A Biodome Project: What Is It?
Before making travel arrangements, make sure to verify with the institution whether you’re interested in visiting a biodome. The abundance of biodomes makes them simple to locate and provides all-access passes to a variety of activities.
Allow students to spend time outside (if permitted by outside policies). Encourage children to gather insects and note their discoveries in their group workbooks.
A great approach to learning about ecosystems, habitats, and energy transfer is to work on a biodome project. As they build model biodomes and observe what happens to the living and nonliving organisms they place inside of them, students can practice engineering skills.
This lesson might be extremely regimented or unstructured. Form engineering teams made up of two to four students each in the class. One copy of the Biodomes Engineering Design Project Workbook should be distributed. To each team: Lessons 2–6.
As each team of students completes a component of their model biodome project, have them respond to the questions in their workbook. Remind them that engineers frequently encounter obstacles multiple times before creating a finished product.
Ask the children to go outside with their biodomes and gather insects to add to them (optional). Please make a list of the various insect species that could potentially be present in their environment, such as grasshoppers, crickets, snails, ants, box elder bugs, June bugs, etc.
Students can learn about the interactions between plants and animals in a biodome project. Additionally, it aids in their geographic, physiological, and ecological learning. Biosphere 2 in Arizona and Montreal’s Biodome are two examples of controlled indoor ecosystems, or biomes, that can be found all over the world. These model habitats are intended to examine how people and nature interact in small areas.
Assign two to four students to each engineering team, and give each group a copy of the Biodomes Engineering Design Project Workbook. 2–6 lessons. To come up with ideas for their biodomes, have each team brainstorm, then present those ideas to the class. Please describe how the design-build-redesign process is frequently used by engineers before they are happy with the results.
Instruct each team to construct their model biodome using the materials given. After that, have them water their biodomes and plant the seeds they selected. Please encourage your students to track the development of their seedlings and to write down their findings in their workbooks.
A biodome is an ideal option if you’re searching for a fun and engaging approach to learning about ecosystems. These self-sustaining buildings are frequently constructed inside geodesic spheres and resemble natural ecosystems. Many, such as those in jungles, deserts, and marshes, are made to mimic certain climates. They are also used to evaluate projects for cleaning up the environment.
Give each team a copy of the Biodomes Engineering Design Project Workbook before you begin this exercise by dividing the class into engineering design teams. 2–6 lessons. Inspire the teams to get inventive and construct a prototype biodome for their habitats.
After that, have the teams gather to talk about the fundamental needs of plants (food, water, and solar energy). To illustrate how their biodomes offer these resources for their plants, ask students to sketch one or more food chains or food webs. Ask them how they intend to make sure that sunlight enters their biodomes as well. This section of the lesson teaches students that engineers must take into account a variety of elements when building an environment, including sunlight, air quality, and moisture content.
An example of a tourist attraction that offers tourists the chance to observe ecosystems they would not otherwise be able to see without making a lengthy and expensive trip is a biodome project. These domes were constructed with precise climate control systems and included a variety of habitats that simulate the weather in rainforests, deserts, and subarctic regions.
The Montreal Biodome, which debuted in 1992, is one of the most well-known biodome constructions. A tropical rainforest, a maple forest, and various habitats can be found inside this geodesic dome. Additionally, a diverse variety of plants and animals call the biodome home.
Since Biosphere 2, numerous other biodomes have been developed. For instance, a 1.9 million square meter dome called the Mars Science City replicates the environment of the red planet. Researchers will be able to examine how people can survive in a challenging environment thanks to this effort. Similar technology could eventually make it possible for humans to live on other planets, such as Mars.
