The amAIRica group has officially deemed Tuesday night work sessions taco nights. While enchiladas are not the key to a cohesive group, collaborating in a relaxed atmosphere makes the project incredibly feasible. Between bites of chips and guac, our group formed a problem statement and worked this idea into a blog post. We also updated our previous slide to match the current goals and intended solution.
After using Dan’s engineering textbook as a resource, the group decided it would be best to target particulate matter, or PM2.5, found within the Harrisonburg area. Additionally, we are looking at the bigger picture of how PM2.5 affects global population. For example, Beijing air pollution is terribly hazardous with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 359.
Measurements from 0-50 are considered satisfactory, with the air pollution posing little to no risk on the population (Beijing Air Pollution). Harrisonburg is currently at 66, meaning there could still be moderate health concerns. Once again, our goal is to address this issue and inform the community.
In order for a group to mesh effectively, it is important to divvy responsibilities evenly among the different disciplines. Once we let the industrial designers create the graphics, the writers draft the blog posts, and the science and math whizzes complete the technical aspects, things finally came together for amAIRica.
As for problems arising in research, we would like to find out how our Arduino dust sensor compares to more expensive equipment. We are also seeking more concrete statistics.
We have decided to contact Dr. Henriques, an engineering professor at JMU who specializes in infrastructure systems. Our group plans to gather his insight on our project and examine the research he has completed in the past. The amAIRica project is well underway, and we are looking forward to building and preparing our drone for its upcoming air adventure.
Works Cited
“Beijing Air Pollution: Real-time PM2.5 Air Quality Index (AQI).” Beijing Air Pollution. Web. 06 Oct. 2015.
By Taylor Kahny