Days 10 and 11

We didn't come in the Monday after Memorial Day weekend, but that Tuesday was our big meeting. In the morning, we went to the community garden to play around with the compost pile currently there from the Alumni meeting a couple weeks ago. It's basically a pile of garbage. All of it isn't even compostable. Some cups there aren't even recyclable. Tisk Tisk. We sorted through what we could, and threw out the rest.

Our meeting began at 4pm, and we got there at 3:30 to be early. Three of our advisors came to listen in and provide some adult backup for us, and the other three men (one quite late) were all from Facilities Services. They gave us the very realistic, real world, numbers and bottom-line approach towards our project. Not that they were discouraging us intentionally, but nothing they were saying made our end goal seem realistic whatsoever. What we got out of that meeting was a few things, Regulations and permits are important, and we aren't going to get anywhere without a business proposition, that has costs and deficits and profits and all that jazz. Basically we have to show them that they're gonna make money on it, and that it's regulated properly so it won't give them bad press, and we'll be a success. That's the dream. However, we decided to redefine our success. If we go farther than the last group did with composting, and actually creates a small-scale system that lasts throughout the summer and next semester, then we will be happy.

 We've taken to furthering our experimentation with Arduino technology, and today we played with a lot of wires and wire cutters and saws and PVC pipe and caulk and temperature sensors, making some sweet temperature probes. Ben was our computer guy, making testing to see if any of our creations actually worked with the Arduino board. Some did, some didn't. We have the issue of connecting little teeny tiny wires together. We tried wrapping them around each other and then taping them with duct table and electrical tape. Only mild success. It didn't really work. We also are faced with the challenge of waterproofing our sensors. Let me explain these to you. They are smaller than the round-face of a dime. they are smaller than one of my fingernails whole. They're really really small. And we have to stick them into compost piles and have them be able to read temperatures and soil moisture levels. So, we are definitely going to be working on this more. I'll get back to you on that.

Earlier today, we spent an hour in the pouring rain shoveling woodchips into the back of a pick-up truck, and then out of the truck into the garden. That's dedication. It wasn't even our truck, it was our friend Amber's. ( Thanks Amber!) Alec took a wrong step and flipped backwards out of the side of the truck into the grass. Oops. It looked like it hurt. Sorry Alec.

More to come in the next week, including pay checks! ;) and pictures.