Category: Fairview Advantage

Tech Team Reflection Q3

by zacvan413


I made this sign for the academic challenge team. We hang the sign on our table when we are doing the
challenges. It took some problem solving to figure out how to focus the laser cutter because the wood was not flat. I decided that if I focused it on the middle height, thinking that it would be only a little too unfocused instead of focused and really unfocused. The gradient-like effect was caused by the unfocused laser. I also had to communicate with Mrs. Kim on the size of the sign.


This was a poster for AP Government that I made with the help of Damion Zody. I had to work with him on how the poster should look. No one had printed on or cut paper until then so I had to use mat board settings and change them to what I thought would not catch the paper on fire. I got it just right so I did not cut through the paper, yet made it dark enough that it could be seen. It took two class periods to make and print.


This is a little hex bug robot. The two motors have a semicircle of wood attached to the spinning rod. When the rod spins, it will vibrate from the unequal forces of the imbalanced piece. The second motor is the same way, but I plan for it to be slightly ahead of the other motor to create more vibrations. These vibrations make the robot move by shaking its little feet. At the moment I am having a hard time making or getting a battery to run both motors. I created the box that is the bug’s body using interlocking pieces of wood. The pieces fit together and are locked down with hot glue.


This is my test piece of bendable plywood. I researched patterns that could allow the wood to bend and being a little lazy, went with an easy one. The wood was a test trial to see if I could make a speaker case out of plywood. It proved a success and work began on the casing.


This is the completed speaker I made. I took some innovation, and problem solving to get it all to work. THe speaker is accessed via bluetooth, with a 50 foot connectivity, and simply needs a USB power source. The original idea was to have the speaker have a battery pack to provide power anywhere, however a problem while soldering caused that to not be possible. It took some problem solving to find how to adjust to the new design I had to go with. In the end, the speaker plays everything but heavy bass as the speaker cone hits the wood casing.


This video is simply me cutting a magnet and it throwing sparks everywhere. I believe the sparks are simply from the coating on the magnet that sparks easily.

Standardized Testing Debate

by zacvan413

During the debate heard the pros and cons of standardized testing. I learned that standardized tests are meant to compare students to others nationwide. These tests allow different racial groups to be compared. The test also allows teachers and schools to be held responsible for the students’ scores. Schools can be judged on how the students do overall, and the teachers can be judged on how their students did on the test. The better the school, the better the community. It was pointed out that when a school does not do well on the testing, they lose federal funding. This leads to more failures, and thus, less funding. Supposedly, the flaws in the system will be worked out in the future. The point was never raised, but I learned some of the extents standardized tests have on the health of children. These include stress, enough that Standford-9 exam sends out packets on how to clean up throw up because enough kids threw up on the test it was needed. What I did not hear was if it would take a year, a decade, a generation, two? I also did not learn why students have to be compared to students, beyond to see who does better. Although standardized testing is nationwide, I believe it is not the right was to judge progress, because it can hurt students, hurt schools, and hurt communities.

There were a couple skilled that were needed for this assignment. Being able to read an article or essay and understand which way they lean on the subject was needed, which I believe I mastered being I am able to tell nine out of ten times. Another skill was public speaking, which I am still working on a bit because sometimes I feel my voice shake and sometimes I lose the words and thoughts. Being persuasive is necessary, otherwise, your argument is pointless. I hope I have mastered that skill, in my opinion, being the opposed sometimes have no comment to block my comment. This course connects to the outcomes of this course, partially because the outcome of this course is decided by a standardized test, but also because being able to use information and history to back up and make your case is a needed skill.

These skills can be used through the future. For a job interview, you have to make an argument as to why you should be hired and not the five hundred other people applying for the job. When buying a car or comparing insurance companies, being able to find facts and compare them is important, and arguing for a better deal is nice too. Being able to speak in public is a necessary skill for a multitude of jobs. Wanting to be an engineer, this is a needed skill, as I will have to give presentations to colleagues or at large conferences. One way to improve on this assignment would be to have a larger pool of data and numbers to pull from when confronted with a topic the other side gives. I like to learn the other sides facts first si that I can structure my argument around then and tear each fact down into nothing.

Youth In Government Reflection

by zacvan413

Youth in Government had three people present today. Peggy Cleary, who’s job title is Council at Large, was the first person to talk. Then we had two school board members talk and the Superintendent was in the back.
Council at Large is like any other council member except, instead of representing one ward, she represents half of Fairview’s district. The school board members vote and determine what is to be taught in schools and how funding will work. The Superintendent looks over the school district to make sure schools are following the rules and guidelines needed.
I learned that the teaching method for the middle school grades is not called base camp, and that it supposedly makes learning easier and better for students and teachers. I also learned that city council prefers to shoot down bills in committee meetings instead of on the council floor.
I did not ask any questions, but I would have asked about how the budget is divided up between all the departments. WHat stuck out the most was the amount of time that it took to have a law pass to allow dogs in parks.

Lobbyist Reflection

by zacvan413

On the Friday of February the 10th, Justin McCaulley came to discuss with my AP Government class on lobbyist. Justin McCaulley is a lobbyist, and has wanted to be a lobbyist since he was 8 years old. Lobbyist help people in politics to understand issues that citizens want heard. At the moment, Justin McCaulley is helping a propane seller by talking to the government to make grants for propane run buses for schools. The seller want to have schools buy propane for their buses, but needed help talking to the government for the change. I learned from this discussion is that lobbyists are misunderstood from every viewpoint. The public sees them as sneaky, under-the-table, liars; some government officials see them as annoying, and blabbermouths; and they see themselves are keystones to connecting the public to the government.
I planned to ask him three questions. How was being a director of the Federal Advocacy? What do you think someone should do to be heard from by the government? What did you have to do to get where you are now? I never got a chance to ask a question however, my last question was answered vaguely. Overall, the takeaway was that lobbyists are needed in politics, because they connect the people to the government. Although they are misunderstood, and some are devious, lobbyist are a helpful, and constitutional part of our government.

E. Coli Results

by zacvan413

20170201-155618.jpg
This petri dish is our LB- dish which contains no ampicillin and no bacteria that are immune to ampicillin. This dish had growth because the bacteria had no antibiotic fighting them and so they flourished, with or without resistance.

20170201-160135.jpg
This petri dish contains ampicillin and bacteria without the resistance to ampicillin. No bacteria grew on this dish because the ampicillin inhibits bacterial growth and without resistance the bacteria died.

20170201-160210.jpg
This petri dish contained ampicillin and bacteria with the resistant gene to ampicillin. There was small bacterial growth because some of the bacteria took up the ampicillin resistance gene and grew immune to ampicillin, while others did not and then died.

20170201-160334.jpg
This petri dish contains no ampicillin but ampicillin resistant bacteria. This dish had unhampered growth from no antibiotics. The resistant gene that some held was not used as their was no ampicillin.

Democracy in Action 2nd Quarter

by zacvan413

Zack VZ
Ms. Keener
AP Government
23 January 2017
Democracy in Action 2nd Quarter
Over the quarter, I went to a Shade Tree Committee meeting. The meeting was for a discussion on the city’s tree plans. I was there to give a presentation for my Eagle Scout project. My project is to plant trees around the Bain Park pavilion for a reforestation project. The committee listened to my project and gave their opinions and recommendations for tree species and where to plant the trees. After my presentation they discussed the plan from 1995 to plant 3000 trees down a multitude of roads in Fairview park. Then they discussed the christmas tree ideas for Bain Park gazebo. After that the meeting was concluded with a quote from Thomas Jefferson on trees.
This committee meeting holds small value to the booming government but still has its importance. Mike Varga, the Assistant Service Supervisor of Fairview, third powerful of the service department, was a member of the committee. This event was clearly for local government as it was tree planting in the city of Fairview. I learned that Fairview made a plan to plant 3000 trees throughout the city, yet has not finished that promise at this time. This event tells me that the government is broken into many different pieces, each with varying amounts of value.

Tech Team Reflection 2

by zacvan413

20170118-103342.jpg
At the beginning of the quarter we were working on this computer. After collaborating on who was going to undo the computer screws, and put the computer back together, we started the deconstruction. We then investigated what each part’s job was, and I then put all the parts back together. We had a problem in connecting all the parts to the correct places, and then could not find a plug to the wall. When turning the computer on, we wanted to check that the speakers work so we played Mozart’s Juptier. Here is a video of the computer playing Mozart.


The fans are running behind the computer because we were worried the computer would overheat without it’s cooling fans attached.


I was showing my math teacher, Mr. Morrison, how the laser cutter works, as he loves to work with wood and engraving. Being that he was a math teacher I decided that the Pi symbol on a circle 3.14 inches in diameter would be best. I walked him through the steps on how to laser cut different materials.

20170118-103254.jpg
This device took a lot of research on how electromagnets work. The idea behind it was an alternating current creates a changing magnetic field. This magnetic field would then levitate a steel marble. This only works with alternating current as direct current only creates a magnetic field in one short burst. Sadly, when the device was plugged in there was a small explosion as the wire melted. The device no longer works, and I have stopped trying for safety reasons.

20170118-231147.jpg
This project has taken a longer time then anticipated with all the modifications. Hopefully, this modification is the last. The rubber band launcher now has two motors that will turn one spool of string. The string then pulls the plastic wheel, which releases the rubber bands in rapid progression. This occurs because as the string is pulled off the wheel, the rubber band strung over it is released. The mounting of the motors, and battery pack, along with the gear belt, were made and installed by myself, the idea came from Ben.

Bio Transcription and Translation

by zacvan413

The video shows the transcription factors attach to the DNA strand. The green playdoh represents the activator protein which makes contact with the transcription factors. This contact releases the transcription factors and RNA polymerase starts to transcribe the DNA. The RNA polymerase takes in nucleotides complementary to the DNA strand it unwinds, and makes the RNA strand. The RNA polymerase reaches the termination codon and the RNA is completed.

The video for translation has RNA flowing out of the nucleus. This RNA then is grabbed by the ribosome, and translation occurs. As the RNA goes through the ribosome, tRNA with the complementary anti-codon moves into the A-site. The tRNA moves to the P-site and the amino acid is released, then next tRNA moves to the A-site. The first tRNA moves the E-site and leaves, as the other tRNA takes its spot and adds its amino acid to the first one. This repeats until the RNA strands runs out and the protein breaks away.

Article 12

by zacvan413

Intelligence Chief Criticizes ‘Disparagement’ of Findings on Russian Hacking

New York Times
Matt Flegenheimer and Scott Shane 5 January 2017

Who: Russia
What: Election hacking
Where: Washington DC
When: October
Why: Unknown

The CIA believes that the Russians hacked into the American election. The CIA believes that Russians created “fake news” and hacked into the email servers of the two parties. However, they do no believe that the Russians hacked the election votes. The two parties and the intelligence agencies are now figuring out what to do.

My opinion is that the two parties should be more worried and together on this hacking.
I learned that the Russians did not hack the actual election results, however they did produce “fake news.”
This affects the American public as we could have been lied to by Russian hackers.

How do we know the Russians hacked the United States?
Why did Russia hack us?
When did we learn about this?

http://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/05

Mitosis / Meiosis Lab

by zacvan413


During interphase the DNA is not condensed and is being replicated. By prophase the chromosomes form, long with kinetochores. During metaphase the chromosomes align along the middle of the cell. The kinetochores start to pull and the sister chromatids divide into daughter chromosomes during anaphase. In telophase the nuclear envelope reform. Finally, the cell divides in cytokinesis.

Meiosis reduces and rearranges the chromosomes of a diploid cell. In prophase I of meiosis I, the chromosomes are rearranged from how the tetrads are formed. The two homologous chromosomes come together and form a tetrad, and where the two chromosomes cross, a crossing over occurs where parts of the chromosomes swap between the two. The tetrads are rearranged during metaphase I on how they line up down the middle of the cell. Hence, meiosis has rearranged the chromosomes. In anaphase I the tetrads are pulled apart, unlike in mitosis where the chromosomes are pulled apart, this difference reduces the number of chromosomes in each daughter cell by half, making the two cells haploid. In interphase II, the DNA is not replicated keeping the cells haploid. The two cells divide again, and four haploid cells are produced.
Down Syndrome is a chromosomal abnormality caused by an extra twenty-first chromosome. Down Syndrome affects the phenotypes of the person by creating a distinct facial appearance, intellectual disability, short stature, and or speech delay. Down Syndrome could result from a defect in meiosis while separating. During prophase I of meiosis, while crossing over of the homologous chromosomes, one of the chromosomes would not separate making two twenty-first chromosomes in a haploid cell, resulting in a Down Syndrome offspring.
Many species reproduce by parthenogenesis or cloning, bypassing the meiotic process. In cloning, the DNA is replicated and the organism divides. The DNA of the parent organism and the DNA of the offspring will be identical. This is because the parent organism copies the DNA and through mitosis, creates an offspring, so there is no genetic difference.