustainability means
“meeting the needs of today without diminishing
the ability of future generations to meet their
needs”. Sustainability is also one of the 8
Millennium Development Goals. By thinking
sustainably, an engineer could design solutions
to many problems such as pollution due to the
use of fossil fuels and lack of access to cleaner
water etc. Therefore, sustainability is beneficial
for the people, the economy, and the planet. In
fact, a design is truly sustainable when it satisfies
these three core categories, meaning when it is
beneficial for the environment, for the economy,
and for the people.
Consequently, the process explained in
our exhibit is considered sustainable, as it
protects the environment from pollution caused
by fossil fuels and from keeping waste in
landfills causing volatile compounds emissions
that contribute to climate change. It is beneficial
for the economy as it provides a new resource
meaning it reduces the need for more expensive
and less accessible resources such as fossil fuels,
and it is beneficial for the people as it provides
them with a cheaper source for power, whether
they need it to power their homes, cars etc.
PROJECT OBJECTIVES
Our primary objective is to create an
interactive exhibit that educates children about a
topic related to sustainability, which in our case
is turning food waste into biogas via anaerobic
digestion. Therefore, the first obstacle to
overcome was to simplify our topic and utilizing
it into creating an interesting, simple and
relatable exhibit that the children benefit from,
understand, and enjoy. In fact, the project had to
utilize and integrate Sparkfun kits, which helps
19
in creating a collaborative exhibit. This
component gave us the ability to collect and
present data in our own way, attracting the
children. We thus combined Sparkfun and
MATLAB to our exhibit to produce a race car
game based on a set of questions.
Throughout the semester, the team’s
process, changes in design and developments, as
well as ideas were communicated through the
several Milestone reports that were handed to the
professor in a timely organized manner. These
reports consisted of explanations, diagrams,
graphics and sketches.
The project had to abide by constraints
that ensured its success such as including an
educational poster board along with the
interactive component previously mentioned to
make the information accessible to the children.
In addition, the exhibit had to fall under specific
dimensions to be easily transported and to fit
well on the tables provided for showcase. The
exhibit couldn’t exceed 5 feet wide x 19 inches
deep x 4 feet tall. Another constraint was adding
at least one 3D printed part to our exhibit.
Finally, the whole project shouldn’t cost more
than 100$ to accomplish, to make sure the team
members don’t go overboard and potentially
disagree on how much should be spent on the
exhibit. This constraint also helped the team
become more resourceful to find cheaper
materials and to create the exhibit at the lowest
cost.
1.2 BACKGROUND
During our first group meeting, while
brainstorming ideas for our project topic, all
team members made sure to share whatever idea
comes to their mind. Each member conducted
their own research about different sustainability
topics. While doing so, I had remembered
reading an article about biogas a while ago. Such
an idea always seemed very intriguing to me,
which led me to propose to the rest of the team
after some research and refreshing my memory
about it. I read about the process of creating
biogas, which consists of making food waste
through anaerobic digestion, where the organic
matter is broken down in the absence of oxygen
[10].
Fig.7. Anaerobic Digester [11]
20
This process exerts a very small carbon
footprint, compared to leaving the waste in
landfills and using other sources of energy such
as fossil fuels. Moreover, co-products of
anaerobic digestion are fertilizer and compost
that can are filled with minerals filled with
nutrients. We then decided as a group to go with
the topic of biogas for the theme of our exhibit,
as we found that such a topic could be presented
in many ways and could interest a lot as it isn’t
as common as other topics such as water turbines
that would seem less interesting and less
relatable to the children.
Later, when generating solutions and ways
of incorporating the idea into our exhibit, I
researched how biogas is used nowadays and if
there are any countries using anaerobic digestion
to produce energy. I then found information
about a famous supermarket chain in the UK,
Sainsbury’s, that was planning to utilize their
own food waste to generate electricity through
the process of anaerobic digestion to power their
stores [12].
 that wastes the most food in the world [14] and
wastes 40% of their food [15]. I also found that
1/3 of the food in the world is wasted, and that
fruits and vegetables are the most wasted foods
[16].

1.3 METHODOLOGY &

ORGANIZATION
In purpose of preserving order and
consistency, we constructed, as a team, a set of
rules and regulations and included them in a
team contract. A crucial matter we discussed and
agreed on was when everyone’s best days to
meet were and organized consistent group
meetings easily. The group meetings in result
took place mostly on Tuesdays at 3:30pm till

Fig.8. Part of the Sainsbury Power Plant Process around 6pm, as written in the contract, unless
[12] more time was needed. We also expected to be
available on different days depending on our
I also found that another supermarket
progress and on work needed to be achieved. We
chain, Asda, was sending 25000 tons of their
also wanted to make sure that everyone was
waste to undergo the same process in 2009 [13].
bound to contribute meaning that everyone’s
Finally, throughout the creation of the
voice should be heard to make decisions,
exhibit, I did some more detailed research about
including such a rule in our contract. Moreover,
food waste and anaerobic digestion and found
we had agreed and written in our contract that if
some statistics to generate questions for our
needed, we would have a unanimous vote to
exhibit’s game. I subsequently utilized facts such
avoid conflict when opinions clashed.
as how much of the food produced for human
The team also wanted to make sure all
consumption is wasted in the world, how much
team members could reach each other easily by
food is wasted in the United State, and more. It
creating a WhatsApp chat and a Google drive
turned out that the United States is the country
21
shared folder where all the information and
reports were placed.
In terms of work, we always decided to
divide the work for each Milestone depending on
our different strengths. We also worked on
different parts together and almost all
contributed to the written reports equally. For
Milestone 2, we all contributed to the document
almost equally as each team member had to
conduct their own research and create a market
distinct research sketch and concept drawing,
along with explanations to accompany their
design. For Milestone 3, the team designed and
executed the first prototype together, while
Surabhi took charge of the sketching aspect of it
using AutoCAD and Geralyn designed the first
flowchart to the program.
As for Milestone 4, I was Project Manager.
I decided that with the load of work needed for
this Milestone, the best way to lead was to divide
the work in a manner that is suitable for all team
members. I tried to keep a positive atmosphere
throughout the time we worked on this Milestone
as there was some anxiety. I believe I was able to
make the ambiance less tense by encouraging
others and by emphasizing that we could all help
each other out with our different assigned work.
All team members worked on what they thought
they were best at. Therefore, Subi and I took
charge of the sketching and dimensions
adjustment on SolidWorks, while Geralyn and
22
Patrick worked on the coding and wiring aspect
of the project. Throughout the last Milestones
leading to the final result, the members’ roles
became more obvious as Geralyn worked mostly
on the wiring aspect, Patrick on the program’s
code, and Surabhi and I on the poster board and
information displayed, as well as the rest of the
aesthetics for the exhibit. I also took charge of
the graphic user interfaces for the program’s
code.
1.4 ALTERNATIVE, EVALUATION
AND EVOLUTION
In Milestone 2, while brainstorming for
ideas regarding how to present the topic and
interact with the children as much as possible
each team member came up with their own idea.
My alternative to the concept the team chose
consisted of a replication of a small grocery store
“selling” various 3D printed foods in different
buckets with corresponding buttons. The
children would have to pick what foods they
would buy for the day or week by pressing on
the appropriate buttons as many times as they
want, depending on the number of each product
they wanted. The program would then calculate
and print a “receipt” with information on how
energy costly it was to produce and transport
these foods (ecological footprint) along with how
much energy could be created from these foods
through anaerobic digestion.

Fig.9. "The Energy Shopper" Sketch
While there were three other concepts
generated by other team members, a Kepner-
Tregoe decision analysis was conducted to
compare all four designs and choose one of them
to carry on with. My design didn’t meet all the
musts, and therefore was the first design to be
eliminated. The program wasn’t within the
team’s programming skills. Geralyn’s concept,
the Energy Game, received the most points, as it
scored highest on criteria such as “ease of
understanding for the children” and “enjoyable”.
The winning score was 10% higher than the
second highest, which meant that the team could
confidently pick the Energy Game as the
designated exhibit design (refer to Appendix A).
Initially, the Energy Game consisted of a
set of questions about 5 different foods that
would be laid out (3D printed), with a
corresponding button for each. A question would
23
display asking a question about these different
foods, asking the user to choose one of them.
After the question is answered, a ranking for
each food would display on top. For example, a
question such as “Which of these foods take the
most water to produce?” would be asked. The
user would then press one of the buttons, and a
display of a ranking would appear regardless of
the answer. The user can then observe their final
score after a set of 10 to 15 questions.
The idea was then further communicated
between each other and made us realize that an
extra component should be added to make it
more entertaining a relatable to the children. I
then proposed to include a racing car game and
make the quiz more competitive. The concept
than transformed to a two-player game
consisting of a set of 10 questions about which
foods would consume more energy or can
generate more energy via anaerobic digestion,
offering three possible answers, asking the user
to pick the best one. Depending on how right the
answer is, a car would move at a certain speed.
Therefore, the quiz would power a race car game
between two players, making it more interesting
and attractive to the children. Moreover, adding a
competitive component would give them the
incentive to interact with the exhibit and learn
more. I realized at this stage how one idea can
turn into something quite different by elaborating
from an initial idea and how we shouldn’t limit
ourselves and block ourselves from being
creative. I also realized how important it is to
think about the consumer and the user’s wants
and needs.
During Milestone 3, we started to think of
and design the first physical prototype out of
cardboard. I here started to reason mechanically
to comprehend and collaborate ideas on how to
make our idea physically possible. We all as a
team decided to create a rectangular outer casing,
with two parallel tracks going along the length,
parallel to the users as well. We figured it would
be the best way for the user to observe the cars
progress more visibly. In regards to the
mechanism, for each track, a conveyor belt
would loop around an axel at each end. These
axels, powered by a motor, would cause the
conveyor belt to move along the track. This
mechanism would happen inside the casing. On
the top part of the casing, a line would be cut out
along each track to connect the cars to conveyor
belts. Therefore, the conveyor belts would drag
the cars along the track.
During Milestone 4 however, we decided
to replace the conveyor belts with string
connecting to a rod, which is in turn connected to
the car. The conveyor belts were too expensive. I
experienced thinking resourcefully and how to
find alternatives when needed. I also sketched
the outer casing on SolidWorks to help us
visualize better and to draw better dimensions.
24
We then came up with a way to assemble the
slanted buttons panel to the rest of the casing by
creating two grooves on the sides (reference to
Appendix B).
Simultaneously, as I conducted research
about the topic to generate questions for our
game, I came across some difficulties finding
values and information about what specific foods
would generate more energy, which led me to
propose to the team to gear the questions towards
more general information about food waste, the
process of anaerobic digestion, and
sustainability, which would be more beneficial
for the children to learn.
Throughout Milestones 5 and 6, I learned
that as a team, we should keep trying when faced
with difficulties and to always think of solutions.
For example, when the mechanism was a bit
unstable and wasn’t performing as well, we
thought of ways to improve and solve these
problems, such as adding friction tape to the
pulley and packing tape along the tracks to
reduce friction between the cars and the wood to
move more smoothly. We also kept improving
and generating more ideas to create the best
exhibit we could, by thinking of aesthetics. We
decided to make one of the cars a carrot and the
other a pear, to relate to our topic more and to
come up with something different and maybe
more amusing for the children.
 As the Milestones progressed and as our
design developed, I learned that nothing was set
in stone and that we could always improve and
create a much better outcome than expected. I
also learned that when brainstorming as a group
and respectfully sharing ideas, we can come up
with better solutions. Moreover, I learned to
never lose hope and to be more resourceful, and
to think as a problem solver when faced with an
issue.
1.5 FINAL DESIGN
DESCRIPTION
After completing several Milestones and
going through weeks of work, our final design
consists of two tracks with a fruit car on each.
Two motors inside the casing control the
movement of the cars as they are connected by
string. The way the motors move depends on the
program. On our console, there will be 7 buttons,
three for each of the contestants and a reset
button. These buttons are connected to the
program. The program will display a question
with three answer choices. Then, each contestant
must press one button out of the three depending
on what they think the right answer is. The
questions will be related to our topic, meaning to
food waste and biogas. For each contestant, the
motor will move three steps if they pick the right
25
answer, two steps if they pick the second right
answer, and only one step if they pick the least
answer. The reason why they move for each
answer is because it keeps the game going and
keeps it diverting. When one of the cars reaches
the finish line, the reset button is pressed which
makes both motor move counter-clockwise
bringing the cars back to the start line. Therefore,
the children will be put in a situation where they
would have to think about the information given
to them in the exhibit and about our topic to win
the fun “race car” game.
I believe that we achieved our objective
as we were able to create an interactive exhibit
full of visuals and information, including a
pleasurable relatable game referring to food
waste.
CONTRIBUTIONS
Starting from the initial stages of the
project, I first started my contribution as a team
member cooperating with my team members to
set boundaries and rules to follow throughout the
time we would be working together. Then, I
believe I shared a lot of ideas during the
brainstorming stage, as I was the first team
member to propose the idea of biogas and
conducted some research about the topic.
For Milestone 2, I led my own research
and created a market distinct research sketch and
concept drawing, along with explanations to
accompany my design. My design consisted of a
replication of a grocery store where the children
would have to go grocery shopping and pick the
foods they would buy by clicking on the
corresponding buttons. A bill with information
regarding how much energy can be created from
their purchase is printed to them. I also
contributed to the Kepner-Tregoe decision
analysis process where all team members had to
share their opinion to rate the different designs.
Later, I believe I enhanced the idea picked
by suggesting to create a race car game from the
quiz game that the team had chosen to use for
our exhibit. I suggested that we would use the
quiz and turn it into a competition between two
kids, by creating a mechanism and program that
correlate the answers to two racing cars.
Therefore, the kid answering the better answers
would have their car move larger distances than
the other kid’s car, making him the winner.
As for Milestone 3, on top of contributing
to the design process and making of the physical
prototype, I was in charge of taking pictures of
the prototype and describing them. When
Milestone 4 arrived, I was Project Manager,
meaning I had to make sure everything was
going well and that everyone was on track. I
made sure that we divided the work ahead of
time and that we all had it done as soon as
possible to combine our work. This milestone
required a lot of hours of work and several skills,
26
including carpentry, sketching on programs such
as SolidWorks, programming, and wiring.
Therefore, I divided the work in a manner that
every team member was working on what they
thought they could do the best, resulting in a
better outcome. I worked mostly on SolidWorks
for this Milestone, where I designed the different
major parts of the prototype with the most recent
dimensions and with a lot of precision, such as
the different pieces of the casing and assembling
them to each other. The sketching throughout the
building process took a lot of time and required
adjustments many times, but also contributed to
the success of the physical body as I was able to
visualize and demonstrate to the rest of the team
the exact dimensions needed and how to
assemble the many different pieces together in a
clean and efficient manner. I believe that this
helped prevent many mistakes and potential last
minute wood cutting and unsatisfying assembly
(refer to Appendix B). Moreover, I worked on
making sure everything was in place on the
report and highly contributed to the explanations
of the prototype and visuals.
With Milestone 5, 6 and 7, I believe I
contributed the most on the creativity and
aesthetic side of our exhibit, as I believe that this
aspect is one of the most important especially
when dealing with children. I wanted to gear our
exhibit towards kids as much as possible. First, I
contributed through the poster board by
brainstorming ideas with another team member
and proposing to show the process of anaerobic
digestion in map looking way, and to describe
the 3Ps of sustainability by adding a tree looking
graphic behind the text to incorporate the idea of
interrelatedness as well as the environment. I
researched and found the various visuals utilized
in our poster (refer to Appendix E).
I also proposed that the “Trash” part of
the title would be made in aluminum foil to catch
the attention and to allude to the idea of trash,
and executed it. I also proposed the idea of
incorporating a “Phineas and Ferb” theme to our
poster, a cartoon show familiar to many children,
and expanded and worked on that idea with
another team member by finding and creating
graphics together (refer to Appendix E).
Second, after some research, I generated
the questions and answers for our game and
created the graphic user interfaces for the
program containing these questions, as well as
interfaces ranking the answers. I made sure to
make the GUIs as visual as possible to make it
more interesting and understandable to children.
For example, when a question involved
percentages, I added pictures of a full round
pizza for each answer choice, covering a number
of slices depending on the percentage (refer to
Appendix E). I also created GUIs for the
welcome message, and for the different winner
possibilities. What specifically, did you
27
contribute to the final design? Please reference
the appendices for specifics, or insert other
images into the text where appropriate.
RESOURCES
Due to the budget constraint, the team
learned to be more resourceful. The team used
free wood from the wood shop and other
materials from the First Year Engineering
Learning Center at Northeastern University to
assemble and build the outer casing. For the
poster and other aesthetic purposes, the team
utilized the plotter in the Engineering Center at
the University. The group didn’t exceed the
budget of 100$. In fact, the total spent was 41$.
In terms of time, I personally devoted around 7
to 12 hours for each Milestone.
1.6 CONCLUSION
REFLECTIONS ON LEARNING
This project opened my eyes to a new
world, as I had never experienced working on a
project of that sort, meaning with such
complexity. It was my first time creating an
exhibit that is interactive and informative at the
same time, as well as my first time thinking and
acting as an engineer. In fact, I learned to think
as an engineer to solve problems and to build a
mechanism that functions properly. I acquired
new skills such as how to coordinate and work
with a group, how to brainstorm and come up
with solutions and generate ideas, and of course,
other physical skills including how to build a
prototype. I learned to expand my horizons and
not be afraid to try new things, such as creating a
SolidWorks drawing from scratch with no
instructions and to propose ideas even when I am
not sure of them, as we could sometimes build
on and improve ideas that we might think are
“bad”. I am proud of myself for the time and
effort that I have devoted to this project, as I
never experienced such a heavy load of work. I
am sure that this learning experience helped me
become a better problem solver, a more
hardworking, and more equipped engineer.
REFLECTIONS ON WORKING IN A TEAM
During the time spent with my team, I
learned that team work can only be efficient and
successful if all team members want it to be and
devote effort to do so. I learned that first and
foremost, I should be mindful while
communicating with others to preserve respect
and to include and respect everyone’s opinions. I
also learned to be accommodating in certain
28
situations of conflict to prevent tension from
arising within the group which would hinder our
harmony and performance, as I realized that
team members might have different social skills
and varying ways of interacting and dealing with
issues. This necessitates acknowledging the
differences and not going against them, but
embrace them.
1.7 RECOMMENDATIONS
Through this project, I learned a lot about
myself and about my potential. If I could do it
again, I would like to use more of my potential
and be more confident about my work. As many
of the aspects of the project were new to me, I
think I would have been able to contribute even
more and be more assertive. I now believe that I
could create similar projects more confidently. If
I had more time, I would have made our final
design look cleaner and have less impurities in
the outer casing and mechanism, as well as spend
more time communicating our ideas with our
team mentor and professor for more suggestions
and improvements.

PATRICK JIMENEZ
1.1 INTRODUCTION
PROBLEM STATEMENT
Although the world today is facing many
pressing global problems ranging from an
economic downturn to the aftermath of the Arab
spring, perhaps the most pressing issue is global
climate change and the inevitable ramifications it
will have on both humans, animals, plants and
everything in between. Therefore, we as a
community must educate each other on ways to
combat climate change; this sparked our group to
create a museum exhibit showcasing a method
for reducing society’s carbon footprint. Our
exhibit explains the process of Anaerobic
Digestion and its possible impacts on our
dependency on fossil fuels.
will be to reach as many young minds as
possible with both a visual presentation in the
form of a poster board as well as an interactive
racing game. The game is instrumental in
reaching the kids because it provides a platform
for an engaging learning experience. We also
have many enticing visuals and lights set up on
our design which add to the engaging factor of
our exhibit.
SUSTAINABILITY IN ENGINEERING
Everybody must be environmentally conscious
now that climate change is becoming more
apparent. Anaerobic Digestions not only
provides an effective way for combating climate
change environmentally, it also is both an
economically and culturally viable solution.
Anaerobic Digestion utilizes what economists
call, “Excess Capacity”, or a resource or service
currently available in an environment already.
That Excess Capacity is food and drink waste

INTENDED BENEFICIARIES humans currently produce at exorbitant amounts.

Being able to harness what we currently consider
We are creating this exhibit in order to teach
waste as a viable resource will reduce our
young children about both the positive effects of
dependency on other less
composting, as well as the extended benefits our
economical/environmentally friendly
society could reap if Anaerobic Digestion is
alternatives. The process of Anaerobic Digestion
implemented across the country. We believe that
turns partially consumed food products into
teaching the men and women of both the current
electricity that can be directed into our electric
and future generation about the importance of
grid. This will reduce our dependency on fossil
these issues is a key in combating climate
fuels which are environmentally harmful while
change. At the elementary school, our mission
29
being affordable and economically viable. It is
also culturally viable because it does not have
the steep implementation costs like solar power.
Individuals won’t have to invest any extra
money into this because they can invest their
extra food waste instead.
Fig.10. Anaerobic Digester [2]
PROJECT OBJECTIVES
Our objective was to create an exhibit that
included a race between two players that taught
the two players about both anaerobic digestion
and the benefits of composting. Our exhibit was
constrained to a 24 by 60 by 19 inch space and
we fit our track system into those constraints
successfully. There are two players who race
against each other during the course of the game.
During the race, the participants answer a series
of questions by pressing buttons laid out on the
30
front panel of the exhibit as you can see in Fig 1.
Depending on how well each player answers
each question, their token will move along a
track a set distance. When a player reaches the
end they win the race. Each question will relate
to certain aspects and information displayed on
the poster board.
Fig.11. Energy in our Trash Exhibit [2]
1.2 BACKGROUND
During this project, we all realized that food
waste was a huge problem in our country; for
instance, over 40% of all food purchased in the
US is thrown away. Therefore, we all knew we
needed to conduct research in order to come up
with ways to fix this problem. During the
research, I was able to find sources linking
anaerobic digestion as a possible solution to the
problem we had. After that, my main task was
designing the code logic for Matlab and
eventually Arduino as well. Then throughout the
rest of the project, my group-mate, Surabhi, and I
worked on making sure all of the code
functioned correctly and would display the
correct values. During our design process, we
realized that we couldn’t control ours stepper
motors from the Matlab code because the refresh
rate over USB is not high enough to keep up
with each step the stepper motor makes.
Therefore, I had to find another solution, and that
solution was using serial communication with an
extra Arduino board. From here on out, it was a
matter of configuring Matlab logic and writing
code to cipher and decipher serial commands
written from Matlab and received by the
Arduino, respectively. Once I was able to
correctly encode a readable message in a single
digit integer, we could use the serial
communication to send motor outputs from the
Matlab code to the Arduino board.
1.3 METHODOLOGY &
ORGANIZATION
Throughout the entire process, we all contributed
an even amount, some of working on the code,
some working on the exhibit, some working on
the poster board, and some working on the
research. Although Surabhi and I focused on the
code and Geralyn focused on the exhibit building
and Alain focused on making the whole thing
presentable, the project itself was completed by
us all working together and helping each other
on each part. For instance we each designed and
3D printed our own object and we are using all
31
of the prints in our exhibit. Alain printed an
anaerobic digestor, Geralyn printed the starting
gate, and Surabhi and I printed both of the racing
tokens. I printed a pear and Surabhi printed a
carrot. I was project manager during Milestone 3
during which we designed and built a semi-
functioning prototype out of cheap, pliable
products such as tape, cardboard and plastic.
While project manager, I realized that we should
used string to pull the racing tokens instead of
having magnets attached to conveyor belts to
drag the cars. This made the design much less
complicated and function smoother.
1.4 ALTERNATIVE, EVALUATION
AND EVOLUTION
In the beginning of our design process, we
started off by having a much simpler exhibit. The
exhibit was originally just going to be 4-5 3D
printed foods laid out on a shelf. The audience
would then try and pick the food that created the
most energy when it undergoes anaerobic
digestion. We decided on this by making a
decision matrix of everyone's ideas and picking
the best one. This first idea, while still including
and mentioning anaerobic digestion, did not have
the engaging element we were looking for.
Therefore, we had to go back to the drawing
board. We then came up with an idea for a race
between two players. Although similar to our
final design, we hadn’t ironed out all of the kinks
yet. For instance, we thought that we should
have the racing cars be constantly moving. We
realized later that it would make the game
broken if the users took too long to answer, so
we instead made the racing tokens move a set
distance instead. Also, as I described in Section
1.3 Methodology and Organization, We switched
from a conveyor belt system to a string around a
pulley system. This reduces costs and build time
because magnets are expensive and conveyor
belts are difficult to construct from scratch.
1.5 FINAL DESIGN
DESCRIPTION
Our final design works as follows: the two
players will be given a brief overview of our
poster board and the information presented on it.
Then the game will start and a series of questions
will be displayed on the computer display. Each
player will answer the question by pressing the
button corresponding to the answer. Depending
on how correct the answer is, the racing token
will move a set distance along the track. This
will continue until someone reaches the end of
the race and the winner will be declared. If they
both reach there at the same time, a tie breaker
question will be displayed and the first person to
answer the correct answer will be the winner.
32
CONTRIBUTIONS
For the final design, I designed and coded both
the Matlab and Arduino code for our project. For
the Matlab, I made the original code design
during Milestone 4, but Surabhi re-purposed it
into Matlab App Designer. From there I
programmed the game code to run and later
implemented a serial connection in order to
communicate with the motors. I was also the one
to come up with the pulley-string design that
pulls the racing tokens, but it was Geralyn who
built and implemented the physical design.
Fig.12. Energy in our Trash Exhibit [2]
RESOURCES
Our project did keep inside our $100 budget and
we all are splitting the total cost of $60 evenly so
in theory, we all acquired a quarter of all of the
objects we bought. We also all spent an equal
amount of time on the project. In total I spent
roughly 8-12 hours per milestone so roughly 70 writing process, both Surabhi and I wrote the
hours in total over the course of all 7 milestones. same code separately when we could have split
the work in half and saved hours of time. I still
1.6 CONCLUSION need to work on being more positive when we
are struggling to meet deadlines, but I feel that
REFLECTIONS ON LEARNING
when in a leadership role, I am able to manage
During this project, I learned that things never go
the time schedule of the group. For instance,
according to plan the first time. The first plan
when I was the project manager, we were not
you have will surely change and you have to be
scrambling till the last minute. One reason I
ready to adapt. A lot was new to me as well. For
attribute this to is the fact that I divided the work
instance, before this project, I was unaware of
early and made sure people did their parts well
how stepper motors moved each step. By writing
before the project was due. That way, if
the code for the stepper motors, I was able to
something goes wrong, we have plenty of time to
figure out how it worked. I did have to teach
fix it. I feel that we were able to overcome these
myself a lot of the syntax for serial writing and
challenges partly due to the prior knowledge we
reading. I also had to learn many Matlab
all had and partly due to working tirelessly until
functions and syntax's that I never used in class. I
it was finished instead of giving up. I felt like my
feel proud of the new programming languages I
best asset was my programming skills and
learned like Matlab and Arduino, and I feel like I
previous expertise in coding and robotics. I felt
will be able to use this later in my life. For
comfortable coding and connecting wires and
instance, if I get a job as a Software Engineer, I
communicating with motors which helped get
will most likely be programming in languages
the ball rolling with our exhibit design.
similar to the languages I learned during this
course. 1.7 RECOMMENDATIONS

REFLECTIONS ON WORKING IN A TEAM If I could go back to the beginning of the

semester, I would have started off with a more
Over the course of this project, I came to realize
reasonable and manageable idea and built off
how important communication is when you are
those ideas instead of overreaching in the
working with a team. If some people are left out
beginning and having to cut back on certain
of the discussions, then people don’t work as
components of our design. If we had more time,
efficiently because the work begins to overlap.
I would have liked to get stronger motors or used
One such instance of this was during the code
33
a higher tension wire instead of string. Other as I could see it being.
than those changes, our overall design is as good

34
REFERENCES

[1] Pantig, Junemy, “The Effects of Food Waste on the Environment,” Donate Don’t
Dump. [Online]. Available: https://donatedontdump.net/2014/07/07/the-effects-of-food-
waste-on-the-environment-by-junemy-pantig/. [Accessed April 04, 2017].

[2] NPR. “How Colorado Is Turning Food Waste Into Electricity,” NPR. [Online].
Available: http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/04/05/472673127/how-colorado-is-
turning-food-waste-into-electricity. [Accessed April 04, 2017].

[3] EPA, “Converting Food Waste to Renewable Energy,” United States Environmental
Protection Agency. [Online]. Available: https://www.epa.gov/pacific-southwest-media-
center/converting-food-waste-renewable-energy. [Accessed April 04, 2017].

[4] CERES, “Biogas Digester”, CERES Community Environment Park, 2017. [Online].
Available: http://ceres.org.au/education/green-technology/biogas-digester/. [Accessed
April 04, 2017]

[5] Mathworks, “Basic Image Import, Processin, and Export,” Mathworks. [Online].
Available: https://www.mathworks.com/help/images/image-import-and-
export.html?searchHighlight=imread%20and%20imshow&s_tid=doc_srchtitle.
[Accessed April 04, 2017]

[6] Arduino Forums, “Stepper motor speed problem on Matlab,” Arduino. [Online].
Available: https://forum.arduino.cc/index.php?topic=442249.0. [Accessed April 04,
2017].
[7]

[8]

35
[9]

[10] A. B. Council, “http://www.americanbiogascouncil.org,” American Biogas Council.

[Online]. Available: https://www.americanbiogascouncil.org/biogas_what.asp.
[Accessed: 02-Feb-2017].

[11] M. S. University, “New MSU anaerobic digester to supply power for south campus
buildings,” MSUToday. [Online]. Available: http://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2013/new-
msu-anaerobic-digester-to-supply-power-for-south-campus-buildings/. [Accessed: 17-
Apr-2017].

[12] Feldman J., “UK Supermarket To Use Food Waste To Power Itself,” The
Huffington Post, 24-Jul-2014. [Online]. Available:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/24/supermarket-food-biogas-power-
uk_n_5611257.html. [Accessed: 09-Feb-2017].

[13] Stuart Stuart, “Sainsbury's aims for zero waste landfill – but is anaerobic digestion
the best way?,” The Guardian, 17-Nov-2011. [Online].
Available: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2011/nov/17/sainsburys-zero-
waste-landfill. [Accessed: 09-Feb-2017].

[14] Chainey, Ross, “Which countries waste the most food?,” World Economic Forum.
[Online]. Available: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2015/08/which-countries-waste-
the-most-food/. [Accessed: 05-Mar-2017].

[15] “40% of food wasted, report says,” CNN, 22-Aug-2012. [Online]. Available:
http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2012/08/22/40-of-u-s-food-wasted-report-says/. [Accessed:
05-Mar-2017].

36
[16] “Key facts on food loss and waste you should know!,” Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations. [Online]. Available: http://www.fao.org/save-
food/resources/keyfindings/en/. [Accessed: 05-Mar-2017].

37
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHIES
Surabhi Gupta was
born in Castries, Saint
Lucia, in 1998. She
graduated from St.
Joseph’s Convent in
May of 2015 and did a
post-graduate program
at IMG Academy in
Bradenton, FL. For her first semester in
college, she went to Melbourne, Australia
through the NU.in Program at Northeastern
University. Currently, she is pursuing a B.S.
in mechanical engineering at Northeastern
University in Boston, MA. She plans to
graduate from Northeastern University in
the year 2021, after doing three co-ops
alongside her studies. After graduating, she
also plans to do her masters in Aerospace
Engineering.
Throughout the course of secondary school,
she played Division 3 tennis. She was also
very involved in volunteer work such as
Hunger Walks, volunteering at elderly and
children homes and raising money for
diabetes and cancer organizations. Her
interest in the subjects of physics,
technology, and mathematics led to her
interest in engineering. In 2015, she won the
national awards for additional mathematics.
This boosted her confidence and passion for
these subject areas. This and her passion for
space and rockets solidified her decision to
pursue a career in Aerospace Engineering.
When she first arrived at Northeastern
University, Ms. Gupta joined the American
Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
club to gain hands-on experience in
engineering and more specifically aerospace
engineering. Working with this club has
allowed her to understand what her major
entails and solidified her decision of major
even further. bbhbhbbbbhhguygygyd
38
Geralyn Moore was born
in Palo Alto, California, in
1998. She graduated from
Los Altos High School in
June of 2016. For her first
semester in college, she
participated in
Northeastern University’s
NUin program in Melbourne, Australia. She
is currently pursuing a B.S. in electrical
engineering at Northeastern University in
Boston, MA. She plans to graduate in May
2020 with a minor in math and computer
science after completing two co-ops. After
graduation, she plans to pursue a master's
degree in Electrical Engineering with a
specialization in embedded systems.
In eighth grade, she participated in her
school’s science fair and designed and
fabricated working energy harvesting
circuits. This inspired her to further pursue
engineering. Throughout high school, she
participated in her school’s PLTW
program.. From 2013 to 2016 she was the
captain of her robotics team. She spent her
summers doing internships at various
startups in Silicon Valley, and has
discovered a passion for embedded systems
and signal integrity. She will be working
with CNEX Labs in San Jose in the summer
of 2017 as a hardware R&D intern.
Ms. Moore was a recipient of the
Sustainability in Energy and Transportation
Award for the Alameda County Science Fair
in 2013, the AP Student with Distinction
Award in 2015 and 2016, is currently an
active member of Northeastern’s Society of
Women Engineers, and is in the process of
becoming an officer of Northeastern’s IEEE
club.
 Alain Berdkan was born Patrick Jimenez was
Miniara, Lebanon, in 1997. born in Berkeley,
He lived his whole life in California in 1998. He
Dubai, United Arab attended Head-Royce
Emirates, where he School in Oakland
attended a French California and is
systemed school during his currently studying at
childhood, Lycee Libanais Northeastern University
Francophone Prive, but graduated from the for Computer Engineering and Computer
American School of Dubai in June 2015. For Science.
his first semester in college, he attended
Wentworth Institute of Technology where From 2012 to 2015, he was a part of a
he was pursuing a B.S. in Architecture. The robotics team for VEX Robotics. On this
following semester, he transferred to the team, he programmed and helped build the
school of Engineering at Wentworth. robots for regional, national, and
Currently, after a three semesters at international competitions. During the
Wentworth Institute of Technology, he is summer of 2015, he worked with UC
pursuing a B.S. in Industrial Engineering at Berkeley graduate students on traffic and
Northeastern University with a minor in HOV lane simulation technology. In
Business Management. He plans to graduate his free time, he enjoys camping at Big Sur,
in 2020 , after completing two co-ops. After skiing at Lake Tahoe, and playing tennis.
graduation, he plans to obtain a Masters in
Business Administration. At Northeastern, Patrick Jimenez enjoys
participating in the robotics club and
Throughout middle school, he attending various community and
participated in several theatre production in engineering clubs.
school, such as Julius Caesar and Socratis in
Arabic. During high school, he joined the
wrestling team and participated in the Spring
Plays where he played one of the main three
characters. He participated in some
volunteer work with school organizations
such “Little Wings”. He took AP Physics
and AP Calculus in his senior year.

Mr. Berdkan has joined the IISE

club, Institute of Industrial and System
Engineers, at Northeastern, where he was
able to meet and connect with other
industrial engineers and learn from their
activities, as well as the Engineers Without
Borders association where he explores a
different side of engineering.

39
APPENDICES

APPENDIX A – DESCISION ANALYSIS

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF INDIVIDUAL PROJECT CONCEPTS

Weight Sensor: Children will place a specific 3D printed food in a trash bin. The load
sensor, attached to the trash bin, will be used to measure the weight of the 3D printed
food item placed inside. The load sensor amplifier will be used to send data to the
computer. Depending on the weight, the program will calculate an estimate of the amount
of methane and electricity produced.

Energy Game: This game serves to educate children about the impact of the foods they
eat. There will be five different foods (3D printed parts), each with a display above
it. Below, there will be a display showing the question number, the question and the
player’s score. There will be a series of 10 to 15 questions, each asking the player to
choose one food. After selection of an answer, regardless of correctness of the answer,
the displays above the food will display a ranking 1 to 5 for each of the foods based on
the question.

Mini Supermarket: This will be virtual grocery store with different 3D parts
representing food items. In this game, children will pretend they are going grocery
shopping and will be asked to choose one or more items by pressing the button
corresponding to each food item. They will be asked to purchase whatever they would
consider eating in a span or a day or two days. When they check out, the cashier will print
a bill with information on how much energy they can produce with the food they bought.

Food Facts: The designs functions are simple. There will be two main sections. The first
will contain all the necessary research and explanations of the food waste system. It will
describe how and where your food is grown, transported, and ends up. The second part
will include an interactive exhibit that includes a collection of 3D printed food items.
Each food item will correspond with a certain amount of methane and/or CO2 emissions.

40
 K-T DECISION ANALYSIS TABLE

Table 1: Kepner-Tregoe Decision Analysis Used to Choose a Project Concept

Surabhi Geralyn Alain Patrick

(Weight (Energy (Mini (Food
sensor) Game) Supermarket) facts)

Musts
Uses 3D printed parts GO GO GO GO
Cost less than $100 GO GO GO GO
Compact (less than 5’ by 19’’ by GO GO GO GO
4’)
Incorporates Sparkfun kit GO GO GO GO
Incorporates Matlab GO GO GO GO
Portable GO GO GO GO
Within programming abilities of GO GO NO GO GO
team
Reusability GO GO GO GO

How well it teaches sustainability 8 8 8 8

How well it teaches about food 7 6 7 7

waste

Cost (under $100) 3 7 6 7

Ease of understanding for young 9 7 8 6

children

Aesthetics 6 6 8 5

Enjoyable 7 5 8 4

Sustainably sourced materials 2 8 8 8

Portability 5 9 9 9

Relevance to children’ daily lives 5 7 6 9

Total 357 398 352

Highest Score: 398

41
 Calculations showing statistical significance of the Energy Game’s score:

ℎ𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 − 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙

× 100%
ℎ𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙

398 − 357
× 100%
398

41
× 100% = 10.3 % > 10%
398

The Energy Game (Geralyn’s Project Concept) has the highest total score, which is also
more than 10% higher than the other project concepts’ scores. Therefore, we chose to
move forward with her project concept of an interactive game about energy generation
from food waste.

AUTOCAD DRAWING OF ENERGY

GAME PROJECT CONCEPT

CORNERSTONE OF ENGINEERING
02/09/17

42
APPENDIX B - FINAL AUTOCAD/SOLIDWORKS DRAWINGS
SCREENSHOTS OF MAIN DESIGN

Fig. 13. Top Left View

Fig. 14. Back Side View

43
 Fig. 15. Front View

Fig. 16. Left Side View

44
Fig. 17. Right Side View

45
ORTHOGRAPHIC PROJECTIONS OF MAIN DESIGN

46
ORTHOGRAPHIC PROJECTIONS OF 3D PRINTED PARTS

Fig. 18. Orthographic Projection of Carrot

47
 Fig. 19. Orthographic Projection of Pear

ORTHOGRAPHIC PROJECTION OF
PEAR

CORNERSTONE OF ENGINEERING
02/09/17

Fig. 20. Orthographic Projection of Anaerobic Digesters

ORTHOGRAPHIC PROJECTION OF
PEAR
CORNERSTONE OF ENGINEERING
02/09/17

48
Fig. 21. Orthographic Projection of Start Sign

ORTHOGRAPHIC PROJECTION
OF PEAR

CORNERSTONE OF ENGINEERING
02/09/17

49
APPENDIX C –CODE USED IN PROJECT
MATLAB CODE

properties (Access = public)

aBoard % Description
ser % Description
end

methods (Access = private)

%declares function for button inputs
function an = inputButtons(app)

%Declares variables
%assigns each button to a variable
but1='D2';
but2='D3';
but3='D4';
but4='D5';
but5='D6';
but6='D7';

%variables used to lock an answer once a button has been hit

lock1=0;
lock2=0;

%stores player answers

p1=0;
p2=0;

%while either one of the players has not hit a button

while(lock1==1 || lock2==1)

%while loop to prevent player from changing answer

%while player 1 has not hit a button
while (lock1==1)
%read inputs from Player One's buttons
state1=app.aBoard.readDigitalPin(but1);
state2=app.aBoard.readDigitalPin(but2);
state3=app.aBoard.readDigitalPin(but3);

%if functions to determine which button was pressed

%if button 1 is pressed
if(state1==0)
%store 1 is variable p1
p1=1;
%store 0 in lock variable
lock1=0;
end

%if button 2 is pressed

if(state2==0)
%store 2 is variable p1
p1=2;

50
 %store 0 in lock variable
lock1=0;
end

%if button 3 is pressed

if(state3==0)
%store 3 is variable p1
p1=3;
%store 0 in lock variable
lock1=0;
end
end

%while loop to prevent player from changing answer

%while player 2 has not hit a button
while (lock2==1)
%read inputs from Player One's buttons
state4=app.aBoard.readDigitalPin(but4);
state5=app.aBoard.readDigitalPin(but5);
state6=app.aBoard.readDigitalPin(but6);

%if functions to determine which button was pressed

%if button 4 is pressed
if(state4==0)
%store 1 is variable p2
p2=1;
%store 0 in lock variable
lock2=0;
end

%if button 5 is pressed

if(state5==0)
%store 2 is variable p2
p2=2;
%store 0 in lock variable
lock2=0;
end

%if button 6 is pressed

if(state6==0)
%store 3 is variable p2
p2=3;
%store 0 in lock variable
lock2=0;
end
end
end
%return both player's answers
an = [p1, p2];
end

%declares function for displaying the pictures

function displayImg(app, img, pics)
%show picture
imshow(img,'Parent',pics);
%update image
drawnow;
end
end

%delete all objects

51
 delete(instrfindall);

%activate serial connection for motor controlling arduino

app.ser=serial('/dev/cu.usbserial-DN01IUU6');

%activate arduino connection with button info recieveing arduino

app.aBoard=arduino('/dev/tty.usbserial-DN02BA9B','UNO');

%stores the images

fig=uifigure('Name','Energy','Position',[0 0 1000 840]);
pics = uiaxes(fig,'Position', [0 50 1300 760]);

%Turn on Axes that will display the image

pics.Visible='on';

%position figure on screen

app.score1.Parent=fig;
app.score2.Parent=fig;
app.score1.Position=[fig.Position(3)/3 30 fig.Position(3)/3 30];
app.score2.Position=[fig.Position(3)/3 10 fig.Position(3)/3 30];

while true
%initialize restart and quit button
butr='D8';

%display welcome image

displayImg(app, 'welcome.png',pics);

%randomly generate number between 0 and 11

p=randperm(10);

%answer array to store the answer to each question

answer=[2,1,1,3,2,2,2,2,3,2;3,2,2,2,1,1,1,3,1,3];

%initialize variables to store score of each player

scr1=0;
scr2=0;

%displays total score to player 1 as game goes on

app.score1.Text= strcat('TOTAL SCORE = ',num2str(scr1));
%displays total score to player 2 as game goes on
app.score2.Text= strcat('TOTAL SCORE = ',num2str(scr2));

%for questions 1 to 10
for i=1:10

%display question
displayImg(app, strcat('Q',num2str(p(i)),'.png'),pics);

%Get player answers and put them in variables

cans=inputButtons(app);
p1=cans(1);
p2=cans(2);

%if function to tell player 1 if their answer was right/wrong/close

to right answer
%if p1 has the correct answer
if(p1==answer(1,p(i)))
%update player 1's score by adding three points
scr1=scr1+3;
%set distance to three for car to move

52
 d1=3;
elseif(p1==answer(2,p(i)))
%update player 1's score by adding two points
scr1=scr1+2;
%set distance to two for car to move
d1=2;
else
%update player 1's score by adding one points
scr1=scr1+1;
%set distance to one for car to move
d1=1;
end

%if function to tell player 2 if their answer was right/wrong/close

to right answer
%if p2 is the correct answer
if(p2==answer(1,p(i)))
%update player 2's score by adding three points
scr2=scr2+3;
%set distance to three for car to move
d2=3;
elseif(p2==answer(2,p(i)))
%update player 2's score by adding two points
scr2=scr2+2;
%set distance to two for car to move
d2=2;
else
%update player 2's score by adding one points
scr2=scr2+1;
%set distance to one for car to move
d2=1;
end

%encode both distances in a single digit character that will be sent

through the serial connection
dist=((d1-1)*3)+(d2-1);

%open serial connection and wait for connection to proccess

fopen(app.ser);

%pause for matlab to establish connections

pause(3);

%send digit to serial arduino

fprintf(app.ser,num2str(dist));

%display the answer image

displayImg(app, strcat('A',num2str(p(i)),'.png'),pics);

%pause for matlab to establish connections

pause(3);

%Close the serial connection

fclose(app.ser);

%displays total score to player 1 as game goes on

app.score1.Text= strcat('TOTAL SCORE = ',num2str(scr1));
%displays total score to player 2 as game goes on
app.score2.Text= strcat('TOTAL SCORE = ',num2str(scr2));

%if both players have a total score greater than 9

if(scr1>9 && scr2>9)
%it's a tie
winner=3;
%else if player 1 has a total score greater than 9
elseif(scr1>9)
%player 1 has won
winner=1;

53
 %else if player 2 has a total score greater than 9
elseif(scr2>9)
%player 2 has won
winner=2;
%else if no one has won yet
else
%move to the next question
winner=0;
end

%if someone has won or tied, the program breaks and the finish is
diplayed
if(winner>0)
break;
end
end

%if player 1 won

if(winner==1)
%display a carrot won picture
displayImg(app, 'carrot.png',pics);
%if player 2 won
elseif(winner==2)
%display a pear won picture
displayImg(app, 'pear.png',pics);
%if its a tie
else
%display a tie picture
displayImg(app, 'tie.png',pics);
end

%initalize variable for reseting game

reset=1;

while(reset==1)
%get reset button input
reset=app.aBoard.readDigitalPin(butr);
end

%display the welcome image again

displayImg(app, 'welcome.png',pics);

end

54
55
ARDUINO CODE FOR MOTORS

56
57
APPENDIX D – WIRE DIAGRAMS FOR SPARKFUN BOARDS

The wire diagram includes a depiction of the final circuit Team LOST used for the
project. There are two individual Arduinos that each serves a different function: one
communicates reads the input from the buttons to Matlab and controls the logic of the
game, while the other solely reads serial print from Matlab and controls motor movement
based on data received. The stepper motors were powered by a 12V external power
supply, and are driven by the Sparkfun EasyDriver. However, circuits.io, the software
that was used for this circuit design, did not have that particular driver as an option so the
Pololu Motor Driver was used in the diagram instead. The circuit is Manhattan routed for
ease of understanding.

58
Fig. 22. Wire Diagram

59
APPENDIX E – PHOTOGRAPHS

23. Prototype from Milestone 3:

Fig.23.1. Full prototype:

Fig.23.2. Buttons Panel: The buttons are labeled one to three for each contestant
as each question will offer three choices. Also, there is a start button that will
restart the game for new contestants.

60
Fig.23.3. Screen Platform: The screen will rest on a platform at the level of the
cars, behind the tracks, so that the tracks will be in the contestants’ peripheral
vision when looking at the screen and answering questions:

Fig.23.4. Start Line: The cars will start at a start line at the same point.

61
Fig.23.5. Tracks: The two tracks will be parallel, sideways in relation to the
contestant, in order for them to see and notice the cars advance in a clearer
manner:

Fig.23.6. Conveyor Belt Mechanism: The hot glue sticks serve as axles which will
be turned, moving the belt. The two cardboard circles on each side of each belt
serve as a guide for the belts so that they stay in place. There are two conveyor
belts, one for each track, hence one for each car. Each car will be connected to a
conveyor belt and will move with it.

62
 Fig.23.7. Car: There will be two cars, one on each conveyor belt for each
contestant. The lower cardboard part serves to stabilize the car in the lines cut into
the prototype forming the tracks:

24. Prototype from Milestone 4:

Fig.24.1. Car representation: The strings will be connected to the cars via a simple
square rod. The square rod will have a hook on each of two opposite faces. The
string will be attached to the hooks as displayed below.

63
Fig.24.2. Temporary Pulley: The program directs the motors to turn clockwise,
causing the pulleys attached to move. This results in the movement of the upper
string, and therefore the cars, to the right.

Fig.24.3. Inside of Second Prototype: Displays initial wooden casing containing

temporary pulley and motors.

64
25. Prototype from Milestone 5:

Fig.25.1. The buttons panel: Buttons were added.

Fig.25.2. Screen: The GUI (Graphical User Interface) will be displayed on the
laptop screen. Once the program is started, it can be stopped, restarted and ended
using the restart button. The GUI will display the questions and answer options.

65
Fig.25.3. First Iteration of the Poster Board: The poster board displays a few
graphics and text.

Fig.25.4. Start Line and Start Sign: The cars will start at a start line at the same
point. The start sign contains 3 LEDs which are programmed to blink in sequence
as a signal for the contestants to start the race.

66
Fig.25.5. Closer Picture of Start Sign

Fig.25.6. Tracks: The two tracks will be parallel, sideways in relation to the
contestant. This allows contestants to advance in a clearer manner.

67
Fig.25.7. The Pulley and String Mechanism: There is a pulley on each end of each
track. String is tied taut around each pulley to form a mechanism similar to that of
a conveyor belt. Attached to one of the pulleys is a stepper motor which will
allow us to move the cars at certain distances along the track.

String Attached to Motors and Pulleys

a.

Pulley

b.

68
 Fig.25.8. Cars: There will be two cars, one on track for each contestant. We
designed the cars to look like a carrot and pear so that it may be connected more
to our topic of generating energy from food waste.

Carrot Car Pear Car

a. b.

26. Pictures from Milestone 6:

Fig.26.1. GUIs: The user interfaces consist of the questions along with the three
choices and the answers for each question ranked depending on which ones are
better.

Table 2: Graphical User Interface for Questions and Answers

Questions Answers

69
70
71
Fig.26.2. Display Messages (welcome message, winner announcement):

a.

b.

c.

d.

72
27. Pictures of Final Project (Milestone 7):

Fig.27.1. Final Poster: The visuals and text were laid out on a single sheet and
plotted. The plotted poster is then glued to the cardboard. On the left side of the
poster, the rules of the game are explained. In the middle, the process of anaerobic
digestion is explained. On the right, the 3Ps of sustainability relating to the topic
are explained.

Fig.27.2. Additional Elements Added to the Poster: A “Phineas and Ferb” theme
is added to the exhibit through these characters. The text is their speech bubbles relate
back to the information displayed on the poster board.

a.

73
b.

c.

d.

74
Fig.27.3. Button Panel cover: Three holes under each “Racer” heading and the
“Start” heading were cut through for the actual buttons to appear.

Fig.27.4. Tracks cover: The horizontal green rectangles at the bottom going
through the image are the two tracks. These two rectangles were cut through.

Fig.27.5. Full Exhibit: The poster board was glued to the top surface of the casing
of the game.

75
Fig.28. Picture of Team LOST Members with Final Exhibit at Beachmont School

76
APPENDIX F – FINAL GANNT CHART

77
APPENDIX G – FINAL BUDGET

Table 3: Key to Determine Status of Required Parts

Order Statuses Need to Order

Ordered
Delivered

Table 4: Summary of Project Costs for Milestone 4

Total
Category Item Quantity Cost per item Status Purchaser
Cost
Activity,
3D Printed Parts 4 $0 $0 Entire Team
Exhibit
Activity,
Buttons 6 $2 $12 Geralyn Moore
Arduino
Arduino Motors 2 $6.95 $13.90 Geralyn Moore
Exhibit Poster Board 1 $5.43 $5.43 Surabhi Gupta
Geralyn Moore
Exhibit Base (wood) 1 $0 $0
Surabhi Gupta
Activity String/bicycle tubing 1 $3.99 $3.99 Geralyn Moore
Activity Pulleys 4 $1.55 $6.20 Geralyn Moore
Total Cost $41.52

78
 Table 5: Summary of Project Costs for Milestone 5

Total
Category Item Quantity Cost per item Status Purchaser
Cost
Activity,
3D Printed Parts 4 $0 $0 Entire Team
Exhibit
Activity,
Buttons 6 $2 $12 Geralyn Moore
Arduino
Arduino Motors 2 $6.95 $13.90 Geralyn Moore
Exhibit Poster Board 1 $5.43 $5.43 Surabhi Gupta
Geralyn Moore
Exhibit Base (wood) 1 $0 $0
Surabhi Gupta
Activity String/bicycle tubing 1 $3.99 $3.99 Geralyn Moore
Activity Pulleys 4 $1.55 $6.20 Geralyn Moore
Total Cost $41.52

Table 6: Summary of Project Costs for Milestone 6

Total
Category Item Quantity Cost per item Status Purchaser
Cost
Activity,
3D Printed Parts 4 $0 $0 Entire Team
Exhibit
Activity,
Buttons 6 $2 $12 Geralyn Moore
Arduino
Arduino Motors 2 $6.95 $13.90 Geralyn Moore
Exhibit Poster Board 1 $5.43 $5.43 Surabhi Gupta
Geralyn Moore
Exhibit Base (wood) 1 $0 $0
Surabhi Gupta
Activity String/bicycle tubing 1 $3.99 $3.99 Geralyn Moore
Activity Pulleys 4 $1.55 $6.20 Geralyn Moore
Total Cost $41.52

79
APPENDIX H-PROJECT HOURS LOG

Table 7: Summary of Hours Worked

Surabhi Geralyn Alain Patrick

Individual Research and Concept Drawings for 3 3 3 3

Milestone 2

Objectives, Decision Analysis and Reviewed 1.75 1.75 1.75 .25

Problem Statement

Prototype 17 28 10 6

Overall and Updated Gantt Charts 3.75 .5

SolidWorks and AutoCAD Sketch 7.5 1.5 5.5

Description Concept and Prototypes 2.75 .5 1 3

Description of changes made 2

Wire Diagram 1

Flow Chart for Program 3

Program and Research for Program 10 17

Updated Budgets 0.75 2

Poster Board and Aesthetic Cover for Casing 5 4

Pamphlet 1 0.75

GUI 4

Overall Reports 11.5 5.5 5 4

Appendices 8 3 4 1

Formatting of Final Report 4

Total 76 50 38.25 36.75

80