As our last project of the year, we had to find a problem in the world, and solve it by using biotechnology. Our group chose to solve ocean pollution, but more specifically fertilizer runoff. When farmers and even household gardeners use fertilizer, the fertilizer runs off into the ocean, harming sea life. Most fertilizer has nitrogen, which creates algae blooms when the fertilizer reaches the ocean. Algae blooms suffocate other marine life and produces toxins that creates breathing problems in humans. We then brainstormed ideas on how we would solve this issue. We decided that instead of making a new fertilizer that doesn't have nitrogen, (which mostly harms marine life) we would add hydrated lime into already made bottles of fertilizer. Concepts we used in our Biotechnology Project Biotechnology - The use of biological processes for industrial or household purposes Eutrophication - The depletion of oxygen levels in the water, which suffocates marine life Runoff - The draining away of substances because of water from the surface of an area of land Hydrated Lime - An inorganic compound that kills algae
Pits and Peaks of our Biotech Project My first pit of this project is how much time we had. We had a lot of tasks that we needed to complete for this project, and we had only a little over a month to finish it. In addition to finishing all of the work, we also had to create our video, which really set our project apart from the other groups. My first peak of this project is our idea. My group had a very specific focus, so we had all our ideas to ourselves. We also didn't encounter any other similar products to ours. This made it very easy to brainstorm, since we had a relatively blank canvas to work from. My second pit this project is when it happened. This project was at the very end of the year, so our group wasn't exactly in "school mode". My second peak of this project is our time management. We didn't have that much time, though our group was able to manage everything we needed to accomplish very efficiently. This made it easier to focus more on individual tasks for each person. This also allowed us to make a humorous and educational video.