Green Tree Python

In my first unit of "In/out" in my sophomore STEAM course class Population, we have been learning about the math and science behind organisms. We have been learning about Set Theory; which is a language used to write mathematical statements for grouping things. Something similar to Set Theory is taxonomy. Taxonomy is the science of classifying and organizing organisms. We went on Field Experiences to Lincoln Park Zoo, where we took pictures of an organism that we would study for our action project. In class, we got to dissect a Lubber Grasshopper, which taught us about morphological features, differences from similar organisms, and the anatomy of the organism. For this project, we were instructed to pick an organism, breakdown and represent the taxonomy of that organism. We had to create a mosaic that would represent and showcase the taxonomy of our organism. We also had to compare and contrast our animal to that of another student’s animal. Lastly, we had to represent our organism using Set Theory. The most challenging part of this action project for me was creating the mosaic of my animal. It was very time consuming but I enjoyed the outcome of my art.

TG. "Green Tree Python". 2019

The Green Tree Python can be found in places below the equator including Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Australia. According to ExoticAnimals, “They are usually in or near a rainforest and are primarily arboreal, residing in trees, shrubs, and bushes”. Occasionally, you can see them on the ground. “Green tree pythons have a particular way of resting in the branches of trees; they loop a coil or two over the branches in a saddle position and place their head in the middle. This trait is shared with the emerald tree boa (Corallus caninus) of South America.” Fun fact, females grow bigger than males when they mature.

TAXONOMY (Classification of Organism)

Kingdom	Animalia	It’s a multicellular organism and reproduces 25 viable eggs per clutch.
Phylum	Chordata	It has a spinal cord and tail.
Class	Reptilia	Maneuvers on the ground. (Tetrapods)
Order	Squamata	“Squamates” or scaled reptiles.  Suborder: Serpentes
Family	Pythonidae	A family of nonvenomous snakes found in Africa, Asia, and Australia.
Genus	Morelia	A genus of large snakes in the family Pythonidae. Currently, eight species are recognized as Morelia.
Species	viridis	Scientific Name:  Bright Green Snake Morelia viridis (Green Tree Python)

Taxonomy Gif

Here is a Gif I created to represent the taxonomy of my organism.

N.L. "Green Tree Python Mosaic". 2019

Venn Diagram

My Venn diagram below shows the similarities and differences between three other organisms chosen by my peers. They are my Green Tree Python, the Two-Toed Sloth, Dwarf Mongoose, and the African Giraffe.

N.L. "Four Set Venn Diagram". 2019

Even though these organisms might be similar by some traits or characteristics, each has its own traits to separate from each other. The African Giraffe is a tall mammal and herbivore that eats small fruits and leaves. The Two-Toed Sloth shares a connection with the giraffe in eatings small fruits, leaves, and other plants. The Green Tree Python is a carnivore that eats other small reptiles. Lastly, the Dwarf Mongoose is a small carnivorous animal that lives in South and Central America. All four of them have similarities such as they all live in places below the equator and they all depend on trees throughout their lives. In other words, they are considered “Tree Huggers”.


Set Theory

Here is my list of math sets of my organism and the organisms I used in my Venn Diagram as well as organisms that share similar traits and characteristics.

Epsilon ϵ = Is an element of.
Set Brackets { } = All elements of the set.

Reptiles = {green tree pythons, alligators, lizards, turtles, cobras..}
green tree pythons ϵ Reptiles
English Translation
 Animals that are included in the Reptile set are green tree pythons, alligators, lizards, turtles, cobras, etc...


Carnivores = {green tree pythons, dwarf mongoose, tigers, bears,...}
green tree pythons ϵ Carnivores
English Translation
 Animals that are included in the Carnivores set are green tree pythons, dwarf mongoose, tigers, bears, etc...


Tree Inhabitants = {green tree pythons, dwarf mongoose, chimpanzees, two-toed sloth, giraffe...}
green tree pythons ϵ Tree Inhabitants
English Translation
Animals that are included in the Tree Inhabitants set are green tree pythons, dwarf mongoose, chimpanzees, two-toed sloth, giraffe, etc...


Vertebrates = {dwarf mongoose, chimpanzees, two-toed sloth, giraffe, green tree pythons...}
green tree pythons ϵ Vertebrates
English Translation
Animals that are included in the Vertebrates set are green tree pythons, dwarf mongoose, two-toed sloth, giraffe, etc...


Morelia viridis = {green tree pythons}
green tree pythons ⊂ Morelia viridis
English Translation
Animals that are included in the Morelia viridis set are green tree pythons.

In conclusion to my very first action project this year, I was interested in learning about my organism and I found out ways to look deeper into biotic organisms. I hope you learned something new and mostly I hope this engaged and raised questions for you. Thank you for visiting this project. Please give me any feedback you can. Thank you!

Housing Discrimination in Chicago: A History of Injustice

This is my action project for my workshop, "Writing Workshop". In this class, we looked at many different examples of writing and reviewed some basic and advanced writing skills. We took the time to either write a research paper about a topic we were interested in, write a personal narrative about ourselves, or write a summary response essay. This workshop challenged me by introducing me to more styles of writing. I chose to do a research paper because I wanted to challenge myself for this last project of my Freshman year. I have spent a lot of time researching housing discrimination. I even reached out to the director of Human Rights Compliance/Fair Housing at the Chicago Commission On Human Relations. I hope you enjoy my research paper.

GMOs vs Organic Seeds (Debate)

In the last unit of GMOs in my Freshman STEAM course, Food, we learned about genetic modification and gene editing. We studied math related to genetics such as Punnett squares and probability. We went on Field Experience to the Green City Market in Lincoln Park. There we got the opportunity to meet and speak with farmers from all over the Midwest about their opinions on the argument on GMOs and organic crops. For this final action project, we were instructed to choose a side in the argument on GMOs. I was able to gather information from the farmers at the Green City Market to use as resources in my debate below. I enjoyed arguing this topic because the topic is an issue which can have a global impact. I hope you enjoy!

Volunteering at Marwen

Before and during my time at GCE, I have ventured out to a free art program located in the west loop of Chicago called Marwen Arts. I have been attending to their art programs for about 3-4 years now. This completely free art program has built me into the successful young man I am today. Marwen has given me opportunities in auctioning off my artworks, meeting professional artists, and experimenting in different mediums of art.

I have been recently volunteering at Marwen, a free art program in Chicago. At Marwen, I have been volunteering and helping at events such as DIY Holiday Parties, End of Term Exhibitions, Career Fairs, and even as a student representative at their annual gala. During these times, I have been doing things such as setting up tables and chairs, passing out flyers and giving people information about the art program, setting up and running a photo booth, and making buttons for people. From this volunteer experience, I have been learning how to stay organized, how to insert myself into communities, and help give back to communities. I made a difference for others by introducing people to a free art program where they can learn arts, express themselves, and develop their artistic skills. These experiences have impacted my future volunteer work because now I can look forward to connecting and reaching out to fellow organizations that support Marwen.

Here are some pictures of me setting up cameras for a photo booth at Marwen's Fall Term Exhibition.

N.L. (2019) "Setting Up Lights"

N.L. (2019) "Gathering Tech"

Thank you for viewing blog.

Beef Fried Rice

In the third and final unit of Birth in my Humanities course, Food for Thought, we studied how advancements in technology and research such as the Industrial Revolution and technology has affected our food today. We watched a movie called, "Food Inc", which showed us how major food industries and corporations such as Tyson and Monsanto control the animals and food we eat. The movie exposed me to the disgusting realities of the food industry in our country today. In this unit, we also read excerpts from Michael Pollan’s book called, "In Defense of Food"; which explained how the Industrial Revolution has affected our food and the way we eat today. We learned about the difference between organic and industrial food, different ways of farming to substitute for industrial farming, and the six ayurvedic tastes which relate to nutrition. We went on Field Experiences to Whole Foods where we analyzed different food and nutrition labels and to Uncommon Grounds where we met Brandon who talked to us about their rooftop farm and how their restaurant operates. For this last Action Project, we were instructed to write a food review on a meal that was restaurant cooked and homemade. We had to describe each dish using our senses and recommend which one we like more. I decided to write my reviews on beef fried rice because it is one of my favorite dishes from Asian cuisine. I really enjoyed this project because I went out to eat my favorite meal and then recreated it myself at home.

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Volunteering at Trucking Company

I spent 20 hours volunteering at Vision C & S Express Inc for one day each out of 4 months. At Vision C & S Express Inc I spent time washing off trucks that travel all over the United States to deliver shipments of products and goods. I also help clean and organize their office by moving desks, papers, and boxes around the office. I learned how to become better at organizing things and skills that I can use in the future. For example, using tools such as paint scrapers and water pressure hoses to clean the trucks. I made a difference for others by volunteering to show people in a community that money isn't the most important thing for giving back to the community. I did not take pictures of the office or the trucks out of respect for Vision C & S Express Inc.

Buttery Buttermilk Biscuits

In the second unit of "Cooking and Chemistry" in my freshman STEAM course class Food, we have been learning about the math and science behind baking foods. We also have been studying how discovering fire and cooking impacted the evolution of humans. We went on Field Experiences to Pacific Gardens Mission where we met Chef Erica Web who is head chef and an expert in baking. She taught us about the different types of bread, yeast, and leavening agents and how they work. In class, we have been baking things like sourdough and cornbread to get the feel for baking. For this AP, my class was instructed to choose a recipe for biscuits and choose an ingredient to substitute. I enjoyed making biscuits from scratch a lot. I now have more experience in baking and cooking.

Global Hunger and Malnutrition

In the second unit of "Death" in Food for Thought, we learned about global trade and "fair trade" history and colonialism. We learned about how agriculture influenced greed in people, how foods from different countries got imported to where they are today, and how resources impacted the behavior in people. For our Field Experience, we went to S.K.Y restaurant in Pilsen where we met a sommelier named Charles Ford. He talked to us about his job as a sommelier and the history behind his restaurant. For this action project, we were asked to look back on the past, literally. We looked back at our first Humanities course, SDGs & You. We focused on SDG 2 and decided on a specific target of the SDG. I wanted to focus on a target that is a symptom of hunger so, I chose malnutrition. This target on malnutrition was challenging when it came to the history of malnutrition. The most difficult part of this project was filming the video. Overall I think that I completed a great project.

Food For Thought -AP2 NL from NL on Vimeo.

“1 out of 2 children in Guatemala suffer from malnutrition. People from Central American countries such as Guatemala are coming to the United States’ and Mexico’s border seeking asylum because of issues like malnutrition plagues. Sustainable Development Goals are a set of 16 goals that we should achieve by the year 2030. These goals were created by the United Nations. I will be addressing target 2.2 of the goal Zero Hunger. This target is a global priority because due to malnutrition, people and children in third world countries are on the edge of dying. Malnutrition in pregnant women and children 2 years old or younger can affect a child for the rest of their lives and the conditions can’t be fixed as they get older. Some of the conditions are stunting in growth, being underweight for one’s age, and wasting; being dangerously thin for one’s height. A solution to achieving this target is food fortification in staple foods and condiments. The purpose of this paper is to advocate for the issue of malnutrition and bring awareness to this issue.

I chose Target 2.2, end all forms of malnutrition, including achieving, by 2025, the internationally agreed targets on stunting and wasting in children under 5 years of age, and address the nutritional needs of adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women and older persons. According to UNICEF, “Malnutrition develops when the body does not get the proper amount of calories, proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients required to keep the organs and tissues healthy and functioning well. A child or adult can be malnourished by being undernourished or overnourished.” Undernourishment is when someone can’t acquire enough food to meet dietary energy requirements. Overnourishment is when someone gets too much food that exceeds their dietary energy requirements. “More than one-third of all child deaths every year around the world are attributed to malnutrition.” The United Nations has identified hunger as a global priority because global hunger and malnutrition affects the lives of millions all over the world, but mostly “underdeveloped” countries. According to Global Goals, “Hunger is the leading cause of death in the world. Our planet has provided us with tremendous resources, but unequal access and inefficient handling leaves millions of people malnourished.”

Malnutrition isn’t just a recent issue but has major issue been for many years. Malnutrition dates far as back to the existence of the ancient Egyptians. A civilization that faced malnutrition like we do today were the ancient Mayans. They were argued to fell as an empire and civilization due to drought, warfare, disease, or even political instability. Today we think that all these things played a role and were only symptoms in the fall of the Mayans. According to NASA Science, researchers used classic archaeology techniques to find that human bones from the last decades before the Mayan civilization’s collapse shows signs of severe malnutrition. The root cause was a chronic food and water shortage, due to some combination of natural drought and deforestation by humans." Their agriculture was based on slash and burn and clear-cutting methods which resulted in deforestation for fertile land to grow crops. According to Empires of Food, “A sustainable food empire can only exist if most of its farms are smallish, diverse, and serving customers not too far away.” We can learn that unsustainable methods of agriculture lead to negative impacts on land over time.

Malnutrition and hunger have both resulted in the death of millions and billions of people in our world throughout history. The Mayan civilization’s population grew in masses which led to a demand for more food. They addressed this problem by replacing their neighboring jungles with maize fields by using deforestation methods in order to get more land for agriculture. The result of these deforestation methods was that they trapped themselves into a broken hydrological cycle which caused their fields to dry up and crops to die. They also suffered from relying on and growing crops such as maize, beans, and squash together. Something we can learn from this history is that malnutrition can be prevented with sustainable practices of agriculture and food productivity.

If these global issues of malnutrition and hunger continue in the future masses of people and children around the world will continue to suffer and die. To achieve this target of ending all forms of malnutrition, some contributions would be food fortification in staple foods such as bread and potatoes, food security in poverty-stricken areas, and an increase in the prices of unhealthy foods since they are cheaper to buy compared to healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables. Large scale food fortification is the process of adding micronutrients to foods or condiments consumed regularly by the population. If we did this in “developing” countries, more people will have access to the food and nutrients they need. Poverty in areas also affect the diets of people within a poverty-stricken area. According to Global Citizen, “donors should increase long-term funding for the prevention and community-based management of acute malnutrition. This will stray away from the current short term, emergency only funding approaches.” Long term donations would help bring this issue of malnutrition to an end by giving aid to areas where there is a lack of food and resources. Malnutrition can be eradicated overtime with these solutions.

These global issues of malnutrition and hunger might not affect me but they affect people living on this planet just like you and me. My main argument is that we need to think about all the people on this planet and not only people around us where we live. Ending all forms of malnutrition should also be prioritized just as much as the issue of hunger because it affects children in their early lives. My recommendations will help achieve this goal of Zero Hunger and target of ending all forms of malnutrition by helping areas with food insecurity get the food and nutrients they need. How will you help contribute to eradicating this global issue of hunger?

Works Cited

“Feeding a Family, Nourishing a Community - United Nations Development Programme | UNDP.” Exposure, 2017, stories.undp.org/feeding-a-family-nourishing-a-community. Accessed 3 May 2019.

“Goal 2: Zero Hunger.” The Global Goals, 16 Sept. 2016, www.globalgoals.org/2-zero-hunger. Accessed 6 May 2019.

‌Nations, United. “Goal 2: End Hunger, Achieve Food Security and Improved Nutrition and Promote Sustainable Agriculture — SDG Indicators.” Un.Org, 2018, unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2016/goal-02/. Accessed 6 May 2019.

Roser, Max, and Hannah Ritchie. “Hunger and Undernourishment.” Our World in Data, 2018, ourworldindata.org/hunger-and-undernourishment#definitions-of-measures-of-hunger-and-undernourishment. Accessed 7 May 2019.

“The Rise and Fall of the Mayan Empire | Science Mission Directorate.” Nasa.Gov, 2019, science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2004/15nov_maya. Accessed 7 May 2019.

“Underlying Causes of Malnutrition - Action Against Hunger.” Action Against Hunger, 2017, actionagainsthunger.ca/what-is-acute-malnutrition/underlying-causes-of-malnutrition/. Accessed 8 May 2019.

UNICEF/NYHQ2006-0081/Noorani. Safe Motherhood and Newborn Health Child Development and Early Learning Breastfeeding Nutrition and Growth Immunization With Advice on: Diarrhoea Malaria HIV Child Protection and More Facts for Life Fourth Edition. 2010.

“10 Ways to End Malnutrition.” Global Citizen, 2019, www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/10-ways-to-end-malnutrition/. Accessed 6 May 2019

My Garden Plan

In the first unit of my freshman STEAM course class Food, we have been learning about ecosystems, interactions/symbiosis within ecosystems, the nitrogen cycle, the symbiosis between plants, nutrients plants need, and philosophy about agriculture. We have been studying the ecology of planting, different farming methods and how these methods affect the food we eat. We went on Field Experiences to Patchwork Farms where we learned about how they managed their farm and to Big Delicious Planet where we learned about how their catering company as a business takes actions towards being as green, clean, and sustainable as possible. For this AP, my class was instructed to design a garden, find a location, find ways to make the soil compatible, find materials or containers that we could grow plants in, and pick 10 vegetables to grow. I enjoyed everything that has led up to this action project. Here is a slideshow of all the vegetables I plan to plant in my garden and a sketch of my garden.

 

 Below are the containers I will grow my vegetables in.

4 Plastic Bins (10 plants per pin) Volume = 91356.85 cm.³

( L x W x H): 26.5 x 16.5 x 12.75 in.).

5 five-gallon buckets (5 plants per bucket) Volume = 29233.52 cm.

(11.91 Top "x 10.33" Bottom x 14.5 in." H)

5 plastic rectangular containers (3 plants per half bottle) Volume= 1577.25 cm.³

(L x W x H): 8 3/4" x 5.5" x 2 in.")

Below are my calculations for what product or supplement and quantities per 100 square feet. I need for each outdoor space.

Original Soil Quality:

Nitrogen in soil: 15 out of 40 (low amount of nitrogen)

Phosphorus in soil: 23 out of 30 (high amount of phosphorus)

Potassium in soil: 61 out of 300 (very low amount of potassium)

These are the products and need to add in order to amend the soil.

(F101 Blood Meal)     F2100 Soft Rock Phosphate           F2260 Sulfate of Potash

5 lbs per 100 ft²                   2 lbs per 100ft²                              0.5 lbs per 100ft²

5.5 lbs per 150 ft²               2.5 lbs per 150ft²                            0.85 lbs per 150ft²

10 lbs per 200 ft²                   4 lbs per 200ft²                            1 lbs per 200ft²

Ron Finley is a guerrilla gardener ad he is making a difference and impact in his community of South Central, Los Angeles. He started free and voluntary community gardening and plans to make this practice into future business and project. In a TED Talk by Ron Finley, he said, “Food is the problem and food is the solution.” To me, this means unhealthy food and food practices are the problems and healthy food and food practices are the solutions to that problem. For my garden, I planned to have it in my complex yard and in a yard at a local community college. I chose both of these locations because they are local and accessible places for a garden in my neighborhood. The dimensions of my complex yard are 10ft. long by 15ft. wide and the dimensions of the community college yard are 10ft. long by 20ft. wide. In all, the area of my complex yard is 150 square feet and the area of the community college yard is 200 square feet. I will plant cucumbers, onions, tomatoes, carrots, broccoli, asparagus, corn, peppers, cabbage, beans, and lettuce in my garden. I chose cucumbers, onions, tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, carrots, and potatoes. I will plant these vegetables because these are some of my favorite vegetables and they also are compatible companion plants to some plants out of the ten I chose. Beans, cucumbers, and cabbage are companion plants to each other and onions, carrots, tomatoes, and lettuce are also companion plants to each other. Carrots take the nitrogen from the soil and allow the tomatoes to take in the amount of nitrogen needed in order to grow. My garden will represent the symbiotic relationships of mutualism and commensalism because my garden will be public to my surrounding community and I will have a garden where organisms will have interactions of mutualism and commensalism. For example, if a cottontail rabbit happens to eat a carrot from the garden and then produce organic waste, my garden will benefit from the organic waste and the rabbit will also benefit. I will use the principles of natural farming no chemical fertilizer, no weeding by tillage or herbicides because I feel and learned that any synthetic chemicals and addends to plants and crops will hurt the soil and land over time.

In conclusion to this project, I learned about the history of agriculture and ecosystems, different methods within maintaining and sustaining agriculture, and the reasoning and importance behind the different ways and methods of agriculture. I also learned about why it is important to have healthy fertile soil compared to dirt for plants, why the symbiosis between plants matter, and why food needs to be sustainable for all people. If I could do this project again, I would plan a garden for a space about 500 square feet just so I can add components and factors to it.

I am Paprika!

Hello, my name is N.L. In my Freshman Humanities course class Food for Thought, we are currently at the end of the first unit of "Life". During this unit, we have been learning about the history behind food. We went on a Field Experience where we walked around the Goose Island neighborhood of Chicago with a forager named Dave who is the CEO of Odd Produce. He taught us about many plants all around this urbanized society that we can eat. Just as our ancestors used to do as foragers. We also had a Field Experience The purpose of this project is to pick one ingredient from food or ingredient passed down through my family. In the process of this project, I learned that my family really values cooking. During the process of this project, I learned that paprika, which is very popular today, has been around for many centuries. I hope you enjoy!

N.L - Family Tree, 4/22/19

Reducing Our Carbon Footprints

Hello, my name is N.L. In my Freshman STEAM course class Fuel, we have gotten into the third unit. During this unit, we have been reviewing and learning about solving and plotting inequalities, the carbon cycle, the laws of conservation of energy and thermodynamics, and balancing chemical equations. Throughout this class, I have learned a lot about different sources and types of fuel and energy. We went on a Field Experience where we walked around the Goose Island neighborhood of Chicago and looked for different forms of pollution. Pollution is when any substance is in the wrong place or concentration in the environment. The most interesting and true thing I learned is that "invisible" pollution like carbon emissions is worse than "visible" pollution like litter on the ground. For this Action Project, we were supposed to write an action plan for reducing "our" carbon footprints. Hope you enjoy!

The Ojibwe Nation and Dream Catchers

Hello, my name is N.L. I am a freshman at GCE Lab School. This is my final action project for my Humanities course called "Who Am I ?" Now in this class for our second unit of Doubt and Dream, we have been learning about the study of dreams. Freud was a cultural philosopher who had a lot to say about dreams and he came up with psychoanalysis, which is a theory to treat mental disorders. In this unit, we studied surrealism, which is an “artistic method that implies symbolic meanings”. We studied many surrealist artists and interpreted their many artworks. We partnered up with a classmate and shared our dreams with each other, and interpreted the meanings of them. For this Action Project, we were supposed to create a dreamcatcher that represents a dream we had, and the positive and negative elements we want and don’t want in our future dreams. I enjoyed making both of my dreamcatchers and learning about the meaning behind them.

N.L. "First Dream Catcher" March 23, 2019

Dream catchers originated from the Native American Ojibwe Tribe. Most dream catchers are made by grandparents and then given to their grandchildren. They believe that everything you make for the first time, you shouldn't keep but give it to someone. Since this was my first time making a dream catcher, I decided to make my first one for my two baby cousins and a second one for me. The purpose of a dream catcher is to protect someone sleeping from negative dreams. It allows positive dreams to pass through the web and reach the sleeping individual. The dream catcher works by trapping and filtering out the negative dreams and letting positive dreams go by. The positive dreams slip through the web and flow down through the hanging strings to the person sleeping. Negative dreams get caught in the web and burn out when the sun shines on them. Each part of the dream catcher symbolizes something. The hoop of your dream catcher symbolizes strength and unity. The center of the dream catcher symbolizes your “Creator,” "Great Mystery," and or your bliss. Someone’s bliss is what makes them happy and spreads joy to them.

The center of my dreamcatcher symbolizes the “Creator” because it represents the balance of good and evil in our world. In my dreamcatcher, my superego and id and the good and evil forces of my mind are fighting against each other. The “Great Mystery” in my life is the bliss of having relationships with people I love, the feeling of love, blessings I receive from God every day, sports and music. I chose to put a yin-yang symbol in the center of my dreamcatcher to symbolize good and bad in my life and to symbolize the balance of good and evil. The three different colored feathers hanging from my dreamcatcher represents the Pan-African flag which symbolizes the goal of encouraging and strengthening bonds of unity between all people of African descent. The center of my baby cousins’ dreamcatcher is a heart which symbolizes the love I and my family has for them. The two different beads and different colored thread represents both of my baby cousins and their differences. For my dreamcatcher, I want positive dreams of my late (past) family members and of good memories from my life in the past, wishes of success, protection over me and my family, and the elements of peace, love, and bliss, and “good” to pass through my dreamcatcher. I symbolized these positive elements in my dreamcatcher by having a red thread in my dreamcatcher’s web. For my baby cousins’ dreamcatcher, I want the positive dreams of family, wishes of good health, and the elements of peace, love, and bliss to pass through their dreamcatcher. I symbolized these positive elements by making the ring of the dreamcatcher red. I used the color red to represent strength, passion, and love.

N.L. "Second Dream Catcher" March 23, 2019

I want my dreamcatcher to filter out the negativity of negative minded people, negative or evil energy from demons in my unconscious/subconscious, fears of dying, and killing. I symbolized these negative elements by putting one side of my web white and the other black and also putting a gun on my web. I want my baby cousins’ dreamcatcher to filter out negative memories of trauma and conflicts in their lives, negative or evil energy from their unconscious and subconscious minds, and the fears of the things they’re scared of. I symbolized these negative elements by putting on the ring of the dream catcher.

We went on a Field Experience to the American Indian Center where we talked to Fawn Pochel and I learned about some of the different Native American tribes and nations and their some of their beliefs that differ between tribes and nations. I was very interested in learning as much as I could not only for a future grade but to expand my knowledge. She also gave us some tips on making dreamcatchers. Another Field Experience we went on was to the Art Institute of Chicago where we looked at artworks from surrealist, abstract, and cubist artists. The Ojibwe thought that dreams were very important. A psychologist named Freud came with the theory of psychoanalysis therapy, which is to release repressed emotions and experiences or to make the unconscious in your mind conscious. The unconscious mind is your thoughts while you are unconscious. These two things factored in with artists in the modern time of Surrealism. Surrealist artists were obsessed with Freud's ideas because they believed leaving an open door to your unconscious mind opens up a gateway or path to creativity and new ideas. In class, we did dream sharing and interpretations. I interpreted my partner's dream as a horror-filled dimension where murdering a masked killer was the only way to get out of the loop. If I were in their dream, I would’ve felt stuck inside of a place similar to hell. If I kill the masked murderer I will wake up from the dream. These were the two "if" statements I interpreted from my partner's dream. I recently had a very realistic dream recently and it has been on my mind for a while. Everything was so perfect. My family was one huge happy family at my grandma’s house, but then all of a sudden that vision started to fade and I woke up. I feel some factors in this dream could be the rationalization of the dream and repression of negative things that I might have been on my mind in this dream.

In conclusion to the class "Who Am I ?," I learned that truth, memory, doubt, and dream make a person. Experiences and beliefs can be determined as truths and doubts as well as memories and dreams. Learning about different people's history, knowledge, and wisdom has impacted me to appreciate different cultures and educate myself about different cultures. I have really enjoyed the many discussions, field experiences, and experiences in general in this class.

Solar Energy VS Fossil Fuel Energy

Hello, my name is N.L. and I'm a freshman at GCE Lab School. This is my second Action Project for my STEAM course, FUEL. During the second unit of this class, we visited a Tesla showroom to learn about the difference between electric battery cars and gasoline and diesel fuel cars. In class, we have been learning about slope or rate of change not only in lines but in things like products. For this Action Project, we choose a renewable resource that we wanted to make an infomercial about. I hope you enjoy this video.

Works Cited

“Where Is the Best Location on Earth for Solar Energy? – Sunmetrix.” Sunmetrix.Com, 30 Sept. 2013, sunmetrix.com/where-is-the-best-location-on-earth-for-solar-energy/.

“Hello, Sunshine: See Target’s Latest Solar Installations Take Shape.” Target Corporate, 2017, corporate.target.com/article/2017/04/solar-power-update.

Richardson, Luke. “The Pros and Cons of Solar Energy: What Are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Going Solar?” Solar News, EnergySage, 2 Feb. 2019, news.energysage.com/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-solar-energy/.

Wind, Northwest. “Northwest Wind and Solar.” NW Wind & Solar, 2015, www.nwwindandsolar.com/solar-power-in-seattle-and-the-northwest/how-do-solar-systems-produce-energy/.

“Solar Panel Cost 2019 | Current Avg. Solar System Price by State and City.” Solarreviews.com, 2019, www.solarreviews.com/solar-panels/solar-panel-cost/.

“What Are Solar Panels Made Of? | Greener Ideal.” Greenerideal.Com, 3 Mar. 2018, greenerideal.com/guides/0613-solar-panel-basics-what-solar-panels-are-made-of/.