Rou Dalagurr Food Sovereignty Lab sea star tanks

This paragraph appears in search results and previews for this page. In three to five sentences, summarize the whole project from background to result: what you designed, for whom, where and when, why it matters, and how it turned out. Write this last. It should make sense to someone who has never heard of your project, your client, or Humboldt County.

Describe the background of the project, covering who, what, when, why, and where: the client, the site, the course (Engr205 Introduction to Design at Cal Poly Humboldt), the semester, and your team. This page will be read by people around the world and in the future, so give enough context that a stranger understands it. Refer to your images in the text, e.g., Figure 1 shows the site before the project.

Images uploaded to Appropedia must be free to share and uniquely named. Start each file name with your project name, e.g., CCAT_compost_bin_background.jpg. Use File:Default.png as a placeholder until you have the real image. Give every image alt text (alt=) that describes it for readers using screen readers; the caption is what everyone reads, the alt text is what the image shows.

The objective of this project is to design, build, and test a... Write this so that a reader would know when the project is complete. You will refine this statement throughout the semester.

Introduce this section in one to two sentences that are specific to your project. Refer to sections of the page, not phases of your process.

Specifications are what must exist and the conditions the design must meet. Introduce the list, e.g., the specifications for this project include:

• the client and client liaison
• the specific location
• the maximum budget and where that budget comes from
• a maximum size

• the local climate
• the end users

Introduce criteria and constraints in a sentence or two, and refer to the table, e.g., Table 1 lists the criteria, constraints, and weights for this project. Criteria are the basis for judging solutions; constraints are the limits each criterion must meet. Table captions go above the table. Keep this sortable.

Table 1: Example criteria and constraints for purchasing a chocolate bar. Replace with your project's criteria.

Criterion	Constraint	Weight (0–10, 10 highest)
Cost	Less than or equal to $3 per ounce	10
Taste	Better than a plain milk chocolate bar	7
Environmental and social justice	Meets or exceeds organic and fair-trade standards	6
Darkness	Greater than or equal to 65% cacao	6

Describe how the design will be used, for how long, how often, and by whom. State how many will be made and whether others are expected to replicate it.

This literature review is an annotated bibliography. Introduce it in one to two sentences that name the topics covered and why they matter for this project. Group entries under topic headings (Client first, then 4-12 topics relevant to your design, such as materials, similar projects, local climate, or user needs).

Minimum sources per team member: one peer-reviewed journal article, one book, and two credible web sources, plus the client sources your team needs. More credible sources are welcome.

Each entry has three parts:

1. The citation in ASCE format. Either place it inside a named footnote, as in the examples below, so it appears under References and can be reused elsewhere on the page with <ref name="Smith2020" />, or write it out in full at the start of the entry. Pick one approach and use it for the whole page.
2. Summary (two to three sentences): what the source is and what it says. Write it in your own words.
3. Relevance (one to two sentences): how it informs this design, e.g., a criterion, a constraint, an alternative, or a decision.

Aim for 75-150 words per entry. No plagiarism: summarize, do not copy. Quote sparingly and always in quotation marks with a citation.

Describe the client and what matters to them for this project. Sources here are often the client's website, documents, and interviews.

Client interview^[1]

Summary: Who you interviewed, their role, and the key points they shared.

Relevance: Which criteria, constraints, or considerations came from this interview.

Interview

Client website^[2]

Summary: ...

Relevance: ...

Web

Turner, N.J., Berkes, F. Coming to Understanding: Developing Conservation through Incremental Learning in the Pacific Northwest. Hum Ecol 34, 495–513 (2006). Coming to Understanding: Developing Conservation through Incremental Learning in the Pacific Northwest

Through continuous local monitoring and cultural world views, the communities across the Pacific Northwest practice sustainability that aligns human presence directly with ecosystem health. There are pathways in ecological understanding that may include reflecting on lessons from the past or in other places, acknowledging human impacts on natural resources, and the various social dynamics in nature with our role included. Knowing all of this, we will further think about the project materials, habitant needs, and mechanical systems used while building the sea star tank.

Mihesuah, Devon A., and Elizabeth Hoover, eds. 2019. Indigenous Food Sovereignty in the United States: Restoring Cultural Knowledge, Protecting Environments, and Regaining Health. Foreword by Winona LaDuke. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press.

In this book the health crisis of Indigenous communities is discussed. The authors detail the impacts of forced geographical boundaries, erasure of culture, and introduction of processed commodity rations. Food sovereignty is a sacred entity that is continually weaponized by Western oppressors by being labelled as unimportant. Since we are working with the food lab on campus, we need to know what this is and why it’s important.

Cal Poly Humboldt. n.d. Rou Dalagurr Food Sovereignty Lab & Traditional Ecological Knowledges Institute (2019/2024-). Rou Dalagurr Food Sovereignty Lab & Traditional Ecological Knowledges Institute

This is the link to the Cal Poly Humboldt Rou Dalagurr Food Sovereignty Lab & Traditional Ecological Knowledges Institute. It has their social media(s), mission statement, and a video further explaining their history and identity. Part of working with the client is coming to understand them on both an individual and collective level. The information helps us understand the identity and needs of who the project is being made for.

Aesthetics

Coulthard, Glen Sean. 2014. “Fugitive Indigeneity: Reclaiming the Terrain of Decolonial Struggle through Indigenous Art.” Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education & Society. Fugitive indigeneity: Reclaiming the terrain of decolonial struggle through Indigenous art

This article discusses the importance of indigenous art and preservation, and the modern issue of colonial disengagement. Western culture often frames artwork as a commodity or an isolated experience in a certain place. Indigenous art is lived, felt, and expressed through Indigenous peoples, and should not be treated as an abstract concept. It’s important we acknowledge this and work on conceptualizing this fact, especially through the process of tank construction.

Dubin, M. D., ed. 2002. The Dirt Is Red Here: Art and Poetry from Native California. Berkeley, CA: Heyday Books.

The book is a multimedia anthology containing various forms of art created by Indigenous tribes across California. It shows their relationship with the land, impacts of colonialism, and the Indigenous maps/familial bloodlines that exist separately from borders created by settlers. The vibrance and symbolism can help us find ways to approach the tank design mindfully, doing our best to not only research but deliver to our client whatever design speaks to them.

Alliance for California Traditional Arts. 2018. Celebrating the Native Heritage of Humboldt County. Alliance for California Traditional Arts. Celebrating the Native Heritage of Humboldt County

In this article Brian D. Tripp is awarded the California Living Heritage Award, and highlighted by ACTA as a multi-disciplinary leader. His work helped to dismantle the historical silencing of Karuk people, and express the struggles faced by Indigenous peoples at large. His artistic expression and perseverance is a reminder that as collaborators we should help to carry on and respect communal visions, primarily in identifying the needs of the community we are working with.

TEK

Whyte, K.P. On the role of traditional ecological knowledge as a collaborative concept: a philosophical study. Ecol Process 2, 7 (2013). On the role of traditional ecological knowledge as a collaborative concept: a philosophical study

In this text TEK is expressed as a collaborative concept and a deep understanding of nature that Indigenous communities participate in and pass down generationally. The author stresses the importance of collaboration rather than one-sided “data extraction” carried out by the government. As a group of future engineers tasked with this project, the text helps us find ways to better come to know exactly what TEK is.

Jacobs, Lara A., ed. 2025. Indigenous Critical Reflections on Traditional Ecological Knowledge. Corvallis, OR: Oregon State University Press. Indigenous Critical Reflections on Traditional Ecological Knowledge

The book provides critical perspectives of Indigenous scholars and practitioners on the topic of data. It challenges the Western practice of separating Indigenous sovereignty from their land and communities, highlighting the information as numbers instead of deeply respected territories and living ecosystems, inseparable from these communities/people. This helps us understand the mission of the lab and broaden our perspective on this topic further.

““Every Culture Has a Science”: An Introduction to Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and Indigenous Scientific Representation.” Vibrant Environment Blog. Environmental Law Institute. October 29, 2018. “Every Culture Has a Science”: An Introduction to Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and Indigenous Scientific Representation

The web source provided expresses the importance of including Indigenous organizations in decision making when it comes to environmental governance. There are real world examples included that show the importance of TEK and acknowledging it as a crucial practice and system when looking at environmental affairs. This reminds us that projects in environmental or agricultural engineering often fail, not because the structural components of the projects were bad, but because they didn’t properly respect or meet the community’s needs/values.

Cleaning Intervals

Van Bonn, W., A. LaPointe, S. M. Gibbons, A. Frazier, J. Hampton-Marcell, and J. Gilbert. 2015. “Aquarium microbiome response to ninety-percent system water change: Clues to microbiome management.” Zoo Biol. 34 (4): 360–367. https://doi.org/10.1002/zoo.21220. Peer-reviewed journal article

This peer-reviewed study examined how an established aquarium’s bacterial community responded to a 90% water replacement. Although the research involved a fish system rather than sunflower sea stars, it is relevant because beneficial microbial communities support biological filtration in both systems. The replacement measurably changed microbial composition and relationships, showing that a very large cleaning event can disturb an established aquarium ecosystem. Consequently, the study supports using smaller, routine partial water changes instead of repeatedly emptying or thoroughly scrubbing the tank. For a sunflower sea star aquarium, it helps justify changing approximately 10–25% of the water every two to four weeks and increasing that frequency only when ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, organic debris, or other monitored conditions indicate that it is necessary.

Hunziker, R. 2005. Marine aquariums: Basic aquarium setup and maintenance. East Petersburg, PA: Fox Chapel Publishing. Google Books  Book

Hunziker’s book provides general guidance on seawater quality, filtration, aquarium setup, animal health, and regular monitoring. It is relevant because cleaning frequency cannot safely be separated from filtration performance, stocking level, feeding, and water chemistry. While the book is not devoted specifically to sunflower sea stars, its marine-aquarium framework can be used to organize a maintenance schedule: observe the animal and equipment daily, remove uneaten food and visible waste promptly, inspect filtration routinely, and conduct partial water changes when scheduled testing shows accumulating waste. This approach is preferable to choosing a cleaning interval solely by appearance. Sunflower sea stars are sensitive marine invertebrates, so maintaining stable conditions is more important than making the aquarium look completely clean.

Witherell, M. 2026. “Starfish care sheet.” PetMD. Accessed October 4, 2026. https://www.petmd.com/fish/starfish-care-sheet. PetMD   Credible web source

Written by a veterinarian, this care sheet supplies the clearest practical schedule among the three sources. It recommends changing 10–25% of a starfish aquarium’s water every two to four weeks, with the interval adjusted for aquarium size and animal load. It also recommends cleaning algae, substrate debris, and filtration equipment regularly; replacing or rinsing filter media approximately monthly according to tank conditions; and checking equipment daily. The page cautions against replacing all the water or filter media at once because doing so can destabilize biological filtration. Although the guidance covers starfish generally and is not a sunflower-sea-star-specific protocol, it provides a defensible starting schedule. Because sunflower sea stars are cold-water, exceptionally large, and critically endangered animals, their care should also involve an experienced public aquarist or aquatic veterinarian.

Safety

Hodin, J., A. Pearson-Lund, F. P. Anteau, P. Kitaeff, and S. Cefalu. 2021. “Progress toward complete life-cycle culturing of the endangered sunflower star, Pycnopodia helianthoides.” Biol. Bull. 241 (3): 243–258. https://doi.org/10.1086/716552. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Peer-reviewed journal article

This peer-reviewed article is directly relevant because it documents a professional captive-rearing program for sunflower sea stars. The researchers describe holding adults, raising larvae, inducing settlement, feeding juveniles, and monitoring development. Their work demonstrates that safe captivity requires life-support systems and diets designed for each developmental stage rather than ordinary tropical starfish-care instructions. It also shows that successful husbandry depends on careful observation of feeding, growth, reproduction, and physical condition. Because sunflower sea stars have experienced severe losses from sea star wasting disease, captive animals should be isolated from untested seawater and potentially infected sea stars. New animals should be quarantined, and equipment should not be shared between systems without disinfection. The article supports treating sunflower sea star husbandry as specialized conservation work conducted by trained personnel rather than routine home-aquarium care.

McDaniel, N. 2011. A field guide to sea stars of the Pacific Northwest. Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing. Harbour Publishing   Book

This field guide covers the sea stars of the Pacific Northwest, including the sunflower sea star, and explains their identification, natural distribution, behavior, feeding, reproduction, and predator avoidance. This information is relevant to aquarium safety because a captive enclosure should reflect the animal’s natural ecology. Sunflower sea stars are temperate northeastern Pacific animals, so tropical starfish temperature recommendations should not be applied to them. Their exceptionally large adult size, rapid movement, numerous arms, and predatory behavior also require a spacious, secure enclosure without incompatible or easily consumed tankmates. Natural-history information helps caretakers recognize normal movement and feeding behavior and distinguish it from stress or illness. However, this guide is not a captive-care manual, so its information should be combined with institutional husbandry protocols, continuous water-quality monitoring, quarantine, and veterinary supervision.

The Nature Conservancy. n.d. “Captive breeding for disease resistance in the sunflower sea star (Pycnopodia helianthoides).” Science for Conservation. Accessed October 4, 2026. https://www.scienceforconservation.org/products/breeding-for-disease-resistance-sunflower-sea-star. Science for Conservation: Credible work source

This Nature Conservancy page specifically describes captive breeding of sunflower sea stars following their collapse from sea star wasting disease. It explains that captive animals are being raised for eventual release and that researchers are investigating disease resistance. This makes disease prevention a central safety consideration. Captive sunflower sea stars should be separated from sick or newly obtained animals, and incoming animals should be quarantined and observed for lesions, abnormal arm positioning, loss of firmness, reduced feeding, arm detachment, or tissue deterioration. Water, tools, and filtration components should not move between quarantine and established systems unless properly disinfected. Stable cold-water conditions, strong oxygenation, removal of decomposing organic matter, and careful recordkeeping are also appropriate precautions. Because these animals are part of an endangered-species recovery effort, suspected illness should be reported immediately to an aquatic veterinarian or conservation-program specialist.

Size of Star

Shivji, M., D. Parker, B. Hartwick, M. J. Smith, and N. A. Sloan. 1983. “Feeding and distribution study of the sunflower sea star Pycnopodia helianthoides (Brandt, 1835).” Pac. Sci. 37 (2): 133–140. DOI not assigned. Nova Southeastern University  Peer-reviewed journal article

This peer-reviewed field study provides a useful scientific boundary between juvenile and larger sunflower sea stars. The researchers examined approximately 300 individuals and classified animals measuring less than 5 cm in total diameter as juveniles. These small juveniles occurred primarily at protected locations, often on kelp, while larger animals were associated with different substrates and consumed larger prey. The study therefore shows that size is related to habitat use and feeding ecology, not merely age. In an aquarium or conservation facility, individuals below 5 cm require appropriately scaled food, protected rearing space, and intake screens that prevent them from entering filtration systems. As animals grow beyond this juvenile range, their enclosure space, prey size, waste production, filtration capacity, and separation from vulnerable tankmates must be reassessed rather than kept constant.

McDaniel, N. 2011. A field guide to sea stars of the Pacific Northwest. Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing. harbourpublishing.com  Book

McDaniel’s field guide describes and illustrates more than 30 Pacific Northwest sea-star species, including the region’s very large forms. It is useful for correctly identifying a sunflower sea star before applying published size information because identification can become difficult when juveniles have only a few arms. Sunflower sea stars begin with five arms and acquire additional arms as they grow, eventually developing approximately 15–24 arms. Consequently, arm count alone should not be used to estimate an individual’s size category or maturity. Diameter should be measured from the tip of one arm across the central disc to the opposite arm tip without stretching the animal. Repeated measurements and photographs can then document growth while minimizing unnecessary handling of its soft, easily damaged body.

Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. 2025. “Sunflower Sea Star (Pycnopodia helianthoides): COSEWIC assessment and status report 2025.” Government of Canada. Accessed October 4, 2026. https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/species-risk-public-registry/cosewic-assessments-status-reports/sunflower-sea-star-2025.html. canada.ca

This Canadian government status report provides the largest authoritative measurement among the selected sources: adult sunflower sea stars can have as many as 24 arms and reach approximately 130 cm in diameter. This value represents an upper size limit rather than the size of every adult. Other institutional sources commonly describe adults around 40–65 cm across or give a maximum near 100 cm, indicating substantial natural variation. The 130-cm maximum is important for long-term enclosure planning because a young sunflower sea star may eventually require far more floor area than its initial size suggests. Tank dimensions should accommodate the animal’s full arm span, movement, feeding behavior, and turning space without contact with pump intakes, exposed heaters, sharp decorations, or walls that could continually abrade its arms.

Habitat

Traiger, S., Suryan, R., Coletti, H., & Esler, D. (2023, October 24). Climate, heatwaves, nearshore ecosystems and the sunflower sea star. Open Access Government. https://www.openaccessgovernment.org/article/climate-heatwaves-nearshore-ecosystems-and-the-sunflower-sea-star/168782/

The article was written by scientists who study the Alaska coast, it explains how marine heatwaves and climate change affect the nearshore ecosystem where sunflower sea stars live. It connects rising ocean temperatures to the decline of the species, which gives our project useful information on the habitat of sunflower sea stars and what they need.

Temperature

Lambert, P. (2000). Sea Stars of British Columbia, Southeast Alaska, and Puget Sound. Ubc Press.

This book describes 43 types of sea stars found from Alaska to Washington, including a full species account of the sunflower sea star. It explains where they live, how deep they are found, and the cool waters they inhabit. The book was published in 2000, but its basic information on sunflower sea star habitat and biology is still useful for our project.

Food

Galloway, A. W. E., Gravem, S. A., Kobelt, J. N., Heady, W. N., Okamoto, D. K., Sivitilli, D. M., Saccomanno, V. R., Hodin, J., & Whippo, R. (2023). Sunflower sea star predation on urchins can facilitate kelp forest recovery. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 290(1993). https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2022.1897

This article tested how many purple sea urchins sunflower sea stars eat. They ate a little over .5 urchins per day. This article gives useful information about how their feeding helps protect kelp forests, which will be useful for our project's research on what they eat.

Mobility of Tank

Todd S. Harmon (2009). "Methods for reducing stressors and maintaining water quality associated with live fish transport in tanks: a review of the basics." Reviews in Aquaculture. Peer-Reviewed Journal. Link

Talks about transport of fish in a broader sense and factors to consider when moving fish and what looks realistic from a common practice perspective. This has direct implications for factors to consider in the long-term health of the sea stars, especially since they are endangered.      

Association of Zoos and Aquariums (2026). Fish Transport Manual. Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Silver Spring, MD. Book. Animal Transports

This manual specifically talks about transporting all types of marine life and covers specific risks and considerations. This is probably the most useful of our resources as it is made by an organization dedicated to the practice of keeping animal life.

Anonymous. September 8, 2026 “Fish transport: Basic considerations” Washington State University (Oct, 4,2026). Website. . Fish transport: Basic considerations | Veterinary Medicine Extension | Washington State University

This website provides a medical perspective from a reputable source. This source regards fish in their entirety and talks about things such as disinfecting and avoiding contamination with fish in transport.

Tank size

Clark-Shen, N., Tariel-Adam, J., Gajanur, A., & Brown, C. (2024). Life beyond a jar: Effects of tank size and furnishings on the behaviour and welfare of Siamese fighting fish ( Betta splendens ). Animal Welfare.. Peer-Reviewed Journal Article https://doi.org/10.1017/awf.2024.67

This article can help us identify factors that can affect aquatic life in confined conditions. The species that the article talks about is not the one we are working with but the basic idea of questions of affected behavior is similar. We are mainly concerned with which questions are important to ask and how we may possibly resolve issues that arise.

Adey, W. H., & Loveland, K. (2007). Dynamic aquaria : building and restoring living ecosystems (3rd ed.). Academic Press. Dynamic Aquaria | ScienceDirect. Book

This book gives a more general idea and understanding of environmental factors that relate to marine ecosystems. This can be a useful book for specific knowledge on requirements that go into a tank.

Anonymous. (Aug 30, 2023). “Sea Wonder: Sunflower Sea Star” National Marine Sanctuary Foundation (Oct 4, 2026). Website.  Sea Wonder: Sunflower Sea Star | National Marine Sanctuary Foundation

This website covers general characteristics of the sea star and gives a better idea of what a tank might need to look like. This website article gives us a better general view of the sea star itself and provides more context for what we are dealing with.

Materials

         Natarajan, M., Raja, P., Marichamy, G., & Rajagopal, S. (2009). Effect of temperature, dissolved oxygen variation and evaporation rate in marine aquarium. Current Research Journal of Biological Sciences. Peer-reviewed Journal Article. (PDF)Effect of Temperature, Dissolved Oxygen Variation and Evaporation Rate in Marine Aquarium

Offers specific data regarding factors of tank methodology. The temperatures and habitability are a primary concern in the thought process for designing an aquarium tank. Sea life is very sensitive to individual factors of the water and it is important to make sure these are taken into consideration for any changes that are to be made to their habitat.

J. Van Voorst (1855). A handbook to the marine aquarium; containing practical instructions for constructing, stocking, and maintaining a tank, and for collecting plants and animals. Book

This book can provide a basis and understanding for materials used in making an aquarium, the book is dated but the basic idea remains the same and can provide useful insight. The actual makeup and design of the tank are paramount as they can have indirect effects on the life inside of the tank. Learning what has been done to make tanks in the past and understanding what can be done with the resources available to us is essential for creating options on what we can implement.

Stephens, Erika. December 31,2024. “Build A Fish Tank: Essential Materials Needed.” AquaWorldHub (Oct, 4,2026). Website. Build A Fish Tank: Essential Materials Needed AquaWorldHub

This provides general advice for setting up fish tanks and while not necessarily specific to sea stars, provides common components and ideas for what is required. Given the lack of background among our team in things related to maintaining aquariums it is good to get any background so that we might understand what things are considerations of the design field.

Key Takeaways

• As a group we must account for various factors such as: the needs of the sea stars, budget, the identity of our client, and longevity of the project once it is completed.
• We can learn from past mistakes of other groups and projects, as they can be helpful while we design ours.
• It’s beneficial to use the internet and browse various websites, books, and articles to broaden our group knowledge and solve any unanswered questions.

Short title of the source^[3]

Summary: ...

Relevance: ...

Peer-reviewed journal

Short title of the source^[4]

Summary: ...

Relevance: ...

Book

You get the idea. Use as many topics as your project needs.

In three to six bullets, synthesize what the literature means for your design. Cite the entries above, e.g., <ref name="Author2020" />.

• Takeaway that shaped a criterion or constraint.
• Takeaway that shaped an alternative or the final decision.

Introduce this section in one to two sentences specific to your project.

Describe four to eight alternatives, each under its own 'step template' as shown below and each with a catchy, descriptive name.

Continue this for the four to eight alternatives you have.

Introduce this section in one to two sentences specific to your project.

Define each criterion from Table 1 as it is used to judge the alternatives. These are definitions, not constraints. For example, the constraint on cost is the budget, but cost might be defined as the cost of materials only, or as materials plus operation and maintenance. If your criteria changed, update Table 1 so the two match.

Cost

Definition...

Taste

Definition...

Explain the decision process your team used (e.g., decision matrix, Pugh chart). First person is appropriate here. Refer to the table, e.g., Table 2 summarizes the decision matrix.

Table 2: Decision matrix. Scores are 0-10; weighted totals are the sum of weight × score.

Criterion	Weight	Alternative A	Alternative B	Alternative C
Cost	10	7	5	9
Taste	7	8	9	4
Weighted total		126	113	118

Name the chosen solution and justify it with reference to the criteria and Table 2.

Show your most impactful prototypes from earliest to final. Include at least one prototype for function (does it work? e.g., testing a mechanism, material, or dimension) and at least one prototype for desire (will people want to use it? e.g., a mockup shown to the client or users for feedback). Each caption should say what the prototype is, whether it tested function or desire, and what you learned from it. Early sketches, failed attempts, and photos of materials and hands at work all help tell the story.

• 
  Prototype for desire: cardboard mockup of ... shown to the client. We learned that ...
• 
  Prototype for function: test of ... We learned that ...

Describe the final design, starting with the big picture and then going into detail. Use labeled images and refer to them in the text. This is usually a big section.

• 
  CAD drawing of ... by Yourname1.
• 
  Drawing of ... by Yourname2.

Give a complete description of how the final design is built, with lots of images, so someone else could replicate it. Use one {{Step}} per step. This is much easier to write as descriptive (what you did) instead of prescriptive (what another person should do), but you can take either approach.

Introduce the timeline in one to two sentences, then show it as a table with columns for date, description, and status. Post a proposed timeline early in the semester and update it at the end to show the actual timeline. Say how well your team met it and why dates changed.

Table 3: Project timeline.

Date	Description	Status
Month Day, 2026	Background and problem statement posted	Complete
Month Day, 2026	Literature review posted	Complete
Month Day, 2026	First prototype built	In progress
Month Day, 2026	Final design installed and tested	Not started

Introduce the three kinds of cost below in one to two sentences.

Show the total human hours your team spent outside of class, grouped into categories (e.g., research, brainstorming, prototyping, construction, documentation). Three teammates working for one hour is three human hours. Include a pie chart image and refer to it, e.g., Figure # shows...

Introduce the costs to build the design, including donations and reused materials. Note whether costs are actual or proposed. If replication would cost a different amount, say so.

Item	Amount	Cost per unit	Total
Thing - from the thing store — Purchased	3	USD 5.75	USD 17.25
Another thing - 3' x 2', yellow — Donated by ...	1	USD 0.00	USD 0.00
PrintGrand total			USD 17.25EUR 14.84 <br />GBP 12.59 <br />CAD 21.39 <br />MXN 359.66 <br />INR 1,291.16 <br />

Introduce the ongoing costs in time and money, usually per year.

Table 4: Yearly maintenance cost.

Task	Frequency	Time per year (hours)	Cost per year (USD)
Example task	Monthly	2	0.00
Total		2	0.00

Introduce how to use the design, then give step-by-step instructions with labeled images. Use {{Step}} if the process has more than a few steps. A short video is a great addition:

Introduce this maintenance section. Answer these questions:

• Are there any needed actions for maintenance?
• How often?
• Who should perform maintenance?

This is when to maintain what. Please keep the format the same as it can be used to auto-populate maintenance tables.

Daily

• A daily task
• A daily task

Weekly

• a weekly task
• a weekly task

Monthly

• a monthly task
• a monthly task

Yearly

• a yearly task
• a yearly task

Every __ years

• task
• task

Give step-by-step maintenance instructions, using {{Step}} if helpful.

Describe how you tested the final design and what the results were. Compare the results to your criteria, e.g., in a table like Table 5.

Table 5: Final design performance against criteria.

Criterion	Constraint	Result	Met?
Cost	Less than or equal to $3 per ounce	$2.50 per ounce	Yes

Discuss what the testing results mean.

Discuss what your team learned and what you would do differently next time.

Discuss next steps for the project as it goes on into the future.

Cover basic operating problems only. For complex issues, the suggestion might be to contact ________.

Problem	Suggestion
Example issue	Example solution or suggestion
Does not turn on	Make sure it is plugged in.
Another issue	Etc.

Include an inspirational video for sharing.

Introduce the team and semester, e.g., This project was completed in SEMESTER YEAR by Team TEAMNAME:

• Lonny Grafman
• Emilio Velis
• One bullet for each team member, in the format [[User:Username|Full Name]].