Michael Hall's Capstone

I had always been interest in the environment and especially the different ecosystems that the world has. I was later more intrigued when I learned that scientist had created different ecosystems in different places. This meant that you can have a desert ecosystem in a dome, where it was too cold for anything that lives in a desert to live. It was very interesting to see where my capstone ended considering where it began in my head. At the very start of this capstone process, my capstone idea was to create a seven feet tall ecosystem set-up that would be in SLA for the rest of the years. It did not hit me that it would cost nearly $2,000 and that I simply did have the time and or space to house the supplies. I then began to think of alternative ways to produce my capstone.  A way that was cheaper and that anyone could do. I went to my capstone mentor, Ms.Dunda, and she asked our capstone group what they thought. Eventually I was given the idea to make my ecosystem set-up a kit that anyone could make. 

I created a couple of mock ecosystems and learned what worked best and what really did not. Through this experience I gained valuable like skills, like time management and collaboration. Without the constant advice and help form my mentor and capstone group, I feel as though I would not be here with such a concrete final product. I hope that by making this kit, it will intrigue future generations to think about earth’s ecosystem and help protect them. 

The picture above displays my kit. 

Annotated Bibliography. 

1. 

Citation - 

Nelson, P.. N.p.. Web. 27 Jan 2014. <http://aquaponics.com/>.

This website mainly inspired me to do my capstone idea. The website’s information about aquaponics. It tell the viewer how aquaponics are used and give examples of some systems. The website also allows the viewer to buy some supplies to build their own aquaponic system. The Nelson Pade website also gives chances for the viewer to sign up for classes in aquaponics. The website taught me that depending on the size of the system, depends on what kind of plants and fish you should use. 

2.

Citation - 

. N.p.. Web. 27 Jan 2014. <http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/>.

This website brought the homestyle feeling to my capstone. The most helpful thing about this website is it’s information on the different fish you use in a aquaponics. This information is useful because until now, I thought that any fish could be used but with the website’s specific information about each fish and what each needs, I now know what type of fish I need to invest time into. Lastly, the design tab on the websites is very useful. The website explains the different designs for a aquaponic set up. With this information I would recommend this website for anyone wanting to find more information on aquaponics and or start their own. 

3. 

Citation - 

Leineriza, L.. N.p.. Web. 27 Jan 2014. <http://agverra.com/blog/soil-types/>.

The information that the website contains is useful for understanding the different types of soil. The description of the soil is not as detailed as it could be but if a person wanted to just get a general idea of what each type of soil was then the website is a good source. The website could have also included diagrams and pictures to show how the different types of soil look. From a scale from 1 to 10, I would rate this website a 6 because it’s information is not as informative as it could be but still is useful. The design of the website is simple and that was refreshing because it wa not difficult to find certain information. 

4.

Citation - 

Davis, M.. N.p.. Web. 27 Jan 2014. 

<http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Your-Own-Worm-Compost-System>.

This wiki on how to create a worm compost bucket is useful. Even though the instruction are not for creating a aquaponics system with worms but the information that is in the wiki can be used in a aquaponic set up. The information on the website is useful for knowing what kind of environment is needed in order for worms to grow. The design of the website is a simple scroll flow and its information  is simple for anyone to understand. What I like best about the website is that the author gives reason behind many of the things that are explained in the directions. To me that is something that some websites miss and that makes them less informative. 

5.

Citation - 

Bernstein, Sylvia. n. page. <http://theaquaponicsource.com/2010/08/09/aquaponics-how-to-guide-part-1-why-aquaponics-and-what-type-of system/>.

This webpage was extremely useful in understanding the flow of a aquaponic set up. It has a diagram that clearly shows how each component of the set up and how it feeds into another component. The information in the articles is very useful because it gives the factor about why aquaponic gardening is much better than the regular method of gardening. Even though some of the reasons are very environmentally impactful , some of the reasons are more for comfort. for example since aquaponic gardening is done at waist level, there is no bending down. As for design, the information is mostly just in one big paragraph s it is not really organized well but is good for a general read about aquaponics. 

6. 

Citation - 

Diver, Steve. Aquaponics-Integration of hydroponics with aquaculture. Attra, 2000.

This publication offers the reader an insight on aquaponics and the history behind the actual aquaponic. Even though the publication does contain information on aquaponics and how it works, the publication focuses more on sharing stories about aquaponic set up that have already been done. this gives the reader a feeling that expresses aquaponics is not a myth but an actual process that has been done. the publications hold some information about the types of plants and fish used in an aquaponic but does not go in depth about how each specific plant and fish work in an aquaponic system. 

7.

Citation - 

Jones, Scott. "Evolution of aquaponics." Aquaponics J 6 (2002): 14-17.

This publication is very organized with its information and i very detailed. This publication focuses less on the actual construction of an aquaponic but more on the history and the cost of the aquaponics. The history of aquaponics section is very informative when it talks about how aquaponics got started and its implications on the rest of the world. The publication also does an average job at relating the information back to present day. As for the cost section, the publication does not give exact numbers but does display a diagram that represents what the person would be spending their own money on and what will the person get out of the aquaponics set up. In a nutshell, the publication is good for information about the history about aquaponics but not good for information about specific aquaponic set ups. 

8.

Citation - 

Wolford, Ron, and Greg Stack, eds. "Worm Facts." . urbanex. Web. 28 Jan 2014. <http://urbanext.illinois.edu/worms/facts/>.

The website is very informative about facts that include worms. Even though the facts are very useful there are many things about the website that could help improve it. One thing is that the information could be organized and grouped so that it just appears to be more organized. Also, including the anatomy of the worm would help the website a lot. Just having some facts about worms can not really be that useful. As a whole I rate this website a 4 out of 10 because the information on the site is useful but not presented well. If a person is just looking for some random facts about worms,then this website is very useful and could be a big help. 

9. 

Citation - 

Perlman, Howard. "The Water Cycle." ga.water.usgs. N.p., 05 11 2013. Web. 28 Jan 2014. <http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/watercycle.html>.

The main thing I can say about this source is that it has a great diagram that illustrates the water cycle to its fullest. The information is portrayed on the diagram and with the diagram make it very easy to understand the water cycle. The other thing about the website is that the diagram that shows earth’s water and how it is distribution. The website is useful when a person wants to understand the water cycle but that is simple it. The information on the website is useful for understanding how water travels through a system but not specifically in the aquaponic set up. The information on the site can be implemented and used in a aquaponic set up.  

10.  

Citation - 

. N.p.. Web. 28 Jan 2014. <http://aquaponics.com/page/recommended-plants-and-fish-in-aquaponics>.

The websites information is useful and simple for any to know what kind of plants and fish go in to a aquaponic system. That is the only information that is on the specific page of the website. The design is not so pretty but it is organized and that is something that some websites lack. Even though the information on each fish and plant is not as detailed as it could be,