2019

Destination Imagination is a national creative team-based STEM problem-solving competition that I participated in from 2nd grade - Senior Year of High School. This program integrates engineering, science, and art. Teams of 7 students work together to solve an engineering task and present their solution in a creative skit at the national competition. 

Skills: 3D Modeling, prototyping, sawing and drilling, woodwork, hydraulic systems, painting, rotational mechanics, energy properties.  

Major Design Components (made from scratch):

-wooden rotating "lazy Susan" style base with spokes and wheels

-Center axis for rotation and stability 

-Accordion lift and hydraulic press system to lift and lower the carousel horses

-Carousel horses created using cardboard cutting and layering techniques (attached to the hydraulic lift)  

Operating on a low budget of $100 we utilized recycled materials including (unused) medical syringes to power the hydraulic system and scrap wood for the base and turning mechanism. Our final design was painted and outfitted with a handsewn canopy top to showcase our art skills! 

I got to ride on the carousel and operate the hydraulic horses while another team member cranked the gear during our competition presentation!

We created a replica of a Hawaiian coral reef using a chicken-wire base, coffee filters hand dyed using both food coloring and natural homemade dyes (from beets and cabbage), and green table cloth.