Choosing a Problem and Solution
Task 1
Describe a problem in your community and explain how it is related to what you are studying in school.
One day at Heathrow Elementary School a second grade class was having P.E outside. Our coach noticed there was something in the woods by our playground. Coach went into the woods to see what was there. He saw bears. There were three bears, (two cubs, and a mama bear). When Coach approached the bears, one of the cubs ran away, the other cub climbed up a tree, and the mama went towards coach. Coach slowly backed away from the mad mama bear, ran out of the woods, and took the second graders inside. He told the principal, and she made an announcement to the school that we had some “friends” on campus and that nobody could go to the playground or field. Everyone stayed inside until the bears left, and no one got to use the playground that day.
Jaiden’s bear stories:
My house has a bird feeder outside. And one night we were sleeping and heard a huge bang. My dog was barking because of the noise. My mom was trying to stop the dog from barking because it will irritate the thing that
was outside.IT WAS A BEAR! My mom got so scared she called 911. When the police got to my house the bear was gone, but he said to leave the bird feeder away from outdoors.
One day my family left my garage open that had a fridge in it. The fridge had juice left over from dinner. At the same time there was a mama and two cubs living in our neighborhood. Our garage was open. I looked out the window
and saw people in my driveway taking pictures of my house. My friend Laura was coming outside of her house that is right across the street, and she saw the bear. She came up my drive way to ring my doorbell [that is next to the garage] when a bear came into our garage. The bear took the left over dinner and the juice out of the fridge and ate it!
Avery’s Bear story:
Two Halloweens ago I was inside and I noticed there where a lot of people gathered around my tree in my front yard. I went outside and I saw a big bear in my tree! Everyone was taking pictures while Mr. Tree Destroyer was eating all of our acorns! Soon the bear was gone so it was a win-win for me because it was candy time!
Black Bear in Magnolia Plantation
By: Thaddeus S.
One day my family and I went to the beach. We had a lot of fun. We came back home, and I started to play on the Wii. Then my mother started screaming, and I realized she was screaming because there was a Florida black bear in our backyard. My dad grabbed the camera, went outside, and started taking pictures of it. He went outside our pool
screen because the Bear had strolled off to a nearby house with an open garage door. The bear got up on his hind
legs and pulled their garbage can into their lawn. He began to eat and tear open some leftovers and a Happy Meal bag from McDonald’s. The bear eventually walked back into the woods after eating pretty much all of their trash. My Dad said that the bear smelled the garbage and followed the scent, found the trash, and ended up having a tasty meal. I realized that what he was saying was true.
...Explain how it is related to what you are studying in school.
Our ISTF project has made us more aware of problems in our community. Our team became more knowledgeable about problem solving, technology and how to make a website. We learned more about science, social studies, language arts and math. Our group also read a story called “A Bear Named Trouble.” It’s about a bear that invades people’s property and breaks into a zoo.
Task 2
Pick a technical application from the National Critical Technology (NCT) list. Tell how your team thinks this technical application could be used to fix the problem.
Under the National Critical Technology of Information and Technology, we suggest using both an active radar sensor that will send out a signal and react to the response (like a bear), and an imaging sensor that produces a "picture" of the physical object (like the bear) it senses. Both types of sensors will help provide warnings to the home owner and/or the community.
Task 3
Use the Internet to find another community that has the same problem your team chose. Name the community, describe its problem and tell what it is doing to fix the problem.
In the counties of Orange, Sullivan, and Ulster, New York, bears have been invading homeowner property and breaking into dumpsters and garbage cans. Here are some solutions they recommend at the website for the Department of Environmental Conservation for the state of New York: http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/6995.html
One of the ways bear invasion problems are being handled is by putting ammonia soaked rags on top of trash cans because bears hate the smell. This site also gives you facts about bears and how to cope with bears.
Describe a problem in your community and explain how it is related to what you are studying in school.
One day at Heathrow Elementary School a second grade class was having P.E outside. Our coach noticed there was something in the woods by our playground. Coach went into the woods to see what was there. He saw bears. There were three bears, (two cubs, and a mama bear). When Coach approached the bears, one of the cubs ran away, the other cub climbed up a tree, and the mama went towards coach. Coach slowly backed away from the mad mama bear, ran out of the woods, and took the second graders inside. He told the principal, and she made an announcement to the school that we had some “friends” on campus and that nobody could go to the playground or field. Everyone stayed inside until the bears left, and no one got to use the playground that day.
Jaiden’s bear stories:
My house has a bird feeder outside. And one night we were sleeping and heard a huge bang. My dog was barking because of the noise. My mom was trying to stop the dog from barking because it will irritate the thing that
was outside.IT WAS A BEAR! My mom got so scared she called 911. When the police got to my house the bear was gone, but he said to leave the bird feeder away from outdoors.
One day my family left my garage open that had a fridge in it. The fridge had juice left over from dinner. At the same time there was a mama and two cubs living in our neighborhood. Our garage was open. I looked out the window
and saw people in my driveway taking pictures of my house. My friend Laura was coming outside of her house that is right across the street, and she saw the bear. She came up my drive way to ring my doorbell [that is next to the garage] when a bear came into our garage. The bear took the left over dinner and the juice out of the fridge and ate it!
Avery’s Bear story:
Two Halloweens ago I was inside and I noticed there where a lot of people gathered around my tree in my front yard. I went outside and I saw a big bear in my tree! Everyone was taking pictures while Mr. Tree Destroyer was eating all of our acorns! Soon the bear was gone so it was a win-win for me because it was candy time!
Black Bear in Magnolia Plantation
By: Thaddeus S.
One day my family and I went to the beach. We had a lot of fun. We came back home, and I started to play on the Wii. Then my mother started screaming, and I realized she was screaming because there was a Florida black bear in our backyard. My dad grabbed the camera, went outside, and started taking pictures of it. He went outside our pool
screen because the Bear had strolled off to a nearby house with an open garage door. The bear got up on his hind
legs and pulled their garbage can into their lawn. He began to eat and tear open some leftovers and a Happy Meal bag from McDonald’s. The bear eventually walked back into the woods after eating pretty much all of their trash. My Dad said that the bear smelled the garbage and followed the scent, found the trash, and ended up having a tasty meal. I realized that what he was saying was true.
...Explain how it is related to what you are studying in school.
Our ISTF project has made us more aware of problems in our community. Our team became more knowledgeable about problem solving, technology and how to make a website. We learned more about science, social studies, language arts and math. Our group also read a story called “A Bear Named Trouble.” It’s about a bear that invades people’s property and breaks into a zoo.
Task 2
Pick a technical application from the National Critical Technology (NCT) list. Tell how your team thinks this technical application could be used to fix the problem.
Under the National Critical Technology of Information and Technology, we suggest using both an active radar sensor that will send out a signal and react to the response (like a bear), and an imaging sensor that produces a "picture" of the physical object (like the bear) it senses. Both types of sensors will help provide warnings to the home owner and/or the community.
Task 3
Use the Internet to find another community that has the same problem your team chose. Name the community, describe its problem and tell what it is doing to fix the problem.
In the counties of Orange, Sullivan, and Ulster, New York, bears have been invading homeowner property and breaking into dumpsters and garbage cans. Here are some solutions they recommend at the website for the Department of Environmental Conservation for the state of New York: http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/6995.html
One of the ways bear invasion problems are being handled is by putting ammonia soaked rags on top of trash cans because bears hate the smell. This site also gives you facts about bears and how to cope with bears.
- Here are some other suggestions they make for reducing Human-Bear
Conflicts: - Do not operate refrigerators outside, bears
can smell what’s inside. - Do not store garbage outside, only put
it out on the days when the Trash truck comes. - Do not feed pets outside, leftovers or even an empty dish could attract
a bear. - Don’t put food outside to attract wildlife.
- Remove the grease can from gas and charcoal grills after every use.
- Remove bird feeders after April 1st.
- Do not play dead.
- Bang on objects to make a lot of noise if you ever come up upon a
bear. - If a bear tries to fight you fight back, key chains, sticks, rocks, and even bare
hands should make the bear go away. - Don’t run, the bear might give a short chase or “bluff” charge.
- Back away slowly and give the bear room to escape if you ever come up upon a bear.
Task 4
Describe at least three differences between your solution and the solution used by the
community you found.
One difference that the communities in New York are recommending to help with this problem is by putting ammonia soaked rags on top of trash cans because bears hate the smell.
A second difference is that the New York website recommends to turn off kitchen exhaust fans that connect to the outside whenever possible.
A third difference is that we encourage adults to use social media to help communicate and educate homeowners bear safety and avoidance techniques.
Video Coach took of the bears by our playground