Zach Reitman Hawken Projects 2021

 Over the course of the last few days, we made a working prototype of our wind turbine.  As you can see, we generated less than a volt of electricity, but for such a small scale design and using a portable fan as a source of wind, that is not a bad start. Since then, we have made a few adjustments. for example, in the original design, we noticed that the rotational speed was being negatively impacted by the blade shape. When the wind would blow (the fan) it would catch in the large pockets, but before it could rotate up to the point where the next pocket would catch the air, the wind would hit the back of the next blade. To try and counteract this, instead of having the leading edge of the blade point in the opposite direction of the rotation, with pointed it towards the direction of rotation. We hoped this would catch the wind before it could hit the back of the blade. I think in the end, it created more drag, making the turbine get caught even more.  Over the next few d...

During the first week of our senior project, we got off to a little bit of a slow start. With all three of us having AP tests as well as other conflicts, we did not have a full day of work with all of us there. That being said, we were still able to get some quality work done. First, we cleared out the path that connected High Camp near the top of the bridge to the service road the Bio-Barn will be located on.  As you can see, the path is still not completely clear. There are still a few trees that are in the way, but with the tools we had (just loppers) we were not able to cut them down. At some point in the coming week, Mr. Harris or Mr. Digiorgio will bring in a chainsaw and we will be able to clear it out completely. The second task we completed was figuring out the height we are legally allowed to build the wind turbine without needing to work through zoning restrictions. After a quick call to the Chesterland Zoning Department, and a very helpful Michael Joyce, we figured out ...

Ever since I was part of the Energy Team in middle school with Mr. Thomas, it has been of the utmost importance to me that, as a society, we can reach some sort of environmental sustainability. So, when the opportunity arose for me to dedicate three weeks to the Bio-Barn I jumped right on it. I think the idea of a completely off-the-grid learning environment is interesting. This past year, with COVID, I have had a lot of class time outside, and, in classes where that was possible, I think the students and teachers alike were able to create a learning space conducive to learning, respect, and most importantly, fun. This, coupled with the culture of environmental sustainability that the creation of the bio-barn would foster, makes this an extremely intriguing project for me. Working with Nick DiGiorgio and Cris Harris, the leaders of the bio-barn planning, as well as Giuseppe Ferrato and Faris Danan as partners, we plan to make a wind turbine that can produce sufficient power for the bar...