Project DOME

CHS Project DOME Global Design Challenge a success! ​​On June 6th at 2pm, 10 Cleveland High School Students and 4 chaperones left Chattanooga, TN to embark on a journey of thousands of miles to complete their class project. Engineering Design and Development is a capstone engineering course at CHS where engineering students can apply the skills that they have honed at CHS towards developing a solution for any long-standing problem or challenge. This year, Cleveland High School engineering students chose to take on a very ambitious goal with sustainability design firm, HATponics based out of Chattanooga, Tn. Their challenge was to create a portable greenhouse-type structure that would provide aquaponic and seed starting capabilities, along with more traditional greenhouse nursery functionality as well. This structure was to target nutritional goals for 16 people in a developing country. A prototype was presented at the end of their fall semester and the project gained such momentum that it led to the opportunity to travel globally as a class and install their product at an orphanage in a remote Miskito Village in Kisalaya, Nicaragua. 41 % ​

Cleveland High Students traveled internationally with 300lbs of a solar powered 19ft diameter greenhouse dome that when assembled, was fully functioning and self-sustaining with mist-irrigation seed starting tables, solar charging, serviceable battery, twin filtration, fish breeding containers, water catchment area and additional planting space from the ground to 8ft high on their metal structure so strong that a 180lb student could hang from the joints. Students had a limit of 10lbs for personal luggage (considered "ultralight") in order to travel with all the pieces and components of the steel frame structure. Spread between 15 bags, every piece was transported through 3 planes (one being a 12 passenger Cessna), a 6-hour bus ride and a 3-mile logging road to the site and included in the build. The few spare parts that we had were donated to Thomas, a local administrator for the Children's home that our students trained to work and maintain their design. While the project was being completed, CHS students had a wonderful time interacting with local children with baseball games, English lessons and sightseeing. The village children came from all around to see our system and meet our students. We left and returned home with a tremendous sense of accomplishment and a sense that anything is possible.

Project Sponsors from Worth Construction were so impressed by the ambitious and ground-

breaking class trip that they donated matching funds for students to travel. The two 55 % ​representatives from Worth Construction Company, Owner Phillip Daniel and Charles Shirley, were also so moved by the project, they decided to travel as chaperones on the trip! Ben Williams, the teacher of the course, also traveled with Stephen Hattabaugh, a second school representative and translator. The 10 students that put a week of their summer on hold to travel and live in one of the most remote areas of Nicaragua are as follows: Landon Allison, Austin Atchley, Isaiah Beaty, Allen Danh, Seth Hope, Jonathon Martin, Joseph Martin, Brandon Sharp, Michael Tubbs and Michael West. The 14 students and chaperones from Cleveland were met in country by CEO of HATponics, Ryan Cox. The greenhouse installation site was provided by New Hope Global Childrens Ministries, for use to aid in nutrition and feeding of their orphanage in remote Kisalaya, Nicaragua.

Local businesses that believed in the project enough to support us w​​ith materials and donations are: Worth Construction Company, HATponics, P&G Cleveland Engineering, Solawrap, Elder's Ace Hardware, Cleveland Boat Center, Happy Nails, Burn's Ornamental Iron. CTE director, Renny Whittenbarger along with the administartive team of Cleveland High School, Cleveland City Schools School Board and Superintendent Martin Ringstaff were all vital in the projects' success. Video and Documentary evidence of the journey will be posted soon at CHSdesignlab.com.