Science and Technology Projects

Science education is at risk in the Bay Area. Read more about research on this issue by clicking here. Here is a view on this national problem:

Science & Technology Projects with Collective Roots

Alternative Power

• Installed 500 watts of alternative power sources on the EPACS school garden site.
• We currently have solar equipment generating 160 watts. We would like to triple this amount, depending on available funding.
• Wind Energy: Investigate low profile (1kw) wind turbine, possible to mount on Giant Green Dome.
• Power will be used to power a pond filtration system, provide internet access, and provide power for an outdoor kitchen.

Garden Web Cam
Garden cams (camera focused on the garden landscape that streams onto the internet) serve several purposes:

• Places Collective Roots gardens online—so that they are visible to students, teachers, parents, volunteers, and donors.
• The garden cam also will increase the security level of the garden, allowing us to report interloping birds and squirrels to the authorities.
• The garden cams will also add value to the idea that the garden is connected to the community and to technology, strengthening the science elements of our curriculum.

Weather station

• Build a weather station that streams data onto our website for science class studies.

CMS-Drupal Web Site / Open Source (online) Content and Curriculum

Conversion of our website to an open source Drupal Content Management system. This conversion allows for many benefits: putting our entire curriculum online, opportunities for all stakeholders to log on and access and contribute content at any level we choose, remote access by all staff and board members, ability to provide “wikis,” forums, polls, surveys, blogs, photo albums, rss feeds, google maps, garden plans, donor pages, volunteer applications, links to partner organizations, staff and board bios, archives of all e-newsletters, data for foundations and corporate sponsors, action alerts, etc., all in a user friendly interface that doesn’t require knowing HTML – simply log in and work within a “Word” style template.

• Web page for every class
• Time Motion study of Garden over time streamed online via webcam
• Online weather station

Solar Powered Wireless Laptop Research Stations

• 4 laptop (Panasonic “Tough Book” built for ruggedness, encased in magnesium alloy, with durability design) research stations under shaded, permanent umbrella.
• Wifi provided by community based network.
• Install server in garden storage shed (#2).

Environmental Science; Natural Habitat(s) Projects

• Pond, Constructed Wetland, Bird Watching habitat (blind)
• Habitat Restoration (Baylands buffer zone, Cooley Landing, Trail head near EPACS).
• Tie habitat restoration work into science curriculum at EPACS.
• Digital Science: GPS, Cameras, Measurement devices
• Provide training for teachers to do science projects that link garden and natural habitats into existing curriculum and classroom resources.