Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • Videos
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
STEM
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • Videos
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
STEM

ECS SummerStart Students Build Solar Ovens Using Recycled Materials

Tuesday, August 8, 2017, By Alex Dunbar
Share
College of Engineering and Computer ScienceinnovationStudents

The challenge is both simple and complicated. Build an oven capable of baking a chocolate chip cookie—but it has to be solar powered and use everyday recycled items like cardboard boxes, plastic wrap and newspaper. For incoming engineering and computer science freshmen in the SummerStart program, it was a chance to work with classmates and workshop solutions.

“A lot of it was about team building and how they work together, how they work through the design process,” said academic advisor Giovanna Colosi. “Whether they are civil engineers, mechanical engineers, computer scientists, they all have to come in with that skill set of learning how to work together, coming up with a concept, tweaking that concept and coming up with a final product.”

Kyra Thomas ’21 and her team angled aluminum foil to reflect heat into their carboard box and then insulated the oven with recycled paper.

“I think that’s the cool part about it is actually seeing your idea and a project coming to life—whether it works or not, just being out here is really cool right now,” said Thomas.

Every oven had a different design and some teams were still making changes moments before the dough was put in. Arvin Lin’21 and Lluvia Lopez ’21 looked for every opportunity to focus the sun’s rays on their cookie.

“We were actually looking for a mirror and I looked at Arvin’s phone and realized she had a mirrored sort of case on so we decided to take it off and point it towards the cookie to reflect the light as heat,” said Lopez.

Reflected sunlight and insulation are effective but it took more than an hour for the cookie dough to cook in the solar ovens.

“My dream is to work with NASA so it is really fun to do a hands on job see how we can get the cookie to bake better and in the future incorporate that into future projects,” said Lopez.

 

  • Author

Alex Dunbar

  • Recent
  • Graduate Students Bring Physics to Local Classrooms With Outreach Program
    Friday, May 27, 2022, By Dan Bernardi
  • COVID-19 Update: Effective Wednesday, June 1, Masking Level Returns to Yellow
    Friday, May 27, 2022, By News Staff
  • Preparing Students for a Life of Success
    Friday, May 27, 2022, By Caroline K. Reff
  • Alumni Draw on Their Military Experience in Their Roles as Teachers
    Thursday, May 26, 2022, By Martin Walls
  • Bringing ‘CSI’ Into the Classroom
    Thursday, May 26, 2022, By Dan Bernardi

More In STEM

Graduate Students Bring Physics to Local Classrooms With Outreach Program

“When am I ever going to use this in real life?” That is the oft-heard refrain from middle- and high-school science students, struggling through labs and formulas that feel as far removed from their day-to-day as, well, space travel. Sarthak…

Bringing ‘CSI’ Into the Classroom

Dusting for fingerprints, documenting blood stain patterns and measuring bullet trajectory—you might think this is a description of a recent episode from the popular television series “CSI.” While this may be true, these are also the daily lessons students are…

Matt Cufari Named as a 2022-23 Astronaut Scholar

Matt Cufari, a senior physics major in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S), a computer science major in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, a Coronat Scholar and a member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program, has…

Dean Rajiv ‘Raj’ Dewan to Step Down as Dean of the School of Information Studies

Rajiv “Raj” Dewan, dean of the School of Information Studies, has announced he will conclude his deanship on June 30, 2022. Dewan plans to return to full-time faculty duties while continuing his research. David Seaman, dean of Syracuse University Libraries…

Biology and Earth and Environmental Sciences Departments Come Together on Diversity and Engagement Initiatives

In 1948, Professor James Hope Birnie became Syracuse University’s first African American faculty member in biology, teaching here until 1951. He was also one of its first biology faculty members to be supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH)….

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • @SUCampus
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2022 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.