Team: 36
School: St. Thomas Aquinas
Area of Science: Biochemistry
Interim: Team Number: 36
Names: Vanessa Cichy, Aubrey Rodela
Mentor: Eric Vigil
Problem Definition:
In 2017 there was a study on athletic turf causing various types of cancer. Most types of athletic turf use shredded tire as the cushioning. It is believed that the fumes from the rubber tire are causing cancer. We plan on finding the best way to make athletic turf safe.
Problem Solution:
We plan on resolving the problem by replacing crumb rubber with a safer substance. We will ensure this substance is safe by researching on online databases. We plan to make this substance ideal as well as affordable. We need to make this substance ideal for the many people who may play on it. It will have cushioning (originally crumb rubber) that way when player fall they will land on a soft surface and not create potential injuries. This substance should be affordable that way the people can buy it. The people should be able to buy it so they are not stuck with crumb rubber turf.
Progress to Date:
We have learned some basic coding on Netlogo with our mentors. We have found that people have attempted to make soccer turf out of cork. The cork experiment worked although cork is to expensive therefore not ideal for most people. Cork is expensive due to only being harvested one day a year. We have found much more information about how cork is made and much more information like that. We have also used cork as an inspiration to how we plan on making our turf which will be cheaper than cork.
Expected Results:
We plan on researching and testing the many possible substances. We need to research that way we can find different substances as well as ways to improve our substance. We need to test our product that way we know if this product will do the job needed to be done. Next, we plan to find the best turf that is cushioned, safe for players, and affordable. We plan for our turf to be something for the future sports players of the world.
Team Members:
Sponsoring Teacher: Eric Vigil