Hey! So school has just begun and the Whitney Young Biodiesel team is up and running again! We've recruited new members, and are now looking for ways to get our club's goal out there.
We are all looking foward to the progressions our Biodiesel team will make this year! We've been brainstorming different community projects as well as other people who would benefit from using our Biodiesel! Any ideas?
By Anna Greenberg (brand new member!!!)
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
Mobile Food Bus and Mendota
Hey everyone!!
Sorry it's been a while since we updated... We have been super super busy the last few weeks. In case you didn't know, we've made it to the next round! WOooooo!!!! Our new goal has been to move onto the next round, and we are doing as much we can by March 17th.
Firstly, we started working on the Mobile Food Bus in Chicago. This old CTA bus is being transformed into a mobile food pantry that transfers organic produce to food deserts on the West side of Chicago. We've been working on dissembling the bus, which is being stored in a dingy warehouse on the southside. It's been freezing cold, but we've been getting alot done.
Second, we drove out Friday after school to deliver our second system, formerly found in the MSI, to Mendota Township Highschool. We went bowling (which was super fun) and had dinner, and then spent Saturday setting up the system. As always, it was great seeing all our friends from Mendota, and we managed to get alot done.
Lastly, we've connected with Truck America, a group that teaches the community that one can make a difference even in the back of a truck. Today we met Tim, the Chicagoland head for the project. He was really nice and gave us a book he'd written about the environment. We also met Jordan, who's working for a textbook that wants to feature us!!
Thanks again for reading, and stay posted for more updates!
Jeane Em DuBose
Sorry it's been a while since we updated... We have been super super busy the last few weeks. In case you didn't know, we've made it to the next round! WOooooo!!!! Our new goal has been to move onto the next round, and we are doing as much we can by March 17th.
Firstly, we started working on the Mobile Food Bus in Chicago. This old CTA bus is being transformed into a mobile food pantry that transfers organic produce to food deserts on the West side of Chicago. We've been working on dissembling the bus, which is being stored in a dingy warehouse on the southside. It's been freezing cold, but we've been getting alot done.
Second, we drove out Friday after school to deliver our second system, formerly found in the MSI, to Mendota Township Highschool. We went bowling (which was super fun) and had dinner, and then spent Saturday setting up the system. As always, it was great seeing all our friends from Mendota, and we managed to get alot done.
Lastly, we've connected with Truck America, a group that teaches the community that one can make a difference even in the back of a truck. Today we met Tim, the Chicagoland head for the project. He was really nice and gave us a book he'd written about the environment. We also met Jordan, who's working for a textbook that wants to feature us!!
Thanks again for reading, and stay posted for more updates!
Jeane Em DuBose
Friday, December 24, 2010
Amazing News!!!!
by Jeane Em
Hey everyone!
Sorry it's been awhile since we posted anything, but HEROES has been extremely busy the past few weeks. We've had some extremely important people come to visit us, like an Aldermen Balcer, a representative from the Chicago Department of Green Technology, and the head curator of the Museum of Science and Industry!!!!
On Tuesday (December 21), we were actually hard at work constructing a second system for the MSI. It will be put ON DISPLAY during the first week on January, and will be up until late February/early March. Ms. Barry, the head of the Education Department, has been extremely helpful and very generous. She wants to have our pop bottle biodiesel lab put into the MSI's newsletter, to make actually signs for us, and have banners made with the HEROES logo. Can you believe it???
HEROES will be at the MSI on January 8th all day. Please come and support us!!! This is a hugee opportunity :D
Thanks!!!
Hey everyone!
Sorry it's been awhile since we posted anything, but HEROES has been extremely busy the past few weeks. We've had some extremely important people come to visit us, like an Aldermen Balcer, a representative from the Chicago Department of Green Technology, and the head curator of the Museum of Science and Industry!!!!
On Tuesday (December 21), we were actually hard at work constructing a second system for the MSI. It will be put ON DISPLAY during the first week on January, and will be up until late February/early March. Ms. Barry, the head of the Education Department, has been extremely helpful and very generous. She wants to have our pop bottle biodiesel lab put into the MSI's newsletter, to make actually signs for us, and have banners made with the HEROES logo. Can you believe it???
HEROES will be at the MSI on January 8th all day. Please come and support us!!! This is a hugee opportunity :D
Thanks!!!
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Display at MSI
by Jeane Em
Hi everyone!
Just wanted to share our latest development with you all. After weeks of talking with The Museum of Science and Industry, they have finally allowed us to build a display there! We at HEROES are so excited about this opportunity, and I would like to take this moment to thank the MSI for their help.
So pretty soon, everybody, you'd better get over to the MSI to see exactly what it is we're doing.
Thanks!
Hi everyone!
Just wanted to share our latest development with you all. After weeks of talking with The Museum of Science and Industry, they have finally allowed us to build a display there! We at HEROES are so excited about this opportunity, and I would like to take this moment to thank the MSI for their help.
So pretty soon, everybody, you'd better get over to the MSI to see exactly what it is we're doing.
Thanks!
Saturday, November 20, 2010
BIG NEWS!
by Jeane Em
Hey Everyone!!
As some of you may know, HEROES has been working feverishly to get as much media coverage as possible. As your self proclaimed Media Outreach Coordinator, I've been emailing and calling various Chicagoland newspapers and broadcasting stations. We've been interviewed by two different papers thus far, and have many more interviews in the next few weeks. This is great, because the more people we reach, the farther our team can go. We have an interview with the Chicago Journal on Tuesday (yours truly will be interviewed), a interview with the Mash coming up, and on December 8th, we'll be talking to Farm Now, a radio station dedicated to, you guessed it, farming! Keep an eye out everyone! Soon, we'll be hot off the press!
But this isn't the big news. I recently learned from Anna, who heard from Mr. Sievers, that we may be interviewed by ABC News!!!!!
Excuse me while I freak out.
Stay tuned!
Hey Everyone!!
As some of you may know, HEROES has been working feverishly to get as much media coverage as possible. As your self proclaimed Media Outreach Coordinator, I've been emailing and calling various Chicagoland newspapers and broadcasting stations. We've been interviewed by two different papers thus far, and have many more interviews in the next few weeks. This is great, because the more people we reach, the farther our team can go. We have an interview with the Chicago Journal on Tuesday (yours truly will be interviewed), a interview with the Mash coming up, and on December 8th, we'll be talking to Farm Now, a radio station dedicated to, you guessed it, farming! Keep an eye out everyone! Soon, we'll be hot off the press!
But this isn't the big news. I recently learned from Anna, who heard from Mr. Sievers, that we may be interviewed by ABC News!!!!!
Excuse me while I freak out.
Stay tuned!
Friday, November 19, 2010
Firsts and Go Karting
By Jeane Em
Hey everyone!! I'm Jeane Em DuBose, and another member of H.E.R.O.E.S. I'm writing to tell you a bit about why and how I got involved, and to tell you about the adventure Anna and I had today.
To start things off, why did I join HEROES. Well, I was sitting in my history class in the middle of October, getting my notebook out and preparing to be bored to death. Anna, a good friend of mine from freshman year, and who sits by me in history, asked if I would be interested in helping her out with her science fair project. Always glad to help a friend, I unwittingly replied, "Yeah sure. Why not?" Little did I know that these word would be my doom.
The next day, Anna and I went down to see Mr. Sievers, our faculty sponsor. I had never seen the man before, and was slightly unnerved when the tall red head began talking technical with Anna. He then turned to me and asked "So you ready?"
That was the beginning of my part in HEROES. I went into Mr. Sievers' class that Friday, a little nervous and with no idea of what to expect. Jake, Sabrina, and Melissa, the other members of the team, were quick to welcome me, and Mr Sievers put me straight to work. Basically, my job was finding restaurants in the Tri-Taylor area and giving the others numbers to call so we could receive used oil to convert to biodiesel. I also was charged with writing down the names of all restaurants that were willing to help us out, the name of the manager, and dates and times to pick up the oil.
It's been a long and hard trek from those simple days. Now, I'm our self proclaimed Media Expert. My job is now to contact local news broadcasting services (newspapers, radio stations, and television stations) and to organize interviews. I'm also looking into farming coops and local museums that might be interested in displaying a model of our system. Though I'm not at all a science person, I love coming to the lab every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday or Sunday. Everyone is so kind and amusing; the grad students in charge with the lab are some of the funniest guys I've met in a while. I'm right in my element. Writing, reading, and contacting people is something I enjoy. I've also had a lot of "firsts" with HEROES. I used my first power drills, built my first biodiesel refinery, and was interviewed for the first time.
Now, I know what you're asking yourselves. When is she going to mention go karting?
Well, I'm getting to that. Today was another first. We now have enough biodiesel to power a diesel engined go kart, and are going to test it tomorrow at IDOT. But in order to test our fuel, we have to run off the fuel already in the tank (so our fuel is the only stuff being tested). After wheeling the kart through the halls of the ERF (lots of surprised college kids), we made it to the parking lot. Mr. Sievers asked "Who wants to go first?" Without even replying, I jumped into the seat of the vehicle (not an easy task wearing a skirt, let me tell you). Mr Sievers pull the cord, and the cart started sputtering and coughing toxic black gas. Slowly, I started to roll forward. The engine was extremely loud, but I made out the words "BREAK!". From drivers ed, I know that the break is on the left, and stomped on it. I then drove into the parking lot, without hitting a single pedestrian or car.
For the next half an hour, Mr Sievers, Anna, Travis (our handy eighth grader) and two of the graduate students drove up and down the drive way, though none of us were as enthusiastic as Mr Sievers, who was hooting and hollering during his entire, rather lengthy turn.
Be ready for pictures, which should be uploaded soon.
:)
Hey everyone!! I'm Jeane Em DuBose, and another member of H.E.R.O.E.S. I'm writing to tell you a bit about why and how I got involved, and to tell you about the adventure Anna and I had today.
To start things off, why did I join HEROES. Well, I was sitting in my history class in the middle of October, getting my notebook out and preparing to be bored to death. Anna, a good friend of mine from freshman year, and who sits by me in history, asked if I would be interested in helping her out with her science fair project. Always glad to help a friend, I unwittingly replied, "Yeah sure. Why not?" Little did I know that these word would be my doom.
The next day, Anna and I went down to see Mr. Sievers, our faculty sponsor. I had never seen the man before, and was slightly unnerved when the tall red head began talking technical with Anna. He then turned to me and asked "So you ready?"
That was the beginning of my part in HEROES. I went into Mr. Sievers' class that Friday, a little nervous and with no idea of what to expect. Jake, Sabrina, and Melissa, the other members of the team, were quick to welcome me, and Mr Sievers put me straight to work. Basically, my job was finding restaurants in the Tri-Taylor area and giving the others numbers to call so we could receive used oil to convert to biodiesel. I also was charged with writing down the names of all restaurants that were willing to help us out, the name of the manager, and dates and times to pick up the oil.
It's been a long and hard trek from those simple days. Now, I'm our self proclaimed Media Expert. My job is now to contact local news broadcasting services (newspapers, radio stations, and television stations) and to organize interviews. I'm also looking into farming coops and local museums that might be interested in displaying a model of our system. Though I'm not at all a science person, I love coming to the lab every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday or Sunday. Everyone is so kind and amusing; the grad students in charge with the lab are some of the funniest guys I've met in a while. I'm right in my element. Writing, reading, and contacting people is something I enjoy. I've also had a lot of "firsts" with HEROES. I used my first power drills, built my first biodiesel refinery, and was interviewed for the first time.
Now, I know what you're asking yourselves. When is she going to mention go karting?
Well, I'm getting to that. Today was another first. We now have enough biodiesel to power a diesel engined go kart, and are going to test it tomorrow at IDOT. But in order to test our fuel, we have to run off the fuel already in the tank (so our fuel is the only stuff being tested). After wheeling the kart through the halls of the ERF (lots of surprised college kids), we made it to the parking lot. Mr. Sievers asked "Who wants to go first?" Without even replying, I jumped into the seat of the vehicle (not an easy task wearing a skirt, let me tell you). Mr Sievers pull the cord, and the cart started sputtering and coughing toxic black gas. Slowly, I started to roll forward. The engine was extremely loud, but I made out the words "BREAK!". From drivers ed, I know that the break is on the left, and stomped on it. I then drove into the parking lot, without hitting a single pedestrian or car.
For the next half an hour, Mr Sievers, Anna, Travis (our handy eighth grader) and two of the graduate students drove up and down the drive way, though none of us were as enthusiastic as Mr Sievers, who was hooting and hollering during his entire, rather lengthy turn.
Be ready for pictures, which should be uploaded soon.
:)
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Makin' Biodiesel
By: Anna
When I started my sophomore year at WY, I didn't think I would be making biodiesel. But, I'm glad I got into it. Now, I can truthfully say that I am a apprentice pipe fitter, I can construct a mini biodiesel refinery, and I can make biodiesel!
Other students, including myself are H.E.R.O.E.S. (Helping to Engender Renewable Organic Energy Sources). We have taken on a project to make biodiesel in coalition with University of Illinois at Chicago. We will be entering the Lexus Eco Challenge and as a result of our project, we will have created a reactor to make biodiesel.
We will also be reaching out to farming co-ops around the Greater Chicago Area area to donate our biodiesel. We've been contacting various local restaurants for their used cooking oil, and many businesses have generously donated various equipment essential to our project. Just yesterday, we began the actual process of converting oil to biodiesel, and this Saturday, we will be going to IDOT to test the emissions of our oil on a go-kart. With this clean energy source, we hop to donate it to local organic farming cooperatives.
We're H.E.R.O.E.S. and that's just the beginning!
When I started my sophomore year at WY, I didn't think I would be making biodiesel. But, I'm glad I got into it. Now, I can truthfully say that I am a apprentice pipe fitter, I can construct a mini biodiesel refinery, and I can make biodiesel!
Other students, including myself are H.E.R.O.E.S. (Helping to Engender Renewable Organic Energy Sources). We have taken on a project to make biodiesel in coalition with University of Illinois at Chicago. We will be entering the Lexus Eco Challenge and as a result of our project, we will have created a reactor to make biodiesel.
We will also be reaching out to farming co-ops around the Greater Chicago Area area to donate our biodiesel. We've been contacting various local restaurants for their used cooking oil, and many businesses have generously donated various equipment essential to our project. Just yesterday, we began the actual process of converting oil to biodiesel, and this Saturday, we will be going to IDOT to test the emissions of our oil on a go-kart. With this clean energy source, we hop to donate it to local organic farming cooperatives.
We're H.E.R.O.E.S. and that's just the beginning!
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