The whole world is wearing face masks to protect themselves from Covid-19. It has become clear that all masks do not protect their wearers equally. The only masks that have been formally tested are the N95 masks that are reserved for medical workers.

In this project, I set out to design and build a low-cost mask testing device that provides a reasonably good assessment of a mask’s protection. By measuring how many particles can bypass the mask, it shows how effective the mask will defend the person from the virus. Right now, mask testing devices are extremely expensive and only used by large manufacturers and laboratories. Only the very high-quality N95 masks are being tested, which are not currently available to the general public.  This means that most people don’t know if their masks can stop a high percentage of virus particles.

My project can quickly test masks and perhaps publish the data to a public database. People around the country would be able to send their masks to a test center and get the results quickly. If the mask was already in the database, they could make an informed decision before purchasing. This service would be important for people who are making their own masks or selling self-made masks. If a seller on Etsy or eBay wanted to get their masks tested, now their customers would be able to see exactly what they were buying. The CDC recently came out and said that cloth masks are often not effective. There’s also a problem with counterfeit masks and those that do not meet the manufacturer’s standards. People need to know which masks are effective to keep themselves safe during the pandemic.

My device is able to calculate the percentage of different sized particles filtered by the mask being tested. It can also measure the change in pressure to show how easy it is to breathe through the mask. This device is for mask producers, mask distributors, service organizations, and end-users.

Deskpack is an all-inclusive backpack that puts your desk space in your backpack. You now can have a full workspace and places to charge all of your devices right in your backpack while still being neat and light.

The Deskpack uses six separate wood sheets encased in a soft fabric to allow for the backpack to unfold and fold. When first starting the project it was only made to have space for a mouse and laptop, once I looked at my desk and saw what I needed, I added more space for supplies and storage.  On the backpack, there is a large portable charger for your laptop and phone, a large 18" workspace, a place for snacks and notebooks, and storage for things that you need to keep safe. The Deakpack is made for those who are students that do a lot of work on the go, or people who live active lifestyles and need to be able to bring all of their supplies where ever they go.

The objective of the project Personal History was to explore cultural identity by interviewing family. This project explores the nuances of identity, diaspora, the evolution of traditions, and how that culminates in a single personal experience. The key components of this project were: interviews with two grandmothers, self reflection resulting in visual output, and a written piece on the history of several personal identities. This project hopes to inspire others to explore their own past, and reflect on how their family finds meaning, in traditions, values, and identity.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1W_xUgKIAFGeVhaJcgDmP6bGAxl9ZnZiDmdBpg-8a6tk/edit?usp=sharing

Ramen Reconstructed; a project centered around taste and texture. Texture is an important part of the tasting process, just as much, if not more than smell. The thing is, people don't talk about it that much. In Ramen Reconstructed, I extracted the key components of Ramen and experimented with different textures and forms to create a new dish.

Three components of ramen that were worked with were noodles, broth, and fishcake. The noodles were fried, made into crackers, and used as flour in a pastry. The broth was made into, jelly noodles and round bubbles. Last of all with the fish cake became crackers and crunchy fish cake bits. All of these various new items were put together in many different ways to create new versions of ramen.

The Grocery Store is a game simulating the struggle that many business owners are facing this pandemic. The player must design a grocery store in a way that is profitable and doesn't cause infections in their store. They must also deal with uncooperative customers who refuse to follow pandemic guidelines.

The Grocery Store is designed to help the general public understand the many challenges that small business owners are facing during the pandemic. It can also be played by small business owners to help them experiment with the new ways that stores must be designed and operated. The game uses the p5.play library to create a browser game with a drag-and-drop interface. The player can design their store using the built in assets and then run a simulation that will end with a breakdown of the profits made, % chance of infection and the areas in the store that are of the biggest risk. During the simulation, there is a chance that customers can come in that aren't following pandemic guidelines, such as not wearing a mask or distancing themselves from the other customers, and the player will be given choices on how to handle these customers.

Breif

The Bonktapus is a stuffed animal that enables communication over long distances. When the bonktapus is "bonked" or hit it sends a signal to its partner that would then heat up and change color. This is an effective form of communication that doesn't feel disruptive.

This project, the Puzzle Car, is hands-on learning for young children. Separate parts of a car are hidden in boxes, all of which have interactive puzzles in them. In order to unlock the boxes, the recipient needs to solve the different puzzles. The puzzles will help the recipient learn about the different functions of a car. Once the boxes are opened, the toy car can be assembled. 

Here are a few examples of the boxes. One of the boxes has a steering wheel on it, and when it is turned, the box opens. Another one of the boxes has a manual transmission. When the shift is moved, the box opens. The last example of a box has a wheel on it, and when it is turned to an exact degree, it can be pushed into the box. The user them pulls the wheel out, and the box opens. All of the boxes are the same size, and relatively the same shape. The fact that the boxes are interactive helps kids understand the physical parts of cars and their importance.

Subterrain Strategy is an open-world adventure game with game mechanics taken from chess. Utilizing the strategy used to play chess, the game absorbs the player in a vast cave full of loot and enemies. The goal of the game is to locate and capture the white king. The game targets people who enjoy strategic and puzzle-based games. The world utilizes the special classes of chesspieces to create informal “levels” in the world. For instance, the king is kept in a chamber that can only be accessed through a straight and a diagonal corridor. This ensures that the piece that combats the king must be a queen or a king due to the queen and king being the only pieces that can go forward and diagonal. The player interacts with the world by moving their chess pieces throughout the cave. If the player’s king is captured by a white character, the game ends. The game was built in unity using a series of three-dimensional models developed in Blender. The enemies are programmed to move closer to the player when the player is within a certain range. The player moves by selecting the piece they want to move and then clicking on the tile they want to move to.