2020(S09) Lecture:week 3

= Week 3 Studio =

Part 1: The Sorting Hat
Based on the ideas from your letters, comic strips and storyboards the class will be organized into TEMPORARY camps. These camps are intended to cluster related projects and will include all the interesting corners and regions of the project areas you've defined so far. Each camp will also be assigned one or more senior biological engineering student(s) from 20.902 as the camp counselor(s). Once sorted, you, your camp-mates and your counselor(s) should review and catalog the ideas that got you there. In cataloging your ideas, you should include Prepare this catalog as a powerpoint presentation that you will show to the class. The last slide in your presentation should be a recap slide to review all the ideas presented. The last hour of the studio time will be dedicated to the presentation of these camp catalogs.
 * a name for each project
 * a one sentence description of the problem or opportunity it will address
 * and any idea you're working on as a solution.

Part 2: Mapping the world of projects
Pull up a chair and listen as your classmates present their catalogs of ideas. As you listen, you should make note of those projects from each camp that are most interesting to you and why. Before tomorrow you will be asked list your top choice and your second choice for camps and your top three project ideas.

Homework for tomorrow's challenge session
First, reconsider the challenges and opportunities that were presented in today's studio. Then select your 3 favorite project ideas as well as your first and second choice for a camp assignment to your counselors. Next week, you'll be assigned a team and, as a team, you'll get started on 3 ideas in your area of interest. Finally, upload your choices to your "Personal Design Portfolio" in the homework dropbox, calling your assignment: FirstInitial_LastName_PDP_5.doc, for example: P_Abdul_PDP_5.doc
 * Catch me if U can [[Media:1 infectiousdiseases1.pdf| infectious disease pdf]]
 * Growing, growing, grown [[Media:2 Growing.pdf| proliferation pdf]]
 * Powering up [[Media:3 Biologically Engineered Biofuels.pdf| biofuels for energy pdf]]
 * Bettering the human condition [[Media:4 Bettering the Human Condition.pdf| human nature pdf]]
 * Come out swinging [[Media:5 chronic disease.pdf| chronic disease pdf]]
 * Trash talkin' [[Media:6 WastePblms.pdf| waste problems pdf]]

= Week 3 Thursday = Some framing information about counting and clocks in biology is [[Media:20.20(S09) clocks.ppt| here]]

Challenge: The Clock of the Long Now
Humans have had a stable climate for about 10,000 years, let's hope for another 10,000 at least. Assuming no catastrophic events, what would you like to build now that could still be working 10,000 years from now? How could you build such a long-lasting artifact? Wisely anticipating future needs is part of it. For example carpenters in the 14th century built marvelous wooden cathedrals. At the same time, the builders knew that the beams of the structures would eventually need replacing. So, they planted trees, preparing hundreds of years ahead by providing for the future raw materials needs. What else might need to be pre-positioned to perpetuate an artifact through time?



Instructions: Find your "camp-mates" from yesterday and work together to design a clock inspired by Danny Hill's specifications. Danny called for "a clock that ticks once a year, the century hand advances once every one hundred years, and the cuckoo comes out on the millennium. I want the cuckoo to come out every millennium for the next 10,000 years." Several design considerations will be important to discuss as you think about how to build a clock that will behave as expected until the year 12,000. Your clock must only keep track of time and years. No cuckoo is needed unless you want one. You will have 45 minutes to address these aspects of your clock's design and documentation: Begin by reviewing the rules for brainstorming (see Part 3 here) then either build consensus around one idea or take a vote for the top 3 and then the top choice. Once the general idea for your clock is set, get to work on each of the design elements listed above. After 45 minutes, each table will report back to the group. You may want to organize your ideas or sketch your plan on the whiteboards.
 * 1) longevity: how will you keep the clock working, presuming you'll have all and only the technology and materials that are available today?
 * 2) maintenance: how will your children's children's children keep this clock working? You can assume they'll be as smart but no smarter than you.
 * 3) user's guide: how will future generations understand this clock without stopping or disassembling it?
 * 4) improvements: how will you improve your clock over time? It should be possible to improve the clock over time?
 * 5) prototyping: how will you build and test your clock?

Homework for next week's studio session
In this assignment you will address the characteristics of "good design." For instance, | Joel Schindall from the Gordon Engineering Leadership Program offers these as elements of good product design: By contrast, | Blade Kotelly from Endeca Technologies offers these elements of good software design: Now it's your turn. Please make 2 lists. The first list should be 5-10 characteristics of good design in biology as we find it in the natural world. The second list should be 5-10 characteristics of good design in biologically engineered technologies. Please upload your letter to your "Personal Design Portfolio" in the homework dropbox, calling your assignment: FirstInitial_LastName_PDP_6.doc, for example: S_Jobs_PDP_6.doc
 * You know it when you see it
 * Minimalist -- meets requirements in an efficient manner
 * Wow factor -- leaps out at you
 * Robust -- failure-resistant
 * "Anticipatory" -- easily modified to overcome unanticipated problems (this is subtle but important)
 * Adaptable
 * Expandable
 * Flexible
 * Combines functions to increase efficiency -- mounting bracket doubles as heat sink, etc.
 * Visually Clean
 * Communicates clearly and quickly
 * Anthropomorphic
 * Useful in some way (intended or unintended)
 * Provides clear feedback
 * Keeps users oriented as to their current state
 * Maintains locus of control with user
 * Emotionally compelling
 * Provides simple controls for input
 * Aligns to societal mores