Around the Park: Severn School fellows explore technology, ecology, photography

Introduced by Fellows Program Director Kelly Lyn Wilson, each student presented his or her project.

 

Henry Creamer and Paul Wyrough, the fellows with the most technologically challenging projects, bookended the presentations. Henry's passion for computer science inspired his exploration of the field of parallel computing. He built a Beowulf Cluster parallel computer by combining and configuring eight Raspberry Pi computers into one powerful unit; then connecting the single-board 1.2GHz processors to a monitor and keyboard.

 

"A parallel computer combines multiple computers called "nodes" that work together as one," he said. "By running programs simultaneously across its nodes, the unit is faster and more efficient than a single computer."

 

Getting the nodes to communicate with each other and interface with Windows was challenging. He wrote statistical analysis parallel programs gauging run times and ran "benchmark/performance tests" using his laptop as a "control".

 

He found running programs through a single node slow. When running them through four nodes, the parallel computer was as fast as the laptop. Running programs through all eight nodes increased the speed dramatically.

 

"At eight nodes my parallel computer, which cost in total $500, was faster than my $1,000 laptop," Henry said.

 
He completed his program by writing a tutorial for future students. He'll continue his studies at Rice University.

 

Paul's love of science and research steered him toward his project – "Harvesting Energy from Carbon Dioxide Emissions".

 

"I wanted to do something more for the environment than simply recycle," he said. "So when I saw a graph illustrating carbon dioxide levels over the last 1,000 years showing dramatic increases recently, I thought, 'wouldn't it be great if we could take all the excess carbon dioxide out there and convert it to energy?'"

 

His program explores how CO2 can be converted to energy. Through research, he discovered there were already companies converting CO2 to liquid energy through batteries. He decided to recreate and document three cutting-edge experiments using recycled materials to build such batteries.

 

The project was difficult. Discouraged at one point, he halted his work to reflect and retool. He reached out to scientists reluctant to share information but then found a professor willing to help him. Through Severn's Zimmerman Library, he obtained and read published studies. He ultimately built two types of batteries. He may continue his carbon to energy research at the University of Maryland, College Park.

 

Mackenzie Durner's talents lie in the areas of photography and digital arts. She combined both to interview and photograph individuals for her first book, "What Lies Within". Using a Power Point program to display her photographs, Mackenzie spoke about the diverse lives of those pictured.

 

She cited unforeseen difficulties getting people to talk about their lives and emphasized how much she appreciated those who shared their stories. She'll be continuing her studies at Salisbury University.

 

Zoe Bennett's interests in science, the environment and architecture were reflected in her Eco-Friendly Home project. She researched ways homeowners could make an impact on their carbon footprint by adopting environmentally friendly building and energy practices, then incorporated her findings into a website she created called GoGreenHouse. Zoe put her design skills to work constructing an architectural model of her own home to illustrate recommendations families can adopt for their homes. She'll hone her talents at Drexel University.

 

Lillian and Patrick – the only fellows project partners – are self-proclaimed "foodies" who developed a "College Cookbook" app and website with college-bound classmates in mind. Since the pair's talents were complementary – he loves to cook and she's artistically talented – they developed an excellent working relationship.

 

"We're not computer oriented so we used the simplest possible website-builder," Lillian said. "Our most time-consuming task was testing our recipes multiple times. Even simple ones that can be prepared in dorm rooms like 'Goat Cheese Toasts' took a long while to perfect."

 

Patrick added that setting up food photo shoots – "getting everything just right" – was almost as taxing.

 

Lillian plans to test the college cooking app when she enters Colby College this fall as will Patrick who's headed for the University of Washington.

 

Severn Head of School Doug Lagarde, who founded the fellows program nine years ago, said he's continuously amazed by the ingenuity of the independent study projects.

 

"Our Fellows have run the gamut from constructing guitars to building a tiny house," he said.

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About the Van Eney '09 Fellows Program at Severn School

The Van Eney ′09 Fellows Program at Severn School is a program based on the pillars of individual passion, scholarship, and inquiry that enables Severn School seniors to transcend the traditional academic program with a year-long intellectual pursuit that reflects their growing interests and passions. The selected Fellows are provided an opportunity to pursue their passions for the experience and the intangible rewards of learning for learning’s sake and personal growth.