Unfortunately the video is not very clear so I used only large text and images in my presentation. I don’t know if ZOOM was the issue itself or if my home internet connection was too poor. But enjoy.
Link to Presentation:
https://osu.zoom.us/rec/share/xM5cAJL1219OYbOU9X_EAJcAAaHaT6a80ycZq6EImk2d9XlO_mBs0A-0ieSjV20o?startTime=1597263712000
As the end of my second year at The Ohio State University is approaching, I have come to realize that this has been a very different year for me. This school year I joined a club, got into my major and minor, had a job, and dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic. I joined the Artificial Intelligence Club at OSU, which looks to see the broad current and future applications of AI technology. The AI club ties into my major and minor, as I got accepted into my major of Integrated Systems Engineering and minor of Computer and Information Science. I want to eventually look to take my major and minor to analyze data with AI solutions. This school year, I was an Office Assistant at the Park-Stradly dorm hall. As an office assistant I aid everyone in the dorm hall with general information, mail, dorm facilities, dorm room cards, emergencies, and creating a friendly atmosphere for the residents. But university life was cut short with the COVID-19 pandemic. Students were required to go home and finish the semester from an online setting. Due to online classes, students and professors alike had to adjust and do the best they could away from campus. Not only has this been a very different year for me but in the history of OSU as well.
Albert Ding
ding.792@osu.edu
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/albert-ding-176a33192
Quick Information
I am a second year at The Ohio State University studying Industrial and Systems Engineering.
Education
Involvement
Working Experiences
Classes Taken
Scholarships and Academic Awards
I am now a second year Integrated Systems Engineering major, with a minor in Computer and Information Science. When I’m not in class or studying you can find me working as an Office Assistant in the Park-Stradley dorm hall, playing video games with friends, or at organization meetings. Recently I’ve picked up an interest in artificial intelligence and joined the AI club. I and looking to study AI more with my CIS minor. I have completed my STEM EE capstone project of creating and sustaining an aquaponics system which is like a mini garden that also grows fish. (You can read more about my capstone project and the progression of said project in the capstone tab.) But overall I’m still trying my best to become an engineer that can help other with the work I do.
(Me on vacation with my mom <3)
After update 2, the timer had broke and therefore the plants were not getting watered resulting in half of the plants dying.
But it seems that all of the Tilapia have survived although difficult to confirm with so much algae in the water.
The project, albeit some set backs with the timer breaking, is a success with a sustaining system supporting all life in the system. The aquaponics system created is an efficient way to grow both the Blue Tilapia and the Spearmint and Yam Vine plants. After the initial set up, of creating the frame and setting up lights, the aquaponics system works on its own other than feeding the Blue Tilapia once a week with a small hand of fish food. Creating such a system shows just how simple it is to do so. By creating an aquaponics system people can save money and eat healthier. Overall, aquaponics is a low effort way to grow plants and fish for consumption which anyone can do.
The system is now complete with a lighting system, mint plants, and tilapia fish. After the fish arrived, they were slowly acquainted with the water they would be moved to, so they wouldn’t die in the transfer to a new system. They are currently very small, but have the potential to grow very large.
With all of the set up completed the system can run on it’s own with occasional tweaks if needed.
Recently all the building was completed. Originally the idea was to use wood planks to make a container for the plants, but wood would weaken when wet. So a switch to pvc pipes was made. Also due to the size of the fish tank and the pipe connectors available at the store a change in design was also made.
After bringing the base for the plants to the fish tank all the pipes ware adjusted to save more room and make it more compact. The pipes are now glued into the connectors for stability. The plants would be housed in the black boxes with lids to keep the roots in a dark area away from the harsh sunlight. Currently the only thing to wait for is a timer for the water pump and the fish themselves.
The main parts of an aquaponics system is the housing for the plants and the fish. The plants need to be able to get the waste water of the fish and output the water again once all the nutrients have been absorbed. So the plan is to have a fish tank to hold the fish and use a pump to pump the waste water to the plants. The plants will absorb the nutrients in a container above the tank to save space. The housing of the plants can be a plastic bin of which the lid can hold the plants. The lid would also have holes on the top to allow the plants through and get sunlight. The bin would be held up by a wooden frame so the fish tank itself isn’t holding the weight of the bin. Once the nutrients are absorbed the water in the bin will flow back into the tank. A prototype drawing of the system is shown below.
I propose to set up an aquaponics system, where both fish and plants can be grown in the same system. In this system, the waste from the fish would be used to feed the plants that can produce vegetables. These systems could be used in homes to grow both vegetables and fish to eat in the same space.
I have reached the last three weeks of classes of my first year at the Ohio State University. I am also reaching to the end of my first year in STEM EE Scholars. Looking back I was a student just cruising through high school thinking that college would just be a little bit harder, but not by much. I was very wrong. I’ve actually needed to scheduled times to study so everything is done on time and I get time to eat, workout and sleep. With scholars in the mix I’ve needed to hone my time management skills so I can attend events and for volunteering hours. I started this year with just a general idea of what I want to study and now I’ve realized that I want to focus on my love of solving problems and design. With this in mind staying in engineering field just seems like the right thing to do. I was someone who was probably more inclined to stay to myself and the people I knew, but coming to OSU has changed that. I did not start out with a pool of people I knew from before coming here to fall back on. I knew basically no one, so I was forced to move out my comfort zone and reach out. In doing so, I’ve meet new people, made new friends, and broaden my horizons. Studying to be an engineer at OSU has been a bumpy road, but it’s been worth it. I’ve learned how to take care of myself and grow as a person. I look forward to the next few years.