Ecosim

I worked on the UI and graphics, using HTML and CSS to create a visually appealing and interactive interface

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Inspiration

This project was inspired by my desire to create accessible education on complex scientific topics. When faced with abstract concepts like sustainability and biodiversity, it's often helpful to break it down into simple-to-understand ideas. I came up with the idea of EcoSim by asking ourselves: "If I were a kid, how would I like to learn about sustainability?". The idea was simple: an interactive game.

What it does

EcoSim is an ecological simulator hosted on a website, created to help middle-school-aged children understand the concepts of sustainability, biodiversity, and food chains. The user enters which organisms - animals or plants - they want in their ecosystem and inputs the initial population. Then, a series of algorithms will calculate and display how the various aspects of the ecosystem will interact, before finally outputting how long the ecosystem lasted based on their choice of organisms and population of each.

How we built it

The website was built using HTML and stylized through CSS. I used Javascript for all algorithms and animations. We have specially simulated the animals with complex functions as if they were in the wild. The animals will hunt for the most nutritious food, get hungry, and also reproduce. Of course, there is much to do, and I wish to continue to expand what my program can do to better create a realistic simulation that could help our next generation learn about biodiversity.

Challenges we ran into

Honestly, I encountered more challenges. For example, I had little experience in JavaScript, and I had to learn on the fly; Despite the frustration, I grateful for this opportunity to learn. I believe the skills we took away can benefit my greatly in the future.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

I proud that I were able to create the MVP for our vision. I proud that my tool could potentially educate the future society on the importance of biodiversity (at least we hope). Together, we can make this world a better place, not only for my but for generations to come.

What we learned

I learned a lot about biodiversity. To simulate the program realistically, I conducted extensive research on the habits and behaviors of different animals, plants, and insects. For my UI, I learned how to create a dynamic teaching device that can engage its user, and provide educational insight.

What's next for Ecosim..

The project has most of its core features completed, but there is still much to do. I wish to: -add a leaderboard to better engage the user -build a more realistic simulation -publish the program so we can maximize our impact.

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