2019 4-H Robotics and Engineering Expo Workshop Descriptions

Design a Flood Barrier to Protect Downtown Machias

Presenter: Tora Johnson, University of Maine at Machias, Associate Professor of Geographic Information

Downtown Machias is prone to flooding, so we need to design a flood barrier to block the water and protect the roads, businesses and facilities while allowing people to view and visit the river. Students will be engineers for a day. They will study the problem, consider different types of flood barriers, and create a design.


Through the Looking Glass, The Microscopic Living World

Pesenter: Dr. Eric Jones, University of Maine at Machias, Assistant Professor of Plant Biology

Participants will have the opportunity to examine specimens of microscopic life including being able to prepare microscope slides of those specimens.  Specimens of plant and animal life will be provided to allow for participants to examine those organisms that they are most interested in.


Dust Off Your Jeans

Presenter: Bernie Vinzani, University of Maine Cooperative Extension, Professor of Art & Book Arts

If you wear cotton jeans, you are wearing the cellulose molecules of cotton. Before trees were used to make paper, paper was made from rags, old clothes that were pulped into the slurry to make paper. We will be making paper from old blue jeans in this workshop. We will also look at 200 to 400 year old paper that looks as good as the day it was made. We’ll also talk about why!