Did Dinosaurs Crow?
Today I brought in my rooster from Mezzacello Urban Farm as part of my sustainability in nature class at Metro Schools this week. To say they were mesmerized is an understatement. The look on their faces when that rooster crowed inside its cage - out of sight - was priceless. The kids had so many good questions and created some GREAT ideas for inventions that will make rooster-saurus safer!
Engineered Feed and Sustainability
This is a blog about molecular nutrition and biological markers for different species of animals. Students were tasked to research what the nutritional footprint of each species required and then pull different grasses, grains, fruits, and liquids. Then they built a matrix that could be dehydrated and stored for use later. This is engineered feed and sustainability.
My Friend, Gregor Mendel
I brought in three rabbits to Metro School today. The plan is to discuss genetics and epigenetics with students in the Sustainability in Nature program. We discussed how we imagined Greg Mendel discovered how the pea flowers could pass on color instructions via some mysterious mechanism.
Don’t Be Afraid, It’s a Chicken!
I brought in a chicken to discuss how animals and ecologies interact at Mezzacello Urban Farm. I brought in chicken #23 so they could get used to holding an animal and gaining confidence and competence in holding animals. Don’t be afraid, It’s a chicken!
Winter Programming: Physical Electricity
Today in late November it was 0C here at Mezzacello Urban Farm. The construction of the kitchen and classroom has slowed, so since we won’t have a classroom ready this year, we built wind turbine wires in the kitchen!
Another Generation of Generators
My 2024/2025 CAHS intern working on a design challenge to help students better understand physical electricity. Here they are ready to install wind power, solar power and an electrical load.
War of The Winds: Evolution
I am on the FOURTH iteration of wind turbines here at Mezzacello Urban Farm. We started with a traditional horizontal axis wind turbines. Then I switched to the vertical axis flower turbines. Now I am exploring vertical blade vertical axis wind turbines in new configurations.
A System Winds Through It
This blogpost is about a rebellious chick who survived a wild night out in Mezzacello Urban Farm but survived because of the integrated systems she is standing on in this photo. Let’s talk about it.
Generations of Livestock at an Urban Farm
On an urban Farm, livestock pay a VERY important role in developing healthy ecologies and environmentally stable and sustainable systems. Fortunately they can also build their own ranks. Baby animals on a farm.
An Urban Farm Midden
A midden is one important way that archaeologists and anthropologists understand a site or a culture. It what the “trash” of a site looks like. This is what an urban farm midden looks like at Mezzacello Urban Farm.
The HVAC Struggle at Mezzacello
After 10 long years of living at Mezzacello, in 2024 we finally got working furnaces (we were heating the house with gas fireplaces all these years) and two brand new AC Units - that didn’t work.
Portable Energy Generation systems (PEGs)
An emerging aspect of our mission to Grow, Maintain, Sustain, and Explain is improved portable units to teach our Applied STEM systems in more locations. PEGs is the latest offering. Portable Energy Generation systems.
BioEngineering Summer Camp 2023 Guest Blog - Max
I love teaching Applied STEM summer camps. It never ceases to amaze me what kids will dream up if you give them a problem, some tools and then get out of their way. These are two BioEngineering Summer Camp 2023 Guest Blogs that were shared with me today.
An Engineered and Mobile Ecology
Last week the kids in my Biomechanics summer camp created a very innovative mobile, sustainable animal cage from scratch! Learn how they did it here.
Multiple Career Hats at Mezzacello
At Mezzacello Urban Farms kids wear different hats every day! What careers do you think they might be interested in?!
Prepping For The Environmental and Climate Justice Academy
Become a part of the Ohio EPA-funded FREE Environmental an Climate Justice Academy! Learn more here!
Baby Garden Assassins
Baby ducks and their mother are truly garden assassins! Ther will not be a tick, a mosquito, or a cicada that will survive I should think!
Biomimicry and BioEngineering
The door to the biodome has been plaguing me. But my 10-year-old bioengineering intern came up with an ingenious design based on a dick’s wing.
Activity: Plants to Paper
This is an easy workshop activity that is also a great deal of fun to make. In this activity we will make everything to make paper!
2024 Earth Day School Visits
Introducing Mezzacello Mobile Labs for energy, bioengineering, and biotechnology! Just in time for Earth Day 2024! Learn More.