The Essential-Clock!

This is the 3rd and final unit of the Junior STEAM course Light, Sound, and Time. In the 3rd unit, we studied time. We wrapped up the mini-lessons. These were a series of lessons that each student gave about a chapter of a book they read in each unit. I this unit we discovered latitude and longitude, and how to calculate your location without a clock using Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). We learned about the Prime Meridan as well as the International Dateline and all about timezones. We also learned about pendulums and how they can be used to tell time. We mainly focused on the Foucault Pendulum, which is a pendulum that used the earth's rotation to tell time. We also looked at the different ancient time telling devices like sundials. We also studied the universe and dark matter and wormholes. We also learned some math concepts like calculation arc length and angle in a circle, as well as calculating vertexes. We visited the Adler Planetarium where we learned about the universe. We looked at different planets calculations, and we saw how time has affected culture and we looked at other historical devices. For this action project, we had to come up with our own time telling device. It could be inspired by an old way of telling time, but we had to make it better We then had to make a video advertising the product.

You can view the script of my video here



In conclusion, this was a pretty difficult project. I really struggled coming up with something that wasn't already come up with. Making the video was also pretty difficult. I kept messing up on the voice over and having to restart. I am proud of how my video came out as it is clear and well put together. I really enjoyed this class and I am happy with how I did. I learned a lot in this class about how we perceive the world, and I definitely see the world different now.

Works Cited:

Bendini A. Silvio. "Measurement with Insense in Japan." Japanese Insence.com. Cambridge Press. 2002. Web. 21, March 2019.

Creating A People's Assembly

This is the 3rd and final unit of the Junior Humanities course "A Nation's Argument." In this unit, 1960's, we learned about the events of the 1960s and the Civil Rights era. We studied the Bill of Rights and the amendments that give Americans rights, and how they apply to people. We also learned about the lynching era where African Americans were hanged for committing minor offenses We also attended a Yale University Open Courses online lecture about the Civil Rights Era as well as the Selma march and the Watts riots in Los Angeles. The main focus of this unit was to create our own people's assembly. We wanted to discuss policing in Chicago. We were able to create a format and roles for each other to create this assembly.  We brought in 4 guests that were able to talk to us about policing. We had one Chicago Police Officer, 2 community activists, and one researcher from NYU. We sat down with our guests and had a conversation about communities in Chicago and how they react to police presence. We also discussed policing in schools, immigration, and police officer suicide. For my project, I chose the issue of police suicide. It was very cool to hear first hand from an officer about why some police get depressed and how it is more than just trauma, but a combination of things. For this project, I created a thesis, antithesis, and synthesis about police suicide. I also did research and found statistics to re-enforce my argument.

In conclusion, this was a very interesting project and class. I am happy with how I performed in this class, even if I always wasn't 100% about what I was doing. I thought this last project was a neat way to tie in our communal project that was the policing assembly. I liked how each student got to pick the issue they wanted to address. I am proud of the research that I did, and I am proud that as a Junior cohort, we were able to come together and have a real-world discussion with real-world people.

What Does It Take To Become a Citizen?

This is the 2nd unit in the Junior Humanities class "A Nation's Argument." This unit is called "1850's. In this unit, we learned about the historical events of the 1850's. We studied the events that lead up to the civil war, as well as the political climate of America at that time. We studied events such as the Kansas Nebraska Act. We learned how America was split on whether slavery should be legal or not. To learn more about American history, we once again participated in Yale University's open courses. We attended a lecture by Professor Blight about the founding of the Republican party. We also learned about immigration. We learned about what it takes to become a citizen, and we tried to take the naturalization test that immigrants have to take. We also visited the Immigration court where we saw live immigration hearings. For this AP, we had to amend the naturalization test. This was up to interpretation. I decided to make it more personable and related to what America means to you. Enjoy!

United States Government. "Seal of the U.S, Immigration and Naturalization Services." (2000)

Do you know what it takes to become a citizen of The United States? In fact, it is a long and treacherous process, in which one step is t take a “naturalization test.” This is a part of the citizenship process where an applicant takes a 100 question test on all things America. Questions range from government to geography and history. A U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service officer will ask 10 questions, and 6 out of 10 questions must be answered correctly. A form of naturalization tests have been around since the early 19th century. According to the USCIS website, trick questions were eliminated in the 1930s to “ensure that questioning would establish the applicant’s attachment to the principles of the Constitution rather than the mere ability to memorize facts.”

I think that this quote is an interesting statement, as a lot of people today say that the test is still just a memorization test, even though the purpose is to understand the government, history, and geography of America.

I believe that the citizenship exam should be more than memorization. People who are coming to America are usually looking for a better life than they could have in their native country. I believe questions on the test like:

88. Name one of the two longest rivers in the United States.
92. Name one state that borders Canada.
95. Where is the Statue of Liberty?


Are very general, easily googled, and generally useless questions. These questions are also probably not known by many American born citizens. To me, these questions feel more like trivia questions, rather than questions that all Americans should know. These questions are all connected and are pretty general geography questions. I think it is good to be a well-informed citizen, and I think most or all Americans should know these answers, but I don’t think it is nessacery for a brand new citizen or a non-native person who is coming to America for the first time to know. Imagine going to a brand new country and having to know the geography (even if it is pretty well known.)

A syllogism for the current test would be: American citizens know basic geography, therefore all new citizens should know basic geography. This is a very generalized test. I believe that because some Americans know the answer to these questions, It is assumed that every American and new citizen should know these answers. I think that it is fairly hypocritical since many American citizens do not know the answer to these questions.

I believe that the citizenship test should be revised into a project that an applicant does on what America means to them. For this, there is no right or wrong answer, (which could present problems) but it is the opinion of the applicant. This project could be much more worthwhile than memorizing facts. It could also show the USCIS agents why this person is coming to America, and what they plan on doing once becoming a citizen.

In Article 1 Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution, the following is stated: “To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization,” This means the Congress is granted the right to establish a rule of naturalization. This determines how immigrants may or may not become citizens, even back in the 1700s. At this time there was no naturalization test, but it was up to the government to determine if someone could become a citizen even if they do not meet the criteria of: “No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President.” In Article II Section I. Even to this day we still have the government determine who can become a citizen, but it seems we haven’t come much farther than we have when the country was first born. With my new way of naturalizing immigrants, we can move forward in the ways we accept people into this country.

I declare that the U.S. Citizenship Naturalization test shall be amended into a self-fulfilling project about what America means to them. This will be an open format project will no restrictions. This is purely to show the government what America means to this applicant, and what their plan is. This will eliminate memorization, and trick questions to give everyone a fair chance.

My classmate KS had this to say about my amended test: “I think this is a fairer way to judge who gets to come into America. It is less general and more personalized.”

This amendment is signed by:

CM & KS


Works Cited:

“Origin of the Naturalization and Civics Test.” USCIS.gov. Department of Homeland Security. 15, Jan 2013. Web. 9, Mar 2019.

“The U.S. Constitution and Immigration.” Boundless.com. Boundless Immigration Inc. 3, Jun 2017. Web 12, Mar 2019.

U.S. Constitution. Art.I, Sec 8. Art. II Sec. 1.

In conclusion, I did like this project. I thought it was a fun but challenging way to think about how we as Americans see immigration. I always thought the test was suspicious, but I really do feel like my plan could work. The most challenging part was connecting my amendment to a historical document. I was able to find some good connections, but it was challenging. I am really happy with how this turned out.

DIY Guitar

This is the 2nd unit in the Junior STEAM class, Light, Sound, and Time. The second unit was focused on sound. We learned all about sound and how it can be applied to the real world. We studied how light and sound are related, and how to calculate the distance it takes sound to travel. We learned about things like the Doppler effect and sonic booms, where sounds that are moving have a different pitch, or what happens when something travels faster than sound. We also studied how our ears perceive sound and the human threshold of hearing. We looked at the anatomy of the human ear and studied sound waves and measured them. To prepare for our action project, we went to the Chicago Music Exchange to learn about guitars and other instruments and how they produce sound. We were able to play instruments, and talk to experts about how the different instruments produce sound. For the action project, we made our own guitars or Diddley Bows. This is a one-stringed guitar made out of different household materials. The made the Diddley Bow, and then recorded ourselves playing it, and we drew the harmonics the played. We also calculated the length and angle of the guitar and the volume of the resonator.

CM "Diddley Bow" (2019)

The instrument I made is called a Diddley Bow. It is a type of homemade guitar. It is made out of wood, a tin can, batteries, and guitar strings. The diddley bow can be as little as 1 string, or as many as 6. Diddley bows also have varying amounts of detail and features. My Diddley bow was made by using a 2 x 4 piece of wood and measured where I wanted the nut to go. The nut was made by using a dead AA battery. I then used a tin can as the body or the resonator of the Diddley Bow. I poked a hole in it, and then threaded the guitar string from the nut through the resonator and then tied it around the screw at the base of the resonator. I made sure that the string was taught enough to make loud enough sound but that it wasn’t too taught to play.



The Diddley Bow produces sound by vibrating the string. The string’s vibrations are amplified by the resonator or the body which is made out of a tin can. The pitch can be changed by tightening or loosening the screw that the string is attached to, like a tuning peg. Or shortening the length of the string. The volume can be changed by how hard the string is plucked. This changed the amplitude of the wave that the string makes, producing a louder sound. The width of my string is 0.05 in.

CM "Diagram" (2019)

My Diddley Bow demonstrates wavelength and frequency by manipulating the strings. When the strings are plucked, a standing wave is produced. This is how sound is portrayed in waveform. The longer the wavelength, the lower the frequency and vice versa. Pitch is how our ears perceive frequency, the higher the frequency of a wave, the higher pitch it will sound. If the string is plucked and produces a high-frequency wave, a higher pitch sound will be created. If the wave has a lower frequency, it will produce a lower pitch sound. This is how the Diddley bow is played so it can produce different pitches.

Here is a recording of me playing the Diddley Bow The side view of the guitar created a trapezoid with an area 15 x (1.5 + 1.75) / 2 = 1.625 x 15 = 24.375 sq in. I figured out how to find the angles by dividing the trapezoid into a rectangle with a triangle on top, with a base of 15 and a height of .25 and a hypotenuse of 15.5. To find the upper right angle, I calculate tan -1 (15 / .25) = 89 degrees. The left angle of the triangle is 1 degree because 89 + 90 = 179 which is 1 short of 180 degrees. This means the left angle of the trapezoid is 91 degrees because 1 + 90 = 91.

CM "Trapezoid" (2019)

The tin can I used as a resonator has a radius of 1.75 in. To calculate volume, we need to know the area of the circle and the height. The area of my circle is π 1.75 ^2 = 9.62 cubic in. The height is 4.5 in so the volume is 4.5 x 9.62 = 43.29 cubic in

CM "Resonator" (2019)

My Diddley Bow plays 4 harmonics. I found the frequency of my Diddley Bow which was 55.2 Hz (Hertz) I then found the wavelength. The speed of sound is 343 m/s so 55.2 Hz / 343 m/s = 6.21 meters which is my wavelength. As Frequency gets larger, the wavelength gets smaller.

The 1st harmonic represents the open note.

The 2nd harmonic represents the ½

The 3rd harmonic represents the ⅓ and ⅔

The 4th harmonic represents the ¼ and ¾


Frequency = 55.2 Hz Wavelenth = 6.21 meters

Frequency x 2 = 110.4 Hz Wavelength / 2 = 3.105 meters

Frequency x 3 = 165.6 Hz Wavelength / 3 = 2.07 meters

Frequency x 4 = 220.8 Hz Wavelength / 4 = 1.5525 meters

CM "Harmonics" (2019)

In conclusion, I liked this project. I thought it was an interesting hands-on way to learn about sound and sound waves. I enjoyed making the Diddley Bow as well as calculating it. This was a challenging project as I had a lot of other things going on, but I am proud of how the Diddley Bow actually came in the end.

Declaring My Independence

This is the first unit of my Junior Humanities class A Nation's Argument. In this class, we are learning about the history of our nation and our independence, as well as argument strategies that we can use, as well as the founding fathers. We learned about premises and conclusions as well as inductive and deductive reasoning. These are all key tools in forming a solid argument. We have been reading Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States." This book gives us a different perspective on our nation's history. We also took part in Yale University's online lecture series. We participated in a lecture on American history from Professor Freeman. We compared and contrasted the views of Zinn and Freeman. We had a Field Experience where we went to the Daley Center in Chicago. We participated in their Black History Month tours where they let schools into courtrooms for hearings. We witnessed the opening statements from a case between an ER nurse and a patient. For this action project, we declared our independence. We declared an independent study that we could do in school and we had to defend our argument.

Hiu To, "Suture" (2018)

I am here to declaration my right of Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of Happiness. I believe it is my right to learn and practice the field of medicine I want to go into. I want to learn surgical procedures at a medical school’ residency level of schooling in my junior year. Education is an unalienable right in this country and it should have no restrictions when it comes to age, ability, race, gender, political views, or economic status. Anyone and everyone has the right to learn no matter what.

The purpose of school is to teach young people what they need to know t advance in their careers, from the most basic level or learning to share in preschool, to learning a 14-hour complicated procedure in residency, learning is always happening and always important. School was invented for this reason exactly: to teach young people what they need to know to be successful in whatever they choose to pursue. I believe if a young person is dedicated enough, age and legality should not interfere with their right to pursue their passion for learning.

I have a right to education as a human. According to Right To Education.org :

"Education as a human right means:

• The right to education is legally guaranteed for all without any discrimination.
• States have the obligation to protect, respect, and fulfill the right to education.
• There are ways to hold states accountable for violations or deprivations of the right to education"

This list of statements supports my declaration in the areas that: education is an unalienable right, education knows no limits no matter who you are; and that no one can deny you education. This declaration is an expression of my unalienable rights because I want to pursue my education further than my age allows. Even though I am only a Junior in high school, I believe it is my right as a human being to study at a much higher level of surgery and surgical procedures than is typically considered right for my age.

My guiding question is: Is it my right to pursue an advanced study of surgery at a young age?

I have a right to my study because:

P(1) Every human has a right to education.

P(2) Education cannot be limited by age or ability.

P(3) States have an obligation to fulfill the rights of education

Conclusion: I have the right to practice and learn surgical procedures at my age.

My syllogism: “Education is a human right, learning surgery is education, therefore, learning surgery is a human right.” This represents my declaration in it’s most basic form. Since education is a human right, I have the right to education, so, therefore, I can learn surgery and it is my human right.

The Declaration of Independence written by Thomas Jefferson 1776, The declaration included similar syllogisms to my declaration. The most recognized syllogism in the Declaration is: All people are born with the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Therefore, the American Colonists are born with the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

My declaration states that I want:

• To be able to study advanced surgical procedures at my age
• To be able to practice surgucal procedures at my age
• To be able to get credit for medical school.
• To be able to study at a medical school/residential level.

These are my desired outcomes that I would like to see happen if my proposal is accepted.

Here is a list of things I will need to make this happen:

• Surgical Supplies and practice dummies
• Medical school materials
• Connections at medical schools
• Surgical training materials
• A teacher
• A place in the school to practice

Here is my final Declaration:

“I CM, believe it is my right as a human to an education of my choosing. It is my right to learn, so I have the right to learn about what I want. I want to learn about surgical procedures and practice them even at my young age. I can do this because it is my unalienable right as a human to have an education. To the most basic extent: “Education is a human right, learning surgery is education, therefore, learning surgery is a human right.” This is why I, CM am declaring my right to study what I propose, as it is my right.

I think this was a somewhat challenging and thought-provoking project. I liked how individual it was for each student, everyone was able to do their project on what they thought was important. I thought about how to make this different from my existing independent study of surgery, so I decided to go broader and make a bigger statement than my existing study. I am proud of how my declaration turned out, and I think the most challenging part was making the declaration a soild argument. I enjoyed this project, and I am interested to see what my other classmates declared.

Works Cited:

"Understanding Education as a Right." Right Toe Education.org. 2018. GreenNet. Web. 14, Feb 2019.

Pictures Out Of Thin Air

This is the first unit of my Junior STEAM course Light, Sound and Time. In the first unit, Light, we learned about, well, light! We learned about the electromagnetic spectrum and light waves. We also worked on trigonometry where we studied unit circles, similar triangles, and sine and cosine waves. We also studied radians and degrees, as well as Snell's Law of refraction. We only went on one Field Experience this unit. We went to The Latin School, where we met with their photography teacher Ms. Ross. We used their darkroom to develop our pictures. This was a very important FE, because we couldn't have done the Action Project without her and the Latin School's support. We also did an experiment where we saw which lamp would raise the temperature of a piece of chocolate the most. This was so we could further understand how light and energy interact with different objects. For the first AP, we made a pinhole camera. We made the cameras in class and then took them to The Latin School where we took and developed the photos. We then had to calculate the light and distance between the lens and the object we took a picture of.

CM "Pinhole" (2019)

What exactly is a pinhole camera? A pinhole camera is a type of simple handmade camera. It consists of a lightproof box, a manual shutter, and a lens. The pinhole camera can take pictures by placing an object in front of the camera and putting film inside the camera. Then, you let light through the pinhole which lets a small amount of light into the completely dark camera, where the image transfers to the film. The film is then developed, and if it works, you are left with an image. It is important that the inside of the camera is all black so it is completely light proof. The black inside of the camera makes sure all the light is absorbed and the only light coming through is through the pinhole. The pinhole camera does not refelct or refract light because light is not bouncing off anything, nor is it entering a different medium. This is the same principle as the camera obscura. This was a technique that painters used hundreds of years ago to paint realistic pictures. They would have an all dark room where there is only a small hole that lets light in which will project the image outside onto the back wall. The light that comes into the camera is part of the visible spectrum on the electromagnetic spectrum. This is a spectrum of wavelengths that includes everything from gamma rays to radio waves. The light acts as energy when it moves into the pinhole of the camera. Light can act as both a wave and a particle. This is because rays of light can pass through each other on not bounce off. Light acts as a particle because when it hits metal, the light is absorbed.

For this project, I used an empty oatmeal container. I punched a hole in it and then painted the inside black with black acrylic paint. I also painted the top so the whole thing would be lightproof. I then took an empty soda can and cut a circle out of it with an X-Acto knife. Then I used a pin and poked a hole through the aluminum. Then I sanded it with sandpaper so everything was smooth. This is the lens. I taped the lens behind the hole in the container and added another coat of black paint. Then I created a shutter out of black duct tape.

CM "Diagram" (2019)

CM "Developed Photo" (2019)

CM "Black" (2019)

When we went to the dark room at the Latin School. I did everything I could to produce a picture. I tried twice, but both attempts did not turn out. The first one was all black which most likely means it was overexposed, even though the shutter speed was the recommended time. Shutter speed is how long the lens was letting in light for. For the first attempt with the plain white background, the recommended shutter speed was 3.5 minutes, which I followed. The second attempt had a checkered background which was 5 mins, which I followed. I also left the photo in the chemicals for the right amount of time. The second attempt, I chose the background that needs a longer shutter speed. I did this for the correct time as well, but this one also did not turn out. My best guess is that both attempts were overexposed. I don't know why, but I think I left them both out for too long.

CM "Camera" (2019)

Here are my calculations showing the light rays interacting with my object.

Distance From Film to Pinhole (Diameter): 4 in

Pinhole Height: 3.25 in

Total Camera Height: 7 in

Curved Hemostat: 5 in

CM "Calculations" (2019)

In the end, I really liked this project. It was very hands-on and we actually got to make something that may or may not work. This was a challenging product because we had to go somewhere else to do this project on a very limited time schedule. This meant that I only got 2 tries out of my camera with very little time to focus. This was a very unique challenge, and it made me think and work hard to figure out why my camera didn't work. I am proud of how my camera was designed, but I still don't really know why it didn't work.