LigerSat team visited the National Polytechnic Institute of Cambodia (NPIC). There we met the professors to talk about their ground station and the process to acquire amateur radio license. We were surprised that they have to go through a strict and time-consuming process to get the government approval for their ground station. Only two professors passed the technician amateur radio test last year. Anyway, Dean of Engineering suggested our team to talk about our CubeSat mission to the Ministry of Telecommunication to approval for building an Earth station as well as the satellite. After the meeting, we were delighted to have a tour around their campus. We were amazed by the hand-on equipment and diverse facilities.
Meeting with Engineering Dean and other professors about CubeSAT
NPIC telecommunication lab that consists of transmitters and radios
Getting a tour from a young professor
At NPIC robotics lab with manufacturing demonstration
After many months of SAT preparation and the first SAT exam was finished, our Math class tilts toward precalculus. We studied the function’s behavior, transformation, and shapes. Many times, we find zeros of polynomials through couple strategies such as Descartes’s rule of Signs, Upper and Lower Bounds for zero, list of possible zeros (factor of constant term/factor of leading coefficient), factoring and long division and synthetic division.
I found out that long division and synthetic division to solve for zeros is really essential, so I want to show how to use them.
Long Division
It looks almost the same with normal division we did in grade 2. However, complexity but the same element.
2. Synthetic division
The same problem as above, the synthetic division has a different way but result in the same answer.
As class progress, our chemistry knowledge is deeper. Each lesson builds upon each other. For instance, after learning the Lewis dot structures, we have gone farther about molecular bonding shape of a compound and its polarity.
LigerSat joined the first satellite symposium in Xi’an, China to better understand CubeSat concepts, and most importantly to network with experts and mentors that able to help our CubeSat project. We met teams from Bangladesh, Israel, China and experts from Japan, Caly Poly University, China, Costa Rika, and the United Kingdom.
I have learned that CubeSat constellation will take over space and form a network like an internet. This constellation will provide real-time data and benefit to many industries.
There are presentations, some are simple and most are technical. Listening to technical concepts help me to improve my listening skill as well as get expose to something new. Besides listening to presentations, we networked with experts and companies because our team needed supports in human resources, satellite components, guides, ideas and strategies to developing a CubeSat.
Last year science was Physics. For this year science is Physics. We study over the fundamental concept in chemistry from atom to the periodic table. Besides learning from the slide and practices solving problems, we were doing a chemistry lab about Quantized Energy Levels in different compounds.
Here is my lab report:
Why do we see colors in the flame tests? We see colors in the flame test because the electrons were getting excited when exposed to energy and jump to a higher level shell, then release a specific frequency proton while falling back to the original shell.
How will we be testing the substances qualitatively? We will be testing the substances qualitatively by observing the color of the flame which the atom emitted.
Procedure:
Light the Bunsen burner (turn the gas on so you can just hear it, then use the striker)
Place the wood splint for each compound into the flame using tongs or tweezers- ONE AT A TIME!
Take note of the color of the flame and return the wood splint to the solution.
Carefully put the stoppers back on the solutions! Make sure the station looks like it did when you started! Let me know if you need new splints!
Wash your hands thoroughly before leaving the laboratory
Data Table:
Compound
Color of Flame (qualitative)
Wavelengths of light (in Å) (quantitative)
Barium Chloride
Green
560 – 520 nm
Calcium Chloride
Orange
635 – 590 nm
Copper (II) Chloride
Cyan
520 – 490 nm
Lithium Chloride
Pink
700 – 635 nm
Potassium Chloride
Purple
450 – 400 nm
Strontium Chloride
Red
700 – 635 nm
Unknown #1
Pink
700 – 635 nm
Discussion and Analysis:
What observation did you make that allowed you to come up with the wavelengths for each chemical? What happened to the atom (and more specifically the electrons) that caused you to see that change?
A color emitted by the compound has a specific light frequency and wavelength. The difference energy in which the electron in the ground and the excited states could be explained by the light photon that electrons released. The higher the frequency of the photon, the more quantized energy level is. For example, Potassium Chloride emitted purple photons which has a higher quantized energy level compare to Strongtium Chloride which emitted red that has lower quantized energy level.
The unknown compound is one of the other six. Identify it and explain HOW you figured it out using the results of your experiment.
When the color of the unknown compound emitted (pink) compare to the color of the known compound emitted, we see Lithium Chloride also emitted pink as well. So the unknown compound is Lithium Chloride.
Conclusion:What are two possible sources of error for this lab? How would the errors affect your lab? What would you do differently next time to counteract these errors?
Two possible sources of error for this lab are identifying the color of the flame incorrectly and using wood splint as the tool to hold the compound in the flame. The missed identify the color could result in false wavelength as well the quantized energy levels of the compound. The wood splint that held the compound in the flame, got burn and possibly emitted flame with a different color that could buffer us from identifying the color from the compound. To counteract these errors in the next time test, the procedure should include taking pictures of the flame and identifying its color by using computer software and replacing wood splint with a metal splint or a metal spoons instead.
As the SAT exam is approaching, in Math class I have been preparing and practicing taking the exams. In the math sections of the exam will cover algebra, equations, proportion, statistics and some geometry content. Most of the problems I could be able to solve them, however, due to the time limit I must solve the questions fast enough with accuracy. I will share one of the strategies we have been gone over to solve a specific type of questions: special pattern circles.
Charlie from International Labour Organization (ILO) was submitting a mobile application idea to Boston University. When his idea pass, students from the BU will develop the app. However, he needed Visal (my friend) and I help to do a wireframe for his app in FOUR days.
A wireframe is a blueprint and flow of app before doing an actual design on a computer. Visal and I had couple times designing our own apps, so wireframe was not a problem, but to finish the wireframe in a short time w
as challenging. We spend 3 hours sketching on paper and 5 hours wire framing on Adobe Xs.
Two more years till my graduation, I might attend a university oversea, therefore to prepare for university, I took two AP (Advanced Placement) courses, AP Statistics and AP Computer Science A. The courses are university-level course and they are extremely difficult. To prepare for AP exams on May, I studied statistics during Math class and part time in school prepare for AP computer science.
The last Exploration of the year 2017-2018 was performing a play, titled “the Network”. The play displayed the view of using social media, concerning in relationship, advertising or even abusing by inappropriate posts on the network.
My character was a flighty guy, who flirted with a girl and then posted her hot photo to social media during her birthday. After that breakup, I flirted with another girl, but sadly it was not successful. However, the main character didn’t enjoy using social as I did. He faced many social problems when using the Network (social media), so he wanted to destroy it by spreading a virus and he did.
Four years ago, Ministry of Education hosted the first STEM festival in Cambodia and yet, the festival remained to happen every year; I never missed a year to exhibit or participate at the event because I want to see as many projects as possible. During the first festival in 2015, I was exhibiting my Tech Support Exploration with my mates and the crowds rumored around our table amazed what we did. This year I was honored to present my self-balancing robot I engineered during my after-school activity. Beside exhibiting my projects, I observed others’ as well and I discovered that there were new faces from public schools, around my age, presenting their STEM projects. I have seen countless projects from organizations, companies and international schools over the last couple year, but I have amused to see robots, Arduino projects, insect spray from lemongrass, even games that were done by these high school students. I remembered two years ago, I gave a lecture of using Scratch software to the Secretary of State of Ministry of Education purposely to implement this coding software in public school, and then surprisingly, I saw some of the students were using them for making games and displayed in the festival! This made me realizes that I made a “change” for Cambodia in STEM field.
When I taught the assistant of Secretary of StateOne of the project from a highschool
I love STEM subjects, but when magnifying it closely, I am marrying with coding and robotics. I took online courses on coding when I was 13 then I realized I love it – it inspired me to pursue coding. To me, coding is a magic that can spell phones or computers to do whatever we want. Last year, my team started developing a PayPal-like website called Liger Digital Currency for our school. The entire site took my team a lot of work for designing, planning and, programming. We couldn’t be proud enough when this site officially launched last October. This application is being used by Liger students and staffs every week for catering and maintenance around the campus. This is the greatest achievement my team and I honored for our school.
One screenshot of Liger digital currency
I could now proudly call myself a web developer!
Technology brought humanity into a revolution. There is significant growth in many sectors such as education, construction, medical and more. It certain that countries’ economy has boost exponentially when technology evolved in our society.
I have seen a new mobile application trending in Cambodia: PassApp. It helps people saving money when traveling via a Tuk Tuk, a motor with a cart, as well as Tuk Tuk drivers would more customers. This is the innovation that Cambodia needs, the innovation that beneficial to people.
Steve Jobs, a founder of Apple Company quoted that, “The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.” Related to the quote, I believe that Cambodia would be a place where there are many innovations, sustainability and I am committing to make this a reality.
Robotics is another factor to my passion. With this passion, I joined a VEX robotics competition at Thailand in February. I love robots. By participating in this competition, I could advance my mechanic, programming as well teamwork skills. The experience I had, I shared with students who went to STEM festival and encourage them to be like me.
How could robots change the world? It could change the world in a devastating way, but we see the benefits it gives to people. People sent a rover robot to inhabitant Mars, so we don’t spare astronauts’ life. We sent robots to explore the ocean so people couldn’t be crush by enormous pressure. However, robots would likely take over people’s job by its automation technology. Almost every labor force would replace with robots, but the productivity, performance, reliability would be advanced and cost of each product would be reduced.
A part of expanding knowledge about STEM subjects, I also gave away. An example was in Bambujaya Exploration where I wrote addons about Khmer, Math and Science subjects of the 3rd-grade book for a new private school, called Bambujaya. Bambujaya’s mission is to make sure students are more engaged by implementing these STEM activities since Cambodia’s government curriculum is a French teaching style and there is lack innovation for the students.
During my volunteering at Khmer Sight Foundation’s mission, I was fainted to see poor conditions of the community we went, to see many families couldn’t afford a sunglass for themselves and to see people struggle to see their grandchildren, children and their world. I helped doctors to interpret English to Khmer and encouraged patients to get an eye surgery. After the surgery completed, surgeons now could see far and clear. One patient comment that “I am really happy and I hope I could help my family to earn money, especially I could climb palm trees and make sugar. I have never thought my eye could come back, but the doctor provided me a new eye.” This triggered me a feeling that I have contributed to change these people’s’ lives and I suppose that they never forget this, because the mission made them feel unbelievable happy just like what Maya Angelou quotes that, “People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel.”
