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Science Fair Exhibit by some very bright kids! — Parallax Forums

Science Fair Exhibit by some very bright kids!

Matt GillilandMatt Gilliland Posts: 1,406
edited 2013-03-31 16:39 in General Discussion
Hi everyone -
I'd like you to meet Sam and Ashley.

These are two very bright students that built a Larger than Life Brain as their Science Fair Entry. Yes, I know that there are many other bright kids out there, but it just so happens that they and Parallax stumbled across each other at just the right time.

In this you'll see some Pings and Stamps and cables, and maybe even an Emic-2. Essentially this was an interactive exhibit that visitors could trip sensors and push buttons and have the exhibit tell them what parts of the brain were connected/controlling/reacting to various external stimuli...

Left to right...Maria (school Principal), Sam, Ashley, and Dave. Not shown is Ashley's dad. Dave and Ashley's dad were two of the adult mentors for the project.
100_6329.jpg

-MattG
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Comments

  • ercoerco Posts: 20,256
    edited 2013-03-23 21:37
    Now THAT'S a Big Brain project. Hope Humanoido approves.

    Great job and congrats to Ashley & Sam. You can't go wrong with Parallax parts!
  • HumanoidoHumanoido Posts: 5,770
    edited 2013-03-24 03:56
    Congratulations Sam and Ashley for a very successful brain project and exhibit!
    This is a really fine project! Thanks to Parallax for their support.
  • Heater.Heater. Posts: 21,230
    edited 2013-03-24 06:06
    Brilliant project!

    I don't think my brain lights up like that any more. It's pretty dark in here.
  • Invent-O-DocInvent-O-Doc Posts: 768
    edited 2013-03-24 11:36
    Hey Matt,

    Why not ask them submit this to the microMedic contest?

    The motorized eyes and sound sensors were cool. And that big brain.....
  • NWCCTVNWCCTV Posts: 3,629
    edited 2013-03-24 11:52
    Invent-O-Doc wrote: »
    Hey Matt,

    Why not ask them submit this to the microMedic contest?

    The motorized eyes and sound sensors were cool. And that big brain.....
    Exactly what I was thinking. They deserve to be in it and get a free kit too!!!!
  • Matt GillilandMatt Gilliland Posts: 1,406
    edited 2013-03-24 14:57
    No, this is not a contest, but do any of you have any idea what the brain is made of?
    (brilliant use of a material, IMHO).
    -MattG
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,256
    edited 2013-03-24 17:29
    Looks like aerosol insulating foam for sealing cracks...

    BTW, I know a plumber who could benefit from having a certain crack filled...
  • HumanoidoHumanoido Posts: 5,770
    edited 2013-03-26 13:26
    Crepe paper?
    http://www.thesweetestoccasion.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/crepe-paper-flowers-pomander.jpg
  • scmcgilliscmcgilli Posts: 1
    edited 2013-03-26 20:48
    Hi, this is Sam, one of the students who worked on the brain project.
    We were asked to create an interactive brain for the science fair; one idea led to another and we started out with a wire frame on a piece of plywood. We made a paper mache covering and sprayed it with insolation foam to make it look like an actual brain. The biggest challenge was coming up with ideas on how to make some of the interactive parts of the brain. Inside the brain are ping sensors, LED lights connected to a basic stamp board, and a lot of wires. In addition, the fun really started when Matt G recommended we use the emic-2 to describe the parts of the brain when the ping sensors were activated. We decided that a mannequin head would be a good addition to the project for hearing and vision. In the mannequin, we used servos to move the eyes and ears, along with an IR sensor for vision, and a sound impact sensor for the hearing. We also used a separate basic stamp homework board and an emic-2 for fun facts. If there' anything more you guys want to know about, I'd be glad to go into detail.
    Thanks for all the comments and support.
  • NWCCTVNWCCTV Posts: 3,629
    edited 2013-03-27 12:42
    Sam, A very warm welcome to the Forums. That is one awesome project and I hope you and your team are planning to join the Micro Medic contest. You are already a few steps ahead of most of us!!! Great job.
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,256
    edited 2013-03-27 13:20
    Welcome Sam! That's an outstanding effort on your project in many ways. The subject & execution are great, plus the fact that you are collaborating with Ashley and Parallax very early in life. I won a science fair or two back in my high school days with various projects using light beam communications (thank you, Forrest Mims!). So I know firsthand how tough it can be and how sweet it can be to field a big project as you did. Be proud of your achievement, and let us know what you're up to next. Parallax is a great company to be associated with, as you already know.
  • HumanoidoHumanoido Posts: 5,770
    edited 2013-03-27 18:01
    Hi Sam, welcome to this great friendly Parallax community where you can make lots of friends all over the world with interests in common. I'm really glad you shared this great project. The work and ideas are brilliant, and you must be very happy to accomplish so much and have great success with your science fair endeavor! The use of paper mache construct material is a great idea and I remember constructing a large dinosaur (a big Argentinosaurus Sauropod) in art class using the the material over a wire frame as it's very versatile and easily painted or covered. Keep up the excellent work and let's see more of your projects in the future!
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,256
    edited 2013-03-29 17:41
    Sam, Ashley and at least one other high school teenager are definitely raising the bar!

    http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/this-could-be-big-abc-news/teen-scientist-amazing-breakthrough-her-home-lab-165831291.html
  • RDL2004RDL2004 Posts: 2,554
    edited 2013-03-30 03:47
    Wow, that's one heck of an "under the bed" lab.
    .
    .
    attachment.php?attachmentid=100516&d=1364640182
    SarahVolzLab.jpg
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  • CircuitBurnerCircuitBurner Posts: 21
    edited 2013-03-30 15:40
    You know....there IS hope for mankind...I was starting to think the ranks of serious nerds and geeks that are born naturals were depleating and might be extinct in a few generations.
    My room was similar when I was a kid, but populated with wings, and rocket bodies...lol (much more messy tho)

    Thumbs up kiddoes!

    ...and yea , as others have said already, companies like parallax, and their quality level, are integral to future generations getting the un-curable, un-treatable inventors itch!
  • frank freedmanfrank freedman Posts: 1,983
    edited 2013-03-31 16:39
    Yep, and my carpet was a minefield of fallen resistors, capacitors and Wrap pins and the occasional breadboard wire. 10 yrs after I went into the Navy, my parents were still finding the occasional part working its way out of the carpet in the part of the room where I had set up my bench........
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