Firebird Science Team Continues to Innovate

About the Seisen Firebird Team

The Seisen Firebird Team originating from the Seisen Big Science Day established itself as the international experimental-science competitive team formed to enter international science competitions and to strengthen science in Seisen. Seisen Firebird team's objective is to give the students in Seisen to learn and pursue science to a higher level in a local and international environment.

In this year's Seisen Firebird Team, there are 6 teams from diverse grades. 

TEAM MAHK

Mino Hayashi 
Kitty Li
Amy Matsuzaki
Harumi Shigekawa

Our group is aiming to investigate substitutes for donor organs because of the urgent demand of these organs. We have been looking at how plant type organisms can become the base for artificially created organs. As of now, we have found an experiment that turns a grape into a ball of living meat cells. We are hoping to try out different types of plant or animal substitutes that could work. We have begun the experiment process in hopes that it will be of use to future patients and research.

TEAM LAZERBEANS

James Dash 
Mika Kato 
Jiwon Suk

We are currently trying to make a drone with a Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) system that can detect structural damage in buildings. The TLS scanning system allows sensing structural irregularities through refractions of UV light created through scanning laser beams on surfaces. The sensor will have to be programmed to have a data acquisition system and connect to a camera so that people using the product can assess the damage while confirming its location. Potentially, we can implement Artificial Intelligence to filter through the responses scanned through the lasers so people can interpret the data in an easier way. So far we have researched the different types of lasers that we can use and have begun thinking about the materials that we will be using as well as the application/setup for the detection device that will be put on the drone. 

TEAM E=MCHAMMER

Maya Hemmi
Ariana Hill 
Farah Mohamed
Lisa Purcell

Our ideas are still a work in progress, but we have two main aspirations; to create a practical solution for problems that diabetic people face, as well as reduce grumpiness and poor quality of sleep, especially in students. We want to assist diabetic people in trusting their drinks, by making a convenient, innovative and science-incorporated product, that can detect glucose presence in beverages. As well as this, we hope to design a diffuser-alarm clock combination, that aids with sleep by diffusing various scents at peak-waking and sleeping times, to make waking up more enjoyable.

TEAM AIDBIRDS

Mia Akai
Jiyu Kim
Zarah Mathew 
Yume Tailes

We have decided to help 桜町小学校 which has a special class for those who are mentally and physically challenged. We were able to ask the school some questions by asking Ms. Takaya to call and ask. This would help us give an idea of making a tool that may benefit them educationally and socially.

These are the following questions we asked them:

1. What kind of students do you have in your class? (If it's possible, it will help if you could specify some characteristics)
2. What are some challenges you observe in students' outdoor activities?
3. What are some challenges you observe in students' indoor activities?
4. What kind of technological devices do you think can assist your students in their daily activities or learning?
5. What kind of improvements do you want to see in the devices that the students use? Are there any objects/stuff that many students struggle with using or controlling?

Based on the responses we have received, we aspire to create a computer based programme or a device that may help them in their daily lives. Hopefully, through this project, we can help make a difference in our community. 

TEAM TBD

Isha Kumar 
Ayaka Nishitani

In the beginning of the year, we started to research nuts: to find a way to detect the presence of nuts in food. We came up with this idea so that we could prevent people from nut allergies from accidentally eating nuts. We found out that various nuts have specific proteins which trigger allergic reactions for some people. Before researching on possible ways to detect the specific proteins, we did some biuret tests on various types of nuts such as pistachio, almonds, cashew, and walnuts to test the presence of proteins. We got a positive result (purple) for all nuts, but it was unexpected that some nuts showed a different shade of purple color. After further research on the specific proteins, we found out that detecting for the individual proteins require advanced engineering and we lack skills and resources for carrying on our experiment. Next, we decided to investigate on factors which effect plant growth. We started off with attempting to germinate various seeds, including expired ones to investigate if expired seeds grow. We are aiming to continue investigating on plants and are preparing for an experiment to investigate how the salinity of the water given affects the growth of the plant. As freshwater is becoming scarce, we are aiming to investigate if sea water can be used for irrigation systems. 

TEAM CRISPY

Ishita Baid
Kohko Kamimura 
Eon Ko
SeungYi Han

We look to investigate the process of CRISPR and its implications in the future! Our Inquiry Questions include, "How genetic engineering works (not only theoretically, but also practically in lab conditions)." and the, "Impact (potential) of genetic engineering around the world." CRISPR is a gene editing technique that has the potential to revolutionize the world. The essence of CRISPR is straightforward: it is a method for locating a specific piece of DNA within a cell. The following step in CRISPR gene editing is generally to change that piece of DNA. Initial plans for our lab included the splicing and cutting of luciferous genes in fireflies into bananas, in essence, creating glowing bananas. Currently, we have completed the inoculation of non-pathogenic E.Coli bacteria into 7 petri dishes and are awaiting results over the following few days! We will update you all on results!

TEAM HAYALI

Haruka Yamano
Lilika Yasumura
Yangfan Su 

Our goal for the Firebird Project is to develop a new treatment that patients with mild symptoms of arthritis can use to relieve pain. Through implementing traditional Chinese medicine into daily skin care products such as lotion and bath bombs, we hope to balance the Yin and the Yang in our body to maintain good health.