Mentor series- EcoHero with Mrs.Taylor
Our trip to meet our very first advisor was very thrilling. The planning was very complicated as well but meeting Ms.Taylor and the whole trip was so delightful. Our first job meeting her was to actually plan the trip. Since everyone in the team had summer camps and complex schedules, it was hard to find an open schedule that everyone had including Ms. Taylor. Once we found an open time when everybody could go, we asked Ms. Taylor and she confirmed as well thankfully in spite of her busy schedule.
While touring Mrs. Taylor’s facility at DOER Marine, we saw many sophisticated looking tools and marine vehicles. The first thing we saw was a prototype marine vehicle(submersible), designed to collect samples of animals and plants and bring them to the surface. She also explained to us about the capabilities of the robot. Nearby, there was what looked like a shipping container with two openings on either side. Mrs. Taylor explained to us that it was a control station for the robot. Everything that was required for driving and manipulating it underwater was inside the container. According to her, this mobility is way more effective and efficient to move around the globe and do a productive research instead of building a costly brand new one in the new location from scratch.
The next part of the tour was the machine shop. She showed us all the machines used to create the parts for the robots. One of the most interesting things we saw at the machine shop was a metal tub looking part made to house the main motor of the robot. Mrs. Taylor explained to us that the metal tub used to be one solid metal block, then carved out to create the shape. Similarly, the aluminum propellers used to be solid metal blocks as well, carved out to create the shape of the propeller. Overall, the tour was an enlightening experience for the team, learning about the process and steps taken to put together a functioning marine vehicle.
After the tour of the workshop, Mrs. Taylor allowed us to have a Q&A session in the gift shop. Each of us asked questions about how our project could be improved. For instance, we asked how our game could be further integrated with the environment. For an answer, Mrs. Taylor provided more information on how the marine ecosystems were begun to be damaged by micro-plastics. After learning about this, we found another topic to address in our project. Another question was if the current way of having facts on the side would be an effective way to address the issue that we were trying to help. In response, Mrs. Taylor told us that having the users be more engaged would be an effective way to raise awareness. A way to do this would be constant blog articles being written and uploaded, or having different sorts of environmental integration added from time to time. Our last question was about how to promote our project. Mrs. Taylor’s response to this was to have friends or family members who were willing to support and play your game. Another way to promote would be to pitch out to different influencers or continue gaining advisors so we can publicize ourselves and acquire more ideas.
Using our chess game, we especially hope to educate the younger generation about the environmental issues in the world today. Since adults should already know of the problems, informing children about the problems and how to take action is a priority. She ended with an inspirational quote: “The whole world is a chess game. You have to think several steps ahead of your moves.”
