Mother Teresa Regional School55 South Ave Atlantic Highlands

Students: Maria Alzate, Tim Corey, Toni Costa, Patrick Molloy, Jacob White,

Daniel Hennessey and Franny FioreTeachers: Mrs. Baeder, Mrs. Patrizio and Mrs. Platenyk

IdentificationOur problem of interest is that our school

building can get very hot, leaving the classrooms very warm and stuffy particularly during the warmer spring and late summer months.

We are looking for a way to control the climate in our classrooms in a cost effective and eco-friendly way.

Research the ProblemWe found out that children have a greater surface area-

to-body mass ratio than adults, which causes a greater heat gain from the environment on a hot day and a greater heat loss to the environment on a cold day. (American

Academy of Pediatrics, 2000)

We also found out that the sun emits energy as electromagnetic radiation and that light travels in two different forms: waves and particles. (National Science Teachers Association)

The particles are what we can see, but we cannot see the waves. Therefore there is more light than what we actually see. (National Science Teachers Association)

When light travels through glass, only the waves can pass through, causing heat. (Gerald F. Deitzer)

How can we fix the problem?Our first idea was to replace the curtains with

polyester instead of plastic to increase circulation of air in the room because polyester is permeable and plastic is not.

Our second idea was to use a battery operated fan inside the classrooms, as to not use electricity.

Our third idea was to not only use a fan inside the classrooms, but to also place a bucket of water in front of the fan, which would spray water into the air, thus cooling down the rooms.

Our final thought was to try and place materials on the windows which could prevent and/or absorb the ultraviolet rays from entering into the classrooms.

Our Solution We decided to go with our fourth idea and

came up with various materials to place on the windows inside our classrooms.

We worked with four classrooms in our building, all located on the same floor and on the west side of the building.

Materials UsedAluminum foilTint Spray (A mixture of dish soap and warm water)

Box CutterRulerGILA Window tint: 35% VLT GILA Window tint: 5% VLT

VLT = (visible light transmission)

Experiment ProcessWe knew we had four rooms that we could

experiment with and chose to do the following:

Room 1 – Aluminum foil was placed on all windows. (room 200)

Room 2 – Gila Tint 35% placed on all windows. (room 204)

Room 3 - Gila Tint 5% placed on all windows. (room 206)

Room 4 – Controlled Room (room 208)

Plan of ActionIn order to start our experiment, we needed to

get permission from our teachers and principal.We complained that we were too hot to learn

inside our classrooms and asked for air conditioning.

We were informed that air conditioning units were too expensive.

We decided to research alternate methods of cooling down rooms in extreme heat.

After researching solutions, we presented our idea and asked Mrs. Wisk for permission to conduct our experiment.

Aluminum Foil While brainstorming, we thought of how car

owners use “car shades” during the summer months to block out the ultraviolet rays and the heat produced by the sun from radiating into their vehicles.

We chose aluminum foil because it is a good reflector of visible light as well as heat, and that together with its low weight, makes it an ideal material for reflectors, for example: light fittings and/or rescue blankets. (European

Aluminum Association)

Window Tint We chose two different types of Gila brand

window tint: Gila 35 % and Gila 5%.We used two different types of tint because

we wanted to see if there was a difference in temperature based on the amount of light that entered into the room.

We used this tint because it was cost effective and was made to reduce sun glare and heat buildup.

Window Tint 35% We found out that Gila window tint 35%:

Rejected 35% total solar energy from filmed glass. (The higher this value, the less solar heat that is transmitted through the glass.)

Passed 35% visible light directly through the filmed glass. (The higher the number, the lighter the film appears in color.)

Reduced 61% of visible light from the addition of the film. (Glare reduction)

(2010, Solutia Inc. - Gila)

Window Tint 5%We found out that Gila window tint 5%:

Rejected 44% total solar energy from filmed glass. (The higher this value, the less solar heat that is transmitted through the glass.)

Passed 5% visible light directly through the filmed glass. (The higher the number, the lighter the film appears in color.)

Reduced 94% of visible light from the addition of the film. (Glare reduction)

(2010, Solutia Inc. - Gila)

Temperatures before application of materials

Temperatures taken at 8 A.M.

Temperatures before application of materials

Temperatures taken at 12 P.M.

Temperatures before application of materials

Temperatures taken at 2 P.M.

Temperatures after application of materials

Temperatures taken at 8 A.M.

Temperatures after application of materials

Temperatures taken at 12 P.M.

Temperatures after application of materials

Temperatures taken at 2 P.M.

Pictures of our Experiment Timmy and Patrick applying Tint 5% in room 206

Room 204 35 % tint applied

Jacob applying 5 % Tint

Franny applying Aluminum Foil to Room 200

Room 200 after Aluminum Foil was applied

Results After graphing our data, we began to see a

pattern. The temperature in room 206 was lower than the temperature in the controlled room and the other two rooms.

Room 206 had the 5% percent window tint on each of the lower windows.

ResultsWhile examining our results, we also had to consider

other factors that could possibly affect our outcome:The amount of students in each classroom during

the day. We know that the more people there are in a confined space, the more body temperature that will be given off, thus creating heat inside the room.

The amount of time each classroom is actually being used during the day. Some of the classrooms being used did not have classes occupying them continuously all day.

The time of year and climate outside. We started this project in October when the weather was moderate. As the weeks went by, Jack Frost decided to drop in for a visit and share some snow and frost. Than the weather got warm again.

Conclusion In conclusion there are a couple of things

that we can do to help our school stay cool during the warmer months of the school year in a cost effective and eco-friendly way:We can reduce and limit our classroom sizes,

which will in turn reduce the amount of body heat given off in a given area.

Apply Gila 5% tint to all of the windows in our school which rejected 44% total solar energy from filmed glass, thus reducing the heat buildup inside the classrooms.

Work Cited Deitzer, Gerald. "Does glass block UV light?." 4 march 1999: 1-1.

Print. <http://www.bio.net/bionet/mm/plant-ed/1999-March/004186.html>.

American Academy of Pediatrics. “Climatic Heat Stress and Exercising Children and Adolescents.” PEDIATRICS Vol. 128 No. 3 September 2011 http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;128/3/e741

National Science Teachers Association, “Heat from the Sun.” Copyright © 2011 NSTA. http://www.nsta.org

European Aluminum Association, “Aluminum Packaging.” 7 May 2002. http://www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1396

Gila Films, © 2010 Solutia INC. http://www.gilafilms.com/en/Default.aspx