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Personal Projects, collaboration with the GIN and Robotics Clubs and winning the Jim Koerschen Award for Innovation in Schools
By Claire Sun (Grade 10), Ms. Kushner and Ms. Rojas
“I still recall that night when my friends and I were on the phone discussing the topic for our personal project… the way I came up with the idea of "Moss" was fairly random. Since I was a young child, I have always liked to stare at those tiny plants in different parts of the city… I wouldn't exactly call it a "Hobby." But that night, while looking through my phone for ideas, I came across a video of a fantastic vivarium that looked like a massive rainforest. Among the vibrant tropical plants, each with its own vivid colors and intricate shapes, it was the tranquil moss, quietly blanketing the tank's floor, that caught my eye the most”.
This was the spark that led to Claire’s grade 10 Personal Project and grew into becoming a multidisciplinary project that includes the Robotic Club and Global Issues Network (GIN) Club: the "Bryophyte Oasis” project, winner of the Jim Koerschen Award for Innovation in School – an award that recognizes students who apply diverse skills to create impactful projects for their school community.
For Claire’s Personal Project she created multiple products: a booklet that analyzed the history, types, and effect of Bryophytes (moss) on the environment; mini-terrariums for people to place anywhere in their personal living spaces for aesthetic purposes, and to potentially reduce greenhouse gases; and finally, Claire completed a written scientific report with numerical data analyzing different types of mosses CO2 absorption from the air during photosynthesis.
From this Personal Project the “Bryophyte Oasis” project was born! A collaborative creation between grade 10 students who are members of the GIN Club, the Robotics Club, as well as a special group of students with skills in Programming and Design. Members of this diverse team, including Claire Sun, Wendy Zhou, Jia Chen Qu, Sanyukta Shewakramani, Sunny Weng, Irene Pan, Sylvia Lu, Hikari Azuma, Flora He, Raina Chaurasia, and Ikki Ma, will join forces to propel the project forward.
Building upon Claire’s foundational research and prototypes, the “Bryophyte Oasis” project leverages collective knowledge and resources within the school community. Beyond being a mere school project, it embodies a shared passion for environmental conservation and technological innovation. The project not only equips participants with practical skills, such as project management, problem-solving, and teamwork, but also
aims to establish a network of self-sustaining urban terrariums, contributing to indoor air purification and serving as educational tools.
In the pursuit of these objectives, the Science and Design team will collaborate to refine terrarium specifications and materials, while the Robotics team will explore the integration of the self-watering systems and relevant sensor technology.
Looking ahead, data obtained from this study, as well as the self-sustainability of the terrariums, will find use in various academic disciplines – spanning Science, Mathematics, Design classes—as well as future students’ research projects. These endeavors will serve as tangible markers of the project’s broader educational impact, extending beyond immediate outcomes of improved air quality and data collection.
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