Ecotech Approach – Sophia C-C

Light pollution makes it harder for fireflies to signal potential mates.  I will be making an enclosed diorama to help visualize this effect.  It be a 10 inch by 10 inch closed box with a 2 inch peep hole;  inside, there will be a colony of LEDS to represent fireflies.  The LEDS will be triggered by a button and be run through an arduino to blink in an accurate pattern, and there will be a potentiometer on the outside of the box to control light pollution levels to simulate the effects in different areas.  This will show how much of an effect the pollution has on the visibility of the fireflies’ signals.

The project will be left in the IMRC accompanied by an artist’s statement outlining the problems associated with light pollution.

The target audience for this piece would be people who both spend time in the IMRC, and are comfortable interacting with unfamiliar items.

Budget:

Arduino: I already own one, so practically this would not cost me anything, but if I had to buy one it would cost around $20.

LEDs: $8 for 100 LEDs.

Materials to make the fireflies: hard to pin down an exact number because I’m not sure how I want to make them yet, but probably around $10-15

Materials for the box:  I would be using foam core to construct the diorama, which costs $17 for a pack of 10 11” x 14” sheets.  I own the other materials required.

Other electronics:  If I do not own them, they shouldn’t cost more than $10.