Research Symposium

BIO

I am Tafari D'Aguilar, a CARE student and Presidential Scholar from Palm Beach County , pursing a degree in Mechanical Engineering. I hope to delve deeper into high-voltage power system and explore is application in material science with composites such as Flash Graphene. I plan to continue my love research by pursing post grad programs and hopefully obtain a PhD.

STEM Outreach Through Scaled Physical Depiction of Construction Power Line Safety

Abstract

Electricity is a constant danger that we need to be aware of. This project is the creation of a display designed to showcase electricity’s ability to arc towards a surface. To accomplish this, we need to make the display simultaneously entertaining and informative. The display's goal is to demonstrate the need for the safety zone that excavators and other vehicles with vertical components abide by when in close proximity to power lines. Therefore, we intend to create a diorama of a streetside construction project. This will involve an excavator which is in close proximity to a power line. The excavator will be remote controlled so that it can be operated from outside the diorama. We will raise the scooping arm up into and through the “safety zone” that designates how far a worker should keep machinery from a live power line to showcase the arcing electricity effect. Once complete, this display will be used to both garner interest in the research project as well as warn of the potential dangers of electricity, since you don’t have to be in contact with a live wire for it to shock you.

Keywords: STEM Outreach, High-Voltage, Electrical Engineering