[{"content":" What is Living Academy? Living Academy (LA) is an informal lifelong chaatShaala for STEM education engaging to all age groups (KG to PG). In other words it is a life-long kindergarten.\nWe design authentic contexts that are close-to-life leading to conversations on topics in the curriculum. We don’t deliver lessons, therefore LA is not a paatShaala, but a chaatShaala. For most STEM topics (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) we use construction/making or investigation projects as contexts for curriculum. We spend our time on the process and mechanics of making a product / content. In other words, we make content, and we do not merely read or deliver content. We nurture academic habits (STEM habits), and this is the only syllabus we cover. We consider academic habits as trans-disciplinary, and therefore common to almost all walks-of-life.\nThis page is under development as the LA is taking shape. Please visit again soon to get an updated page with lots of info. For the time being the following answers to the questions may help you understand our philosophy and goals.\nWhat can we learn here? The learning objectives of LA are trans-disciplinary competencies required for life-long pursuits. For example, seeking evidence, keen observation, articulation, analysis, documentation, critical thinking, etc., are requirements for any truth seeker, irrespective of their subject or pursuits. That is why we call such goals of learning as trans-disciplinary. In what way do the competencies that we learn in LA help us clear our exams in school or college? They do not help directly, because examinations do not test trans-disciplinary competencies, they test subject-specific content. For example, they test if the student can remember about the laws of motion or the mechanism of photosynthesis or how to solve a quadratic equation etc., without helping the students to engage or use them in a given context. However, having these competencies do not become a hurdle for passing the exams, but also become reinforcements for their life-long journey. We are about to appear for a board exam, would you recommend us to join LA? Only if you can spare some time for an entertaining engagement while preparing for the board exam. LA is designed as a space for long-term gains and not for short-term gains as clearing a board exam. Therefore, consider to join LA for a couple years instead of a few months. Because, the trans-disciplinary competencies take a long time till they become part of our life, as habits. What activities we get to do in the LA, can you give some examples? We use any context that arises out of a conversation while repairing something, or making some project or performing an experiment, as a pretext to define our projects. For example, if a fan or a motor cycle fails to work, we use such a context to identify the problem. The methods used in identifying a problem is itself a life-long competency. Usually, identification of the problem almost always suggests how to fix it. Who can join LA? LA is a lifelong learning space. So, there is no upper-limit to age or gender. However, people below 13 years may come with an accompanying elder. What facilities do we have at LA? We have most “tools-to-think-with”. We have instruments that help in doing projects, such as measuring instruments; material such as wood, metal, paper etc.; instruments to shape material; containers of various kinds, kitchen for food processing, glass-ware for chemical analysis, networked computers for documentation, simulations, drawing, demonstrations, and for searching digital libraries on the Internet, cameras, machines of various kinds used in a typical lab etc. And most importantly we have quite a few passionate volunteer mentors as well. How long and how frequently do we have to come to LA? The answer to this question depends on the project you are working. We encourage people to work in a team, therefore it also depends on the availability of the members of the team. You can decide the time and frequency with the team. I have a project in my mind, can I come and do the project at LA using the facilities? Yes. However, all projects at LA must be documented and published online, and we consider documentation and sharing with others is a trans-disciplinary competency. Our team will support in the process of documentation. Please check with our team if we already have the facilities to implement your project with us. If you bring in additional material or tools that are required, you may bring them. We encourage you to do it with others (DIWO) instead of DIY (Do It Yourself) What are the disciplinary norms at LA? Be friendly, happy and cool. Share your knowledge with others Give feedback Ask questions We encourage gossip but related to the projects and topics Clean-up the place, and own the place Replace the tools back in their place after use When can I visit LA? We are open 7 days a week. When a project is ongoing, and the team is willing work, the space will be made available. During the night noisy work cannot be done. If you are a first time visitor, please join the Telegram group or send an email to contact@livingAcademy.org Who are the teachers at LA? We are all peers. A teacher is anyone who transfers their knowledge. What is our target group? anyone learning through tinkering school dropouts first generation learners those who have no learning space at home home schooling children an employee of a company who always wanted to become a scientist or an engineer a home maker who had a dream to fulfill those who want to learn through projects project interships employees who wanted to spend quality making time in their spare time Where is it located? We are currently making a living academy at Bhavani Peth in Pune City.\nDo not hesitate to ask us questions, comments, and feedback by replying to this thread.\n","date":"October 9, 2023","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/welcome-to-living-academy/","section":"Living Academy","summary":"What is Living Academy? Living Academy (LA) is an informal lifelong chaatShaala for STEM education engaging to all age groups (KG to PG). In other words it is a life-long kindergarten. We design authentic contexts that are close-to-life leading to conversations on topics in the…","title":"Welcome to Living Academy","type":"page"},{"content":" Collaboratively Understanding Biology Education CUBE: Collaboratively Understanding Biology Education, is currently, in the 8th year of operation, this project expanded in its scale and continued to encourage and inspire us. As a demonstration of the pedagogical principles designed as a part of the gnowledge lab, CUBE initiative stands out as one of our major integrated initiatives, that has multiple implications to STEM education in the country.\nHistory of CUBE The CUBE project started as a 5-week hands-on research experience based on ‘Simple Model Systems’ like daphnia, Drosophila, snails, in the summer of 2012. The first phase saw the participation of only 18 students from 4 different colleges in Mumbai. Working on these simple model systems, the participants engaged in some frontline questions regarding the molecular basis of learning and memory, epigenetics, regeneration, decision-making, biological rhythms, etc. What happened next is more unconventional as this model of undergraduate research proved to be beyond ‘apprenticeship model’ wherein students are trained in a one-time workshop. It showed cascade effect as more and more colleges continued to be roped in as participating colleges and required them to establish ‘simple model systems’ based research labs in their colleges and initiate neighborhood colleges into already expanding CUB research program. These student-centered frugal research labs showed open-ended, interactive, inquiry-driven, collaborative and context-bound biology research undertaken by these students. The model systems and the techniques introduced in these labs are incredibly inexpensive and yet raise sophisticated questions and initiated students into the broader scientific practice wherein they engaged in frontline questions through these simple model systems.\nFor any such collaborative learning environment to sustain, the importance of change agents, which are teachers in our cases, cannot be undermined. Hence, it is pertinent that the gap between the teachers and researchers be bridged by linking the two in ways that bring processes of research into teaching and also help teachers build their research profile. We tried to do this through various teacher-training interventions. CUBE model of learning is thus built on ‘communities of practice’ model where teachers, researchers, and students are socialized into the practice of research communities through active and sustained engagement and collaboration.\nBesides face to face interactions in CUBE labs, our virtual platforms like social networking apps and our platform provide a networked learning environment which enables learners to get entry into a common database that can be browsed, retrieved, linked and commented on by users for information on various model systems. Simultaneously, the learners provide and receive process-related feedback which effectively guides the continued revision and restructuring of knowledge.\nThe result of all these painstaking efforts has been extremely rewarding. Besides students learning in these labs and opening such labs in their colleges, for instance, BehaviorWatch and Drosophila were included as a model system in Mumbai University Zoology practical syllabus. Likewise, Delhi University awarded the taxonomic profiling of motor actions of birds as an innovation project by supporting ten undergraduate students as a part of the CUBE.\nThe CUBE Design rationale The rapidly advancing frontiers of biology research and the changing nature of biology resulting from it, have called for some serious action to be taken to transform the nature of biology education. The undergraduates need to be prepared for the challenges posed by the changing ways we think about and engage in biological research, while opportunities for investigating questions, which otherwise could never be addressed, are becoming possible due to emerging technologies. There is a strong need first to accept and subsequently ensure that the biology we teach authentically reflects the biology we do. The 21st-century biology undergraduate needs to engage in authentic biology research and integrate the research experiences and skills acquired into understanding, solving and making informed decisions on complex problems related to biology and those encountered in their daily lives.\nThe 21st-century biology requires that undergraduates learn to integrate concepts across levels of organization and complexity and that they synthesize and analyze information that connects conceptual domains. Teachers, educators, researchers, and curriculum planners need to view teaching from an approach that captures the spirit of the nature of scientific practice and to look for concepts that communicate to each other because it would make more sense to communicate the generalities and encourage students to discover their applications through well-designed laboratory exercises.\nThe challenge, however, is to keep the undergraduate classroom current and dynamic without making it overwhelming; to excite undergraduates with the modern, cutting-edge discoveries and at the same time finding the right balance between the depth of coverage required for conceptual understanding and the factual knowledge needed for the same. This may need a restructuring of the current undergraduate biology syllabus in many ways. One of the productive ways to strike this balance is to revamp the undergraduate biology by integrating research with teaching; making undergraduate research a meaning-making experience.\nTo inspire and further solidify the interest of undergraduate biology students in making career choices in biology they should be given an opportunity to experience the allure of the research scholarship. Their participation in such pursuit will improve not only their ability to understand how biologists conduct research but will also prepare them to evaluate scientific claims in their day-to-day lives. This rightly falls under the mandate of “The Vision and Change: Call for Action” report, which discusses the need to develop biological literacy to prepare the coming generation of biology scientists, educators, and informed citizens.\nHands-on research cultivates scientific thinking, giving students authentic research experiences including designing experiments, interpreting unexpected outcomes, coping with experimental failures, considering alternative methodology, testing new techniques and many more. These experiences go beyond the apprenticeship model, and such outcomes can never be expected to be a part of a regular college laboratory.\nThe undergraduate biology research environment thus forms a rich learning ecology with student-centric features. The typical features of such an ecology are that it is open-ended, interactive, inquiry-driven, cooperative, collaborative, and context-bound. Without any doubt, the research experience will have high levels of student-student and student-faculty interactions, ready connections of the subject matter to topics of student interest and relevance, learning that reflects aspects of scientific inquiry and most importantly learning progressions designed from the efforts of an ongoing students feedback to the teacher as well as their peers. The features of such an ecology mimic those of the actual scientific practices and show developmental progressions in students understanding close to that of the scientists in a typical research laboratory setup.\nLinking teaching and research will help to bring the processes of research into teaching and can support students in the development of a variety of specific as well as general skills. It can also benefit institutions to build a research profile and thus encourage networking with other institutions and research groups. Further, a community of biology educators/researchers will be built, who are willing to integrate evidence-based practice into their teaching. Platforms like an online portal will provide an overview of the pedagogic practices and the reasons for adopting a particular practice.\nIt is critical that the mutually synergistic communities of biology teachers/educators and biology researchers work together to meet the common goal of student-centered learning. We have been using these principles in other projects like Connected Learning Initiative (ClIxx), makerSpace and STEMGames.\nOpen Issues Several open issues have emerged from our 6-year long engagement with students in our CUBE research programs. For instance, analyzing and examining:\nrole of connected learning environments, using new media, instant messaging in learning and knowledge generation in a group of students the strength of the weak links in causing, propagating and maintaining networks of participants students engagement with inscriptions, pictures, graphs in communication in lab and causeries or formal meetings held in CUBE lab role of multi-graded classroom/laboratory in bringing dynamism in research fostering learning environment like CUBE Students’ misconceptions regarding sciences, ways of doing science, especially biology group dynamics that give rise to learning in a group of participants negligible participation of teachers in the program Projects Here are the projects – STEM Investigation Projects – CUBE\n","date":"October 4, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/cube/","section":"Living Academy","summary":"Collaboratively Understanding Biology Education 2612883b207547b399ce35d634727c38c4793f0d 301×167 6.28 KB CUBE: Collaboratively Understanding Biology Education, is currently, in the 8th year of operation, this project expanded in its scale and continued to encourage and inspire…","title":"Cube","type":"page"},{"content":" The Living Academy at Bhavani Peth in Pune is supported by Kishore Bharati, Saans Foundation and NNF several individual volunteers and a few donors.\nSpending and sharing your quality time with our participants is lots of fun.\nIf you like to donate financially you may do so by visiting this Conntribute page.\n","date":"October 4, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/support-living-academy/","section":"Living Academy","summary":"The Living Academy at Bhavani Peth in Pune is supported by Kishore Bharati , Saans Foundation and NNF several individual volunteers and a few donors. Spending and sharing your quality time with our participants is lots of fun. If you like to donate financially you may do so by…","title":"Support Living Academy","type":"page"},{"content":"","date":"October 4, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/","section":"Living Academy","summary":"","title":"Living Academy","type":"page"},{"content":" Making Bio-Enzyme Cleaner from Fruit Peels By repurposing waste fruit peels, you can make an eco-friendly cleaner at home.\nApparatus Plastic soda bottle (choose one that can handle at least 4 atm of pressure.) Fruit peels (citrus works best) Sugar or jaggery Water Procedure Prepare the Peels Chop the citrus peels into small pieces. Fill about one-third of your bottle with these pieces. Add Ingredients Place the chopped peels in the bottle and add 5 tablespoons of sugar or jaggery. Mix with Water Fill the bottle to approximately 80% capacity with water, leaving some headspace for the gas produced during fermentation.\nSeal and Shake Tightly cap the bottle and shake well to ensure the sugar dissolves and mixes evenly with the peels and water.\nFermentation Store the bottle in a dark, cool place. Let it ferment for about one month. Pressure Management As the natural fermentation produces carbon dioxide (CO₂), the bottle will gradually build up pressure. To avoid any risk of rupture, carefully release the pressure once a week.\nHow It Works Fermentation Process Beneficial bacteria naturally present on the citrus peels and in the environment consume the sugar, producing CO₂ which increases the internal pressure in the bottle.\nEnzyme and Acid Production During fermentation, these bacteria also generate enzymes and organic acids. These compounds work together to break down fats, oils, and organic residues. When applied to surfaces, the enzymes help dismantle oily deposits while the acids assist in dissolving dirt.\nEco-Friendly Cleaning The final product is a natural cleaner that effectively tackles light grease and grime without relying on harsh chemicals. Note that while it’s great for general cleaning, it is not a disinfectant, so avoid using it where sanitization is required.\n","date":"March 15, 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/projects/bio-enzyme-cleaners/","section":"Projects","summary":"Making Bio-Enzyme Cleaner from Fruit Peels By repurposing waste fruit peels, you can make an eco-friendly cleaner at home. Apparatus Plastic soda bottle (choose one that can handle at least 4 atm of pressure.) Fruit peels (citrus works best) Sugar or jaggery Water Procedure…","title":"Bio-Enzyme Cleaners","type":"projects"},{"content":"","date":"March 15, 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/environment/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Environment","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"March 15, 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/projects/","section":"Projects","summary":"","title":"Projects","type":"projects"},{"content":"","date":"March 15, 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/science-process/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Science-Process","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"March 15, 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Tags","type":"tags"},{"content":" Water buzzer project at LA: 11th Oct 2024, we suspected that the water tank was getting filled and spills onto the ground and we were not able to identify if the water has reached to the certain level that it can spill on the ground. So we did a project with students while teaching them about electronics. The purpose of this project was to create a water level alarm system. When the water tank is filled, it triggers the buzzer to beep when the water has reached a certain level. This helps in identifying when the tank is full. The project was done by the team of students who are the part of la in a regular basis.\nTeam Members :\nThe project involved Shahfiz, Adli, Faiz, and Aman, guided by Sumit. This group formed the new electrical team.\nProject Overview : This was the first electrical circuit project for LA. The process began with drawing the circuit design and for the body of that buzzer to cover its mechanism, we used a plastic shampoo bottle and shaped it according to circuit and created a body like structure for the buzzer.\nUnder Sumit’s guidance, the team learned how to build the circuit on a breadboard. They learned how to make a use of breadboard and a didgital-multimeter in making of a circuit for any project, how to check voltage of a battery, use of digital-multimeter, and etc. Initially, the buzzer produced a loud sound, so we adjusted it accordingly, it was placed inside the shaped body of the buzzer helped in reducing noise levels. GN suggested modifying the sound to a beep with a buffer, which was successfully implemented.\nAfter constructing the circuit, we realized its versatility. They noted that instead of a buzzer, an LED light could be used, similar to circuits found in refrigerators have same machanism.\nIngredients :\n• Box\n• 9-volt battery\n• Alarm buzzer\n• Wires\n• Breadboard\n• Digital multimeter\n• Glue gun\nProcess : The project began with creating a circuit design and gathering the necessary components. The breadboard was prepared by checking the negative and positive connections of the alarm circuit’s wire.\nGathering the necessary components for project at our electrical corner.\nPreparing circuit design for the project, the process goes on.\nThe team then assembled the alarm buzzer. For testing, a glass filled with water was used to connect the buzzer to the water tank. The system was adjustable based on how much water needed to be filled.\n14th Oct 2024, testing the buzzer.\nThe first electrical project at LA was completed!\nThe project was completed in two days. The team received appreciation for their work, and the system was successfully installed.\n","date":"October 25, 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/projects/creating-a-smart-water-buzzer-system-at-la/","section":"Projects","summary":"Water buzzer project at LA: 11th Oct 2024, we suspected that the water tank was getting filled and spills onto the ground and we were not able to identify if the water has reached to the certain level that it can spill on the ground. So we did a project with students while…","title":"Creating a Smart Water Buzzer system at LA :","type":"projects"},{"content":" Chess Coin Project at Living Academy: July 2024, at Living Academy, our students recently engaged in a new activity called the Chess Coin Project. This project took place in LA while the students were exploring the other indoor games such as, Uno-cards, Ludo, Chess and etc. The students adapted the chess and found it interesting, that attracted everyone’s attention. This project encouraged teamwork and helped them develop new skill.\nIntroduction to Chess We introduced chess to our students and after that they painted a chessboard on a table with black color, a space for learning and playing the game. Many students began learning chess on the first day, they developed keen interest in participating in learning.\nNext, we focused on making wooden chess pieces. Chess has become a central (everyday) activity at LA, attracting more students from various backgrounds to engage and tackle with each other creating a competitive environment. Creating Wooden Chess Pieces We introduced a small wood lathe machine to aid in the carving of chess coins, doesn’t took us while to learn carving the pieces. July 31, purchased new tool, a small wood lathe machine.\nUsing the lathe, at the same week students successfully carved two chess coins with @GN . The new begining.\nAt one corner of Living academy the students used to gather for hours, from noon to evening, just to learn the carving of chess coins, as students began to see their ideas take shape.\nTogether, We designed chess coins and planned the structures for each piece: rook, bishop, pawn, king, knight, and queen. Each day, students worked on these designs and developed their skills. The design for chess pieces.\nCompleting the Chess Set Over time, we created a complete wooden chess set with each day effort. Making of chess pieces.\nWe carved pawn structures and the rest of the pieces from the wood that we made sure were turned first.\nStructure of rook.\nMore pieces carved.\nWe need to learn how to make different pieces of the same size and shape, without using a CNC machine.\nWe officially inaugurated the first set of wooden chess pieces made at LA, symbolizing the success of the project. We made mistakes and we learned, such as the difference of size between each coins, and etc. First set of wooden chess pieces made at LA, inaugurated today.\nAs we continue to explore new projects, we look forward to sharing more of our experiences and discoveries. Chess serves as a platform for learning and collaboration within our academy. Stay tuned for such more projects .\n","date":"October 6, 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/projects/chess-coin-project-at-living-academy/","section":"Projects","summary":"Chess Coin Project at Living Academy: July 2024, at Living Academy, our students recently engaged in a new activity called the Chess Coin Project. This project took place in LA while the students were exploring the other indoor games such as, Uno-cards, Ludo, Chess and etc. The…","title":"Chess Coin Project at Living Academy","type":"projects"},{"content":" ▎Computer Lab Setup : The process of setting up the computer lab began with a donation from the Homibhabha Centre TIFR, which provided four desktop computers. All computers were in working condition, So we decided to find a suitable location for it to be organized. Then we organized the wiring along the walls to ensure a tidy setup. Next, we installed wall-mounted tables in the designed area. (Check out the blog for more details about wall mounted tables. Wall mounted tables..)\nOver the period of time of two to three Saturdays, GN with Siddharth Bhaiya assistance repaired the computers. Including the tasks such as transferring motherboards between units. 28th October 2023, the process follows.\nWe then segregated the materials to identify which hard disks were in working condition. We also sorted through other materials to determine what could be useful.\nWhile the segregation we found out a monitor piece, that can be a museum piece. We can see the patterns that appeared on the screen due to evaporated water that was inside it. Afterward, we installed fresh operating systems on all the desktops and formatted them. We finally got all the formations working ensured that each computer was functional, we had only one small monitor and one large monitor left.\nAfter a while, Ali is making two extension boards, one of 16A, and another of 6A. Each board will be about 20ft long.(There would be another blog post for Electrical supply fitting work.)\nTo complete our setup, we purchased new monitors. By this point, our computer lab was almost finished. We have one of the Raspberry Pi device—one donated by Alpesh and another brought by @GN from his house including one monitor.\nBasic computer lab is ready. Networking is pending.\nTejas moved all the desktops to the floor, below the tables, and connected six computers.\nIn conclusion, we successfully set up the computer lab with four desktops, six monitors, and two Raspberry Pi devices. We also received a laptop from Alpesh, which is currently not in working condition. We appreciate the contributions and efforts that made this setup possible. Stay tuned for further updates on our progress..\n","date":"September 23, 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/projects/setting-up-a-lab-environment-computer-lab-setup/","section":"Projects","summary":"▎ Computer Lab Setup : The process of setting up the computer lab began with a donation from the Homibhabha Centre TIFR, which provided four desktop computers. All computers were in working condition, So we decided to find a suitable location for it to be organized. Then we…","title":"Setting up a lab environment: Computer lab setup","type":"projects"},{"content":" Wooden bamboo rack In September, we purchased several bamboos for LA. Each bamboo was more than 20ft long. Due to their height they could get into the hall through the staircase. Some of the students went down and lifted them vertically so that one of the students could pick each bamboo through the window and pull them up into the hall. After that, we into less than 10ft pieces. The bamboos were both hollow and solid.\nWe had large boxes and cartons, along with CUBE and gnowledge lab material from HBCSE TIFR, which we placed in the middle of the hall to partition the hall. We thought, why not make a wide rack and place the boxes in it, we may have a better space organization. As bamboo and ply boards are available, we decided to go ahead with the idea.\nThe Construction: 13th November,\nThe hall had an approximately 2ft wide beam on the roof, separating the hall. We started erecting 7ft long solid bamboos, and fixed them to the beam with clamps.\nRacks are being built along the length of the beam dividing the hall.\nGetting ready to tie bamboo sticks as cross members.\n16 80cm long sticks are made.\nWe tied the cross members to the vertically standing poles with rope made of coconut fibre. After some research about the best tie we could use, we learned to do Japanese square leash.\n@GN was seen testing the strength of the ties.\nRack skeleton completed.\n14th November, wooden planks inserted. We measured the size about 8x2ft of a single column then same goes for the rest of them.\nWe managed to get the planks to the perfect level despite using round bamboos as supporting structures. We then removed the planks for sanding and a layer of melamine coat to protect the bare wood planks.\nWe made four rows with the ply, as shown in the photos. The entire process took us two to three days.\nFloor space was cleared after keeping all the books and files cartons in the newly built rack.\nBy the bamboo, for the bamboo of the bamboo; 15th November, We created a bamboo storage corner with bamboos and stored them at one place. This project helped us maximize our storage space effectively. All the bamboos went to a corner.\nMaking the structure ready for the bamboo corner.\nPlacing the bamboos.\nWe made more projects with bamboo; stay tuned for such updates!\n","date":"September 3, 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/projects/making-of-a-bamboo-rack/","section":"Projects","summary":"Wooden bamboo rack In September , we purchased several bamboos for LA. Each bamboo was more than 20ft long. Due to their height they could get into the hall through the staircase. Some of the students went down and lifted them vertically so that one of the students could pick…","title":"Making of a Bamboo Rack","type":"projects"},{"content":" The Multipurpose Wooden Boxes The concept of wooden boxes was originally developed for the entrance, so that we will be able to use it to block the entrance as well as for storage.Since we wanted these boxes to be modular and can be used for multiple roles we decided to make all the boxes for the same size so that they can be stacked when necessary.\nWe wanted to reduce the amount of wood used, without compromising the strength of the boxes. So we have done the frame work, we cut the 2 inch strips pf 18 inch ply board so we have assembled them as square and rectangular frames. two square frames of 1x1 ft and two rectangular frames of 1x2 feet, would make one box.\nCreation of the Rabbet Rabbet is an L-shaped channel cut on the edge of the plank. How did we make the rabbet channel? we used a router with a suitable bit adjusted to the required height of the channel. The channel height is set to 6mm because the plank that will sit on the frame is of the 6mm thickness. The picture below shows Ali was creating the rabbet at the edge of the planks using a router. The construction: Making of a Frame We cut the 2 inch strip after creating a rabbet at the edge of the plank, then we marked the sizes on the strips accordingly with the height of the frames of 1ft for squares and height according to the rectangular frames. carefully we cutting the strips leaving an inch of space between each marking to get the perfect piece, Finally, we attached the pieces using corrugated fasteners and adhesive glue. After creating each of the frames we placed them one above the another to let them dry and to prevent any kind of movement near it. 23rd September, cutting and fabrication teams of frames for boxes Assembly: 4 October, To assemble the box, we used 6mm planks for both the sides to cover. We cut the planks into square and rectangular shapes based on the dimensions of the frames, We made the pieces slightly smaller to ensure that they fit onto it. Now the planks are glued to the frame, and ready for assembling. We assembled the sides using screws as shown below. October 6, Fixed the panel to finish the box assembly. 5th November 12 boxes are getting painted. We had a long discussion about what color to use for the boxes. We could not reach a consensus since each of us liked a different color. Then we decided to use the two most popular color models of RGB (red, green and blue) and CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow and black).\n7th November, CMYK colored box set.\nRGB set of boxes with a yellow-yellow dirty fellow.\nWe designed the height and width of the boxes to fit with the ledge benches.\nStay tuned for more updates on our exciting projects and experiments at the academy!\n","date":"August 23, 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/projects/design-and-fabrication-of-wooden-boxes/","section":"Projects","summary":"The Multipurpose Wooden Boxes The concept of wooden boxes was originally developed for the entrance, so that we will be able to use it to block the entrance as well as for storage.Since we wanted these boxes to be modular and can be used for multiple roles we decided to make…","title":"Design and Fabrication of Wooden Boxes","type":"projects"},{"content":" Interlocking Wooden Rack Introducing our interlocking wooden rack, yet another storage space to keep books or other essentials. We made this rack using an interlocking mechanism without any screws or wood adhesive.\nDesign and Construction The shelf was created from old recycled wood. We used the wood that we got from the scrap dealer.\nWe used recycled wood to create the columns of the rack, of 2 inch width. We used the same wood for making the easy chair as well.\nWe used a planer and router to transform old wood into straight pieces.\nJune 20, Started making an interlocking rack for the electronics corner. The slots were made on the columns, and on the ply wood plank. The slots were made for 4 shelves.\nJune 22, First interlocking shelf completed.\nMinor gaps were found after fitting the planks. We filled the gaps with small wooden pieces, which made the rack sturdy. Next time we do a similar project, we must take care of such goof-ups.\n@GN and his carpentry team applying touchwood to add a bit of shine\n10 Aug, The rack is used for the electronics corner.\nEasy Chair : We used the same recycled wood to create a chair.\nConstruction of easy chair\nTesting the chair\nThe prototype, our new thinking spot to write a poem.\nThat’s how it worked, and then we joined it, ensuring measurements combined everything.\nThe next plan is to work on the bamboo designs for more easy chairs.\n","date":"August 12, 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/projects/interlocking-wooden-rack-easy-chair/","section":"Projects","summary":"Interlocking Wooden Rack Introducing our interlocking wooden rack, yet another storage space to keep books or other essentials. We made this rack using an interlocking mechanism without any screws or wood adhesive. Design and Construction The shelf was created from old recycled…","title":"Interlocking Wooden Rack \u0026 Easy Chair","type":"projects"},{"content":" Why Mobile Pantry? Since we only had a hall and no water connection inside the hall. The toilet is the only place where we have running water. We have plans to do projects that need water, and cooking. One way to solve the problem is to do plumbing and run pipes from the toilet to the hall. The other option is to create a corner with a water tank and a basin, a slab for cooking etc. In he process of solving this problem, we thought of creating a mobile but sturdy furniture that can hold a tank on the top, a table at the bottom with a basin, connected by plumbing. Ali suggested we could do a stable and strong system using metal. Ali knew welding, and strengthened the idea.\nWe started the project by purchasing two square metal pipes of 20 feet long. We previously had no metal cutting tool, so we purchased an angle grinder and accessories. We also bought other essential materials.\nPurchased materials.\nOctober 10th, Cutting square pipe for the mobile pantry unit. We will start welding after cutting all the pipes.\nWelding process started.\nAttached the metal pipes according to the design. We then designed the stand in such a way that where we could keep the stove and other things. The top of the tank would fit onto the structure, and we planned to connect the water from the tank to the tap. We also purchased the stone for the kitchen platform, which we used to cover our wooden tables as well.\nCastors attached and fixed plumbing pipes.\nAt the top of the tank we’ll keep the water storage tank but we needed to make sure when all put together it should not be more than 7 feet, as there is a beam in the middle of the hall. Because moving the pantry from one corner to another should not hit the beam. After calculating everything, the size and the design, keeping also the height of the castors (about 4 inches) our plan of our mobile pantry took shape.\nThe other thought was that we wanted this idea to work for multiple purposes. Urban slums are usually quite congested, and people live in single-room homes where separate kitchens are not possible. In such cases, something like a mobile kitchen/pantry would be very useful. The idea was to carry this on wheels from one corner to another.\n","date":"August 7, 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/projects/the-mobile-pantry-project/","section":"Projects","summary":"Why Mobile Pantry? Since we only had a hall and no water connection inside the hall. The toilet is the only place where we have running water. We have plans to do projects that need water, and cooking. One way to solve the problem is to do plumbing and run pipes from the toilet…","title":"The Mobile Pantry Project","type":"projects"},{"content":" Fixing the Entrance When we rented a large (1200 square feet) hall in September 2023, the staircase entered directly into the hall. Since we plan to have a computer lab, maker space, bio lab, etc., we need to protect and make the hall lockable from the outside. The pictures below gives you an idea of the space, taken from both sides of the hall. Entry to the hall from the stair case\nView of the hall from the entrance. The cabin we see in the left side, is a small room which can be locked, but that too small for the labs and workspaces that we will be building.\nMeanwhile, we received the following items as donations to SAANS Foundation from St. Annes School. An eight-foot-long cabinet, 12 boxes (as wooden trays), and four legs detached from a table. The pair of legs are supported by a horizontal beam, making them stand on their own.\nMaking of Shoe rack We started with making of Shoe rack to block the entrance on the side of the toilet. 18 mm ply cutting process to build the shoe rack.\nOur shoe rack that blocks the space from the side of the toilet contains a good storage space from the above and from inside. Our shoe rack, standing tall at 7 feet and measuring just 11 inches wide, is perfect for maximizing vertical space. With nine slanted shelves, each of 2 feet wide.\nSept 25, Finished the carcass of the shoe rack at the entrance.\nSept 26, coating a layer of touchwood.\nThe shoe rack was then polished with touchwood and then after placing it at it’s place and when the whole entrence was ready we applied paint.\nAt Sept 27, The boxes containing gnowledge lab and CUBE lab material from HBCSE TIFR, Mumbai arrived at midnight and the process of unloading them and placing them in the hall took us till 2:00 am. GN, Sumit, Ali, and other senior members and students of SAANS foundation, who helped unloading, carried those boxes all the way through the stairs. We kept the boxes on top of the long cabinet to close the entrance.\nSept 29, Sanding the partition. We then blocked it with a tank which eventually will become either a terrarium or an aquarium.\nMakers sitting and relaxing at the end of the day reviewing the work.\n2nd October, The shoe rack was inaugurated by the students.\nNow we have a closed hall, with a cabinet at the bottom, terrarium on the top, and a shoe rack on the side. Now we have only one entry to the LA, through the glass cabin on the side (opposite the shoe rack).\n","date":"August 5, 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/projects/how-did-we-make-the-large-open-hall-lockable/","section":"Projects","summary":"Fixing the Entrance When we rented a large (1200 square feet) hall in September 2023, the staircase entered directly into the hall. Since we plan to have a computer lab, maker space, bio lab, etc., we need to protect and make the hall lockable from the outside. The pictures…","title":"How did we make the large open hall lockable?","type":"projects"},{"content":" The first maker space project: As we know that we need to make a lot of wooden furniture and other woodwork, we thought one of the first things we needed was a workbench. We had four legs detached from an old dining table donated by St. Annes High School. The school also donated 12 wooden trays and an 8-foot-long side cabinet. We used the side cabinet to close the open entrance. (See a separate post on How did we make the LA lockable?)\nWe took a 18 mm ply board of 4x7 feet, fixed the plank on the legs. To ensure stability, we added a parallel support beam and some extra support for the legs, as shown in the picture. This has been used since that day for every maker space project and our carpentry work. ","date":"July 30, 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/projects/workbench-the-first-maker-space-project/","section":"Projects","summary":"The first maker space project: As we know that we need to make a lot of wooden furniture and other woodwork, we thought one of the first things we needed was a workbench. We had four legs detached from an old dining table donated by St. Annes High School. The school also…","title":"Workbench: The first maker space project","type":"projects"},{"content":" Multi-purpose ledge benches:\nWe needed some good space to keep our essentials so we started making these ledge benches.\nTotal 6 benches we made, the dimensions were; The material that’s used in making, was ply and some required tools. For the legs we cut 18 mm ply with 18x2 inches (18 inches height and 2 inches of width) thrice and joint it together for one leg. For the rest we followed same process. Later on we added some extra support to legs. Tested by @gnowgi After making of these benches to add a bit of shine we polished it with melamine. ","date":"July 29, 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/projects/making-of-multipurpose-ledge-benches/","section":"Projects","summary":"Multi-purpose ledge benches : We needed some good space to keep our essentials so we started making these ledge benches. Total 6 benches we made, the dimensions were; 4Ft_20240729_165012_0000~2 822×720 106 KB The material that’s used in making, was ply and some required tools.…","title":"Making of Multipurpose Ledge benches","type":"projects"},{"content":" We needed tables to work and we created simple designs that requires very simple tools, ply cutting in square size and assembling them. Students actively participated and helped in cutting assembling, painting, edge banding and curve shaping the corners with zigsaw. We had a team in which some of them were good at fixing the screws, some of them were good at hammering, some of them were good at cutting the ply wood, some with calculation and etc, with the help of GN, Kiran bhaiya and Ali bhai, students had a new experience with carpentry. The woods we did joined every part at its place, but the actual chalenge was to fix the column at its right place, because whenever we try to fix it at its right decided place it ends up at some other point. Also fixing it with screws, then we measured it carefully with the help of scale and marked it, then with some efforts we were able to fix it properly.\nThen at the least we shaped corners and edge bending work to make it clean and neat as to look like professional’s work and that’s how in just two hours we manage to create the table. Since we know that we may be using water on the table top, we also got a stone from the shop nearby. We fixed a 3x3ft size stone on top of the table.\nWe made 3 tables. Making the second and the third was easy, and were made in one day.\n","date":"July 24, 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/projects/making-of-simple-wooden-tables/","section":"Projects","summary":"We needed tables to work and we created simple designs that requires very simple tools, ply cutting in square size and assembling them. 20240724_173033_0000 1080×1920 147 KB Students actively participated and helped in cutting assembling, painting, edge banding and curve…","title":"Making of simple wooden tables","type":"projects"},{"content":" Nature’s Gift: Transforming Corn Husks into Beautiful Paper: We created handmade paper from corn husks as an act of recycling, started by collecting and drying the husks. Once they were dry, we soaked them in a container of water for a day to soften them.\n12 Jan 24, LA.Day 1, Cleaned the corn husk. Soaking them in a container of water for 24 hours to soften them. Day 2 Next, twe boiled soaked corn husk with caustic soda to digest almost everything except cellulose fibers. After two hours of boiling we get the pulp. This pulp is now ready for spreading it as a sheet / paper. Making a wooden frame with a metal mesh\nWe made a rectangular frame using the reusuable wood available in the makerspace. We fixed a metal mesh to size and fixed it to the frame with staples. Such is frame is called deckle.\nWe mixed pulp clean water in a tray, large enough to dip and move the deckle. Once the pulp is evenly spread on the deckle as a thin film, we lift to drain the excess water. Then we transfer the evenly distributed pulp on a dry cloth. We used cloth to blot excess water and left for air drying overnight.\nFinishing: Once the paper is completely dry, it can be trimmed using a paper cutter or scissors to the desired shape or size. The quality of the paper depends on factors like fiber consistency, pressing technique, and drying conditions. With more practice, we will be able to get a good-quality, usable paper.\nThat’s it! We can also decorate the paper however we like. By following these steps, you can also create beautiful handmade paper from corn husk.\n","date":"July 9, 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/projects/recycling-from-organic-waste-to-handmade-paper/","section":"Projects","summary":"Nature’s Gift: Transforming Corn Husks into Beautiful Paper: We created handmade paper from corn husks as an act of recycling, started by collecting and drying the husks. Once they were dry, we soaked them in a container of water for a day to soften them. 12 Jan 24, LA.Day 1,…","title":"Recycling: From organic waste to handmade paper","type":"projects"},{"content":" Hi everyone, I’m new here, I joined chatshaala after an interactive session with Prof. G.Nagarjuna and when I asked him a question, he encouraged me to write the same question here. Hence I’m here posting a question that has been irritating me since I came to know about home labs.\nWhat are the measures taken for sterilization in home labs? How do you isolate pure colonies of bacteria, saving it from fungal contamination?\n","date":"July 9, 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/projects/sterilization-measures-in-home-labs/","section":"Projects","summary":"Hi everyone, I’m new here, I joined chatshaala after an interactive session with Prof. G.Nagarjuna and when I asked him a question, he encouraged me to write the same question here. Hence I’m here posting a question that has been irritating me since I came to know about home…","title":"Sterilization measures in home labs","type":"projects"},{"content":" Exploring the world of microbiology 21st June, I want to share the project that is taking place at our Living Academy. It’s a first microbiology experiment that happened at LA, done by young students. In this exploration we are about to learn the fascinating world of micro-organisms.\nMeet Shahnawaz, Shahnawaz, a curious 14-year-old student who developed an interest towards bacteria while watching some online videos, where he came to know that ice-cream and chacolates that children eat, may contain bacteria. He asked us to know how to see them under the microscope. His curious mind led him to discuss his concerns with @GN, and now Shahnawaz is on his new path of exploring microbiology. @GN suggested that though it is not easy to see bacteria under a microscope, because they are very small and need some chemicals to stain them before observing under a microscope, he suggested to make cultures of bacteria which can be seen with naked eye.\nThe same evening, they eagerly gathered to start the experiment. first we started with sterilizing the containers that we wanted to use.\nTheir first step was to boil a potato to use as a medium and sterilize the Petri dishes so that they wont contain external bacteria in them. We were told also to wash our hands carefully. However it’s an home lab experiment so we used a pressure cooker, as an autoclave, to boil the potato and to sterilize the petri dishes. We carefully made slices of boiled potato using a knife that was also autoclaved. You must be wondering,Why do we need potato as a medium?\nWe chose potato because contains carbohydrates and other organic food material, as we don’t have expensive media used in college labs. Now its time to place them at some place no one can touch it. As the experiment progressed, other students helped them as well. The students were learning new things, and participated actively, They encouraged and helped each other learning. It was heartwarming to see how they encouraged one another and worked together as a team : )\nThis project marked the first microbiology experiment undertaken in the last few months, making it all the more special for everyone involved.\nThis is after 48 hours of observation, without opening the lid. These are the observations that we got. After 72 hours of careful observation, 25th of June, we were thrilled to see visible colonies of bacteria as well as fungi. We can see their cultures with naked eyes. With Further examination, we discovered fungus on each of the four slides. Additionally, the other three slides also showed different colonies of bacteria, each slightly different from others. We are yet to learn how to identify which species of bacteria or fungi they are.\nWe could find three different species on each slide, as indicated by the morphology of each colony. We also noticed black dots on Fungus at the end of the mycelia.\nAfter this minor exploration for three days, we have to carefully dispense with them, because they may spread potential illness amongst the kids if they get exposed to them.\nThis Microbiology exploration was a valuable learning experience for everyone involved. It not only provided hands-on exposure to microbiology but also fostered teamwork and collaboration among the students. Their dedication shown by the team members was truly commendable.\nThough we have no definite conclusions to draw from this exploration, we learned how to autoclave using a pressure cooker, potato slices as medium at home lab. Since we do not have a laminar flow or a septic chamber to do proper microbiology experiments, contamination from the air in the academy is very likely.\nStay tuned for more updates on our exciting projects and experiments at the academy! Let’s continue exploring the wonders of science together..\n","date":"June 28, 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/projects/exploring-microbiology-petri-dish-diaries/","section":"Projects","summary":"Exploring the world of microbiology 21st June, I want to share the project that is taking place at our Living Academy. It’s a first microbiology experiment that happened at LA, done by young students. In this exploration we are about to learn the fascinating world of…","title":"Exploring Microbiology: Petri dish diaries","type":"projects"},{"content":" On may 14th Hari became the newest member of our living academy. @Gn decided to keep him we’ll watch and document his growth. created a cozy living environment for him in a terrarium. However it was pre-planned to build a terrarium and luckily Hari was the first member.His vibrant green color and large size made him stand out among the rest. He quickly became the center of attention in our living academy, with everyone fascinated by his unique appearance. In his terrarium, we made sure to provide Hari with everything he needed to thrive. We filled it with fresh leaves for him to munch on, fresh plants and created a comfortable resting spot for him to curl up in. Right now Hari just got into the process of pupa and now we’ll get to know this more closely and we can actually understand it. A lovely journey we are about to explore: ) How many months/days did the journey goes from caterpillar to butterfly?\nIn a typical documentary about the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly, the process is usually depicted in a time-lapse format to show the transformation over a shorter period. However, in reality, the time it takes for a caterpillar to become a butterfly can vary depending on the species.\nOn average, the entire process of metamorphosis from egg to caterpillar to pupa to butterfly can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months. For example, the Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) typically takes around 10-14 days to go from egg to caterpillar, then spends about 10-14 days as a chrysalis (pupa), before emerging as a butterfly.\nMay 21: Hari still is in the state of transforming himself nothing seems different, as he was looking like he’s been in a good sleep.\nIt will require some amount of time and patience. Surely we’ll about to see the beautiful butterfly.\nThe pupa stage, during which the caterpillar is inside the cocoon, can last anywhere from a few days to several weeks, depending on the species. This period of stillness and transformation is crucial for the development of the adult insect. Finally our Hari has undergone a remarkable transformation from its previous pupa state. The process of metamorphosis is truly a wonder of nature, as it involves a complete restructuring of the insect’s body.\nMay25th, Here shortly we put an eye to Hari’s journey;\nDuring metamorphosis, Hari’s body went through several stages. It began as an egg, which hatched into a caterpillar. The caterpillar then went through multiple molts, shedding its old skin and growing larger each time. As it grew, it also consumed large amounts of food to fuel its rapid growth.\nAfter reaching its final larval stage, the caterpillar entered the pupa or chrysalis stage. Inside the pupa, Hari’s body underwent a complete transformation. Its tissues broke down and reorganized, forming new structures and organs. This process is called histolysis and histogenesis.\nFinally! after a period of time, Hari emerged from the pupa as a fully formed and mature butterfly. Its wings, which were once tiny and undeveloped, have now expanded and are adorned with beautiful colors and patterns. These wings enable Hari to fly gracefully and with elegance. The transformation of Hari from a caterpillar to a butterfly is not only visually stunning but also symbolizes growth, change, and the beauty of life. It serves as a reminder of the incredible diversity and adaptability found in nature.\nIts stunning to know that Hari is Harini, confirmed.\nMay 26th, As Hari grew and transformed into a beautiful butterfly, we watched in awe at his incredible metamorphosis. He had truly become a loving member of our family, bringing us felt a sense of connection with his presence.\nIn the end, after hari is gone, he taught us the valuable lesson that beauty can be found in the most unexpected places. We just need to sense it, its the love that brings pain, its the price, but if the price is for love then its worth it. Yes we’ll remember her, from green caterpillar who was crawling onto the curry leaves to flying of from the whole Living academy and roads brought a little bit of magic into our lives. Taught us patience, about unspoken beauty and also the misery of love that brings pain. it taught us to value the time that we have with our loved ones because when they gone the only thing that left behind is regret.\n","date":"June 8, 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/projects/harini-the-journey/","section":"Projects","summary":"On may 14th Hari became the newest member of our living academy. @Gn decided to keep him we’ll watch and document his growth. created a cozy living environment for him in a terrarium. However it was pre-planned to build a terrarium and luckily Hari was the first member.His…","title":"Harini - the journey","type":"projects"},{"content":" It was end of the month, May27th when we were doing pantry projects; tea making, were missing ginger and decided to grow it on LA then we can have some fresh grown gingers. later on @Alice and team had a packet of tomato plant seeds she planted that as well, it made good preparation on the soil where they sowed those tiny seeds with expectation that we’ll have some fresh tomatoes as well and the kids were getting the new exposure, aside from tomatoes we also managed to plant Irish potatoes; sweet potatoes; onions, and etc.\nThe whole project was held by kids, the elder people were just there to guide them and we were part of their project @Alice was there with them with each step. With every passing moment we had a feeling to carry on looking forward to the days.\nAs you can see the little growth, these are tomato plants. Besides tomatoes, gingers, potatoes and even sweet potatoes and onions we planted each one in their pot carefully and watered them all regularly, lead us to some growth. as you can see we planted potatoes at two different places first one is in water and second is in the soil to measure the difference, we’ll also learn a lot with it you can see the sprouts coming out We created organic manure from composed tea waste after we dry it and soaked milk out of it for our little garden. since we are documenting the growth, We call it little the Home Garden, its fun to do these little projects with innocent minds getting engaged in learning, to look for growth, to take care of something, that grew under the gradient of our eyes.\nThere’s also a dessert succulent that kids have planted, dessert Succulents come in many shapes, sizes and colors, they does not require too much care as well as they are low in maintenance. when you grow the vegetables professionally, you’re called the farmer, but if you plan, look, or want a beautiful garden, you’re the gardener. Establishing thing on a smaller scale, in your own place, also makes you the gardener. We got some little gardeners at La. Our garden is not that small but for the time, we only have little vegetables and crops growing. We take proper care to do some cleaning of the area, watering the plants, and cultivating the soil. In the first pictures. Not to forget we got bio-explore area as well and biology team like our little stars of home-garden who learns everyday, let us learn together when you come at LA.\nas the process continues, we’ll continue publishing more posts..\n","date":"June 3, 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/projects/the-home-garden/","section":"Projects","summary":"It was end of the month, May27th when we were doing pantry projects; tea making, were missing ginger and decided to grow it on LA then we can have some fresh grown gingers. later on @Alice and team had a packet of tomato plant seeds she planted that as well, it made good…","title":"The Home Garden","type":"projects"},{"content":" What is a terrarium? A terrarium is like an aquarium, but instead of aquatic ecosystem, it’s a land micro-ecosystem. it requires small but good enough container that’s made out of glass. You can use any glass container, The idea is to create a tiny garden or forest that’s its own little world. Basically a micro-ecosystem in which the insects and other tiny animals should find it their living environment and guess what? You can totally make a gorgeous terrarium all by yourself.\nMay 21st :-\nWe had an interesting session with Tarence and @GN. We learned a great deal about terrariums and how to create three unique ones at our living academy: a rain forest terrarium, a desert terrarium, and an open forest terrarium for the entrance. The knowledge shared by both was fascinating and informative. They explained the importance of choosing the right plants for each terrarium. They informed us about the specific needs and characteristics of a rain-forest, desert, and open forest plants. We are thrilled to begin working on these projects and look forward to the new experience.\nWe learned about each terrarium’s different types of soil, drainage, and watering requirements. Tarence and @GN highlight the need for proper moisture control to ensure the health and survival of the plants. They also shared tips on creating a visually appealing arrangement within each terrarium.\nThey informed us about layering techniques, using plants with different textures and colors, and adding decorative elements like rocks and moss.\nWe were encouraged to be creative and think outside the box while designing the terrariums. Tarence and @GN inspired us with examples of unique and artistic terrariums they had seen or created themselves. The session concluded with a hands-on activity where we got to start working on our own terrariums. We left the session feeling inspired and excited to continue working on our terrarium projects. We are grateful for the knowledge and expertise shared by them, and we can’t wait to see our finished terrariums come to life.\nThey provided guidance and assistance as we selected plants, arranged them in our chosen containers, and added the necessary soil and decorative elements. We created two teams the first team is for cleaning and the other went for purchasing the required material. The whole process was fun, we worked together with the excitement of creating the micro-ecosystem.\nIt took quite some time for us to search for the stones and gravel for the terrarium project, we required larger stones for the cliff in the rain forest and for the water fall. So we searched for a while and collected stones from the nearest grounds.\nWe are already working on it since two days, the other team purchased the required material, such as sand, stones, and gravels, from our nearest shop.\nGN got the first plants from his house for the Terrarium which’s also look beautiful and fine, enhancing the look, then Alice \u0026amp; GN got some more plants including the money-plant. This is how it looks, when you come to LA you can see the life inside through the terrarium. The days passes and the process is still going on and together with some efforts we were able to build it like this, however it’s not the final look, there are some more adjustments yet to make. When we were making it, we all felt nothing could be more interesting then this. Through this process we can learn lots of things. And we all were enjoying and we didn’t even realize about the time. And we added some algae in the pond so that it can grow and the environment could be build for the living fish, also added some plants in it and added water onto it.\nAs the process of building the terrarium continues, we will continue publishing more posts..\n","date":"June 2, 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/projects/terrarium-project/","section":"Projects","summary":"What is a terrarium? A terrarium is like an aquarium, but instead of aquatic ecosystem , it’s a land micro-ecosystem. it requires small but good enough container that’s made out of glass. You can use any glass container, The idea is to create a tiny garden or forest that’s its…","title":"Terrarium Project","type":"projects"},{"content":" At Living Academy, learning extends beyond the confines of traditional classrooms. To foster curiosity and engagement, we introduced aquatic organisms like Moina (More about it in biocorner thread) as dynamic learning tools on topics of frontier research or as simple as learning Physical, Chemical and Biological Interactions in Aquatic systems. Therefore, adding more members to the aquatic family can help us understand these interactions.\nIn K J Somaiya College, Mumbai, Zebrafish were being cultured by undergrad students for project work, and as the project was completed, they were handed over to CUBE. This was a good opportunity to set up these fishes at Living Academy Pune. Abhijeet Singh, Vatsal Savla, and Ayush Shetty took these fishes to Living Academy and made 2 tank cultures along with students at the Living Academy.\nA total of 3 Zebrafish were brought to KB’s Living Academy, Pune by Myself, Vatsal and Ayush on 12th April from Somaiya College. The plan was to set up a Zebrafish Tank culture initiate discussion on zebrafish research among the students coming to Living Academy.\nhttps://metastudio.org/uploads/default/original/2X/b/b27a0d4da4731d77076faa799740e0d95323e4a0.mp4 We transferred them into a temporary jar till the students came so that with them, we could make a tank culture.\nhttps://metastudio.org/uploads/default/original/2X/8/80016d6fdff260f5ef0b1657c6d0ad37c7a4586a.mp4 On the morning of 13th April we found 1 Zebrafish dead which we think is because it had an infection towards the tail side. In hurry of saving other fishes we didn’t click photos of dead fish. Sorry for that. After cleaning and adding fesh DC water we let the fishes rest.\nhttps://metastudio.org/uploads/default/original/2X/b/b5d0000cb12d488e83782ff7239ccf3361764401.mp4 By the afternoon of 13th April, Abhijeet, Vatsal, Ayush, and GN sir got 1 dozen zebrafish and 1 dozen guppy fish from the nearby aquarium in 2 separate bags. We cleaned up two tanks of ~10 liters volume. One for Zebrafish and another for Guppyfish. So, towards the start, you’ll see the connection of the aerator. And inside a big tank, there are 2 small tanks out of which in 2nd one you’ll see that there are 2 bags which contain the fishes\nhttps://metastudio.org/uploads/default/original/2X/a/a1dbe965ed18969fbaad76ac673c0e1c0ba5d6e9.mp4 We are here acclimatizing the fish to a new water. As it was brought from the aquarium. Added a few stones and pebells in the tank.\nhttps://metastudio.org/uploads/default/original/2X/d/d5580ca6d57f7675847aa26b3dfd41110b4df8c8.mp4 Here we are transferring the fish. The students curiously observed Vasal doing the transfer.\nhttps://metastudio.org/uploads/default/original/2X/c/cc84113714e0e6da4beb3776916517eb6a915cbd.mp4 This is how it looked when prepared. We put the labels and made a log book.\nCurrently, they are being cultured by feeding fish food and Moina as live food. Soon, we can initiate discussions with students regarding research prospects and other relevant topics.\n","date":"April 25, 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/projects/tank-tales-setting-up-fish-tanks-for-learning-at-living-academy/","section":"Projects","summary":"At Living Academy, learning extends beyond the confines of traditional classrooms. To foster curiosity and engagement, we introduced aquatic organisms like Moina ( More about it in biocorner thread) as dynamic learning tools on topics of frontier research or as simple as…","title":"Tank Tales: Setting Up Fish Tanks for Learning at Living Academy","type":"projects"},{"content":" When we have informal discussions like in ChatShaala or in general as well, the interconnectedness of all walks of STEM comes out to be very evident, which is very difficult to relate to when in a Typical Academic Setting. In a Biology Class, the discussion will be limited to biological systems and the same with Chemistry, Physics, and Math. But here at Living Academy, we are talking about a trans-disciplinary approach.\nTo quote:\nWelcome to Living Academy We design authentic contexts that are close-to-life leading to conversations on topics in the curriculum. We don’t deliver lessons, therefore LA is not a paatShaala, but a chaatShaala\nWelcome to Living Academy We nurture academic habits (STEM habits), and this is the only syllabus we cover. We consider academic habits as trans-disciplinary, and therefore common to almost all walks-of-life.\nI am Abhijeet Singh, and I have been a part of CUBE (Collaboratively Understanding Biology Education) since 7th Grade. I’m about to Graduate Soon (Journey of CUBist). Though we have a keen interest in Biology and Biology Education, the discussion of CUBE is never limited to it. We always cross the trans-disciplinary barrier as the context of the discussion demands.\nI have been culturing various organisms in my Homelab since the lockdown period. These are used as a context to address the contemporary curriculum and curiosity of CUBists. I came to know about Living Academy and thought about sharing these organisms to start with the Biology Corner of Living Academy.\n1st organism I brought is Moina, a freshwater organism commonly referred to as Waterfleas. These are from a single mother Moina, which means they are of the same species, i.e., Moina macrocopa, as its identification was done by CUBists around 2016-17. It is used to address questions of Epigenetics and Molecular Biology as well as Environmental Biology (Will discuss more about it later)\nI also brought seeds of Cardamine plant, which is of the mustard family, and it has been used as an organism to be used for research (Model Organisms) by CUBists and Scientists of Plants Sciences. Arabidopsis thaliana is a widely used plant for Plant Science Research but has limitations as it can only be found in temperate regions. Cardamine, which is a close relative of Arabidopsis, is now being looked upon as a powerful system to study as it has no such limitations.\nWe emptied one corner of Living Academy and cleaned it for the Biology Space.\nIn the tank, Fresh Dchlorinated water is added and 10-15 moina from Abhijeet’s original Culture was added into this. Sahamatha here is adding label to this culture\nGN is adding soil in the seedling tray in which later seeds of cardamine will be added.\nAli is helping in sowing single seeds into each seedling well.\nWe made tank and bottle cultures of Moina and a Seed tray for sowing the seeds of Cardamine.\nAli, Sahamatha, and GN helped set up this biology corner, and it’s ready for STEM enthusiasts to explore.\n","date":"April 23, 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/projects/biology-corner-of-living-academy/","section":"Projects","summary":"When we have informal discussions like in ChatShaala or in general as well, the interconnectedness of all walks of STEM comes out to be very evident, which is very difficult to relate to when in a Typical Academic Setting. In a Biology Class, the discussion will be limited to…","title":"Biology Corner Of Living Academy","type":"projects"},{"content":" This is the first of a series of stories that will be published soon about Making of the Living Academy\nLocation Hunting from 9th of July to 9th of September 2023 We wanted to locate an area where we can start a community space for making as a context for learning. Checked a few commercial locations, including shops facing a road side.\nOn July 9th 2023, we (Vikram Patil, and his friend Sathyasheel (aka Sumit) and myself (@GN)) visited Kudachi Shaala at Morgaon, Baramati Maharashtra.\nhttps://photos.app.goo.gl/3pgWc7m1FjH5CqNt6 https://photos.app.goo.gl/xkBag5mgb2r6DT6x8 Mr. Suresh Khopade, a retired ex-IPS officer who founded Kudachi Shaala.\nhttps://photos.app.goo.gl/gfFQBFsEzCr9Nsny8 Mr. Suresh Khopade was explaining his borderless laboratory to us at Kudachi Shaala. Since we live in Pune in Maharashtra, our search was limited to the city. On the same day evening we visited a community learning center called Saans Foundation, founded by Sathyasheel and Alice Anthony.\nSaans Foundation runs in a small home, where Alice Anthony spent her childhood. Their family donated this space for educating the children in that locality. The locality is Chudaman Talim at Bhavani Peth, a congested place where families of several communities stay. The children of that area spend their after school hours in this community center, where Sathyasheel and Alice, with help from some senior students help to support their education.\nSince Saans Foundation already exists at Bhavani Peth, at the CAMP area, heart of Pune’s historical location, we decided to search for a place around that area. After searching for a couple of locations, we finalised to rent the second floor of a building known in that area as Alankar Medical Building.\nhttps://photos.app.goo.gl/WKiNiMMP4xQvqV7bA https://photos.app.goo.gl/2tHHgXizSj9pufAS8 https://photos.app.goo.gl/eAgF5VDmXdVmw3ZD8\nThe entire second floor (about 1000sq.ft) is a single large hall with one small room.\nhttps://photos.app.goo.gl/ZWyvHXCsUEpHShht8 As soon as fixed on the place we held a workshop on foldscope evening with Rafikh Shaikh from TISS Mumbai, on 9th of September 2023, a few days prior to when the place was actually rented to us.\nhttps://photos.app.goo.gl/uTpypy3f7KCqvD89A\nWe latter came to know that the street where the Living Academy found a place is called Mahatma Phule Raastha.. What an address to start our activities in Pune!\n– This is the first of a series of stories that will be published soon about Making of the Living Academy\n","date":"March 10, 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/projects/searching-for-a-location-collaborators-for-a-community-space/","section":"Projects","summary":"This is the first of a series of stories that will be published soon about Making of the Living Academy Location Hunting from 9th of July to 9th of September 2023 We wanted to locate an area where we can start a community space for making as a context for learning. Checked a…","title":"Searching for a location, collaborators for a community space","type":"projects"}]