We finalize the format of the Mini MFC Olympics. The MFC Mini Olympics will be held over only 2 months. There would be one in-person visit at the start of the challenge, followed by occasional virtual meetings during that period. We created this because many schools were interested in the MFC Olympics, but were not able to participate because of the length of the challenge.
At the start, for one or two classes of students, we estimate that this in-person visit would be 1 hour 30 minutes. During the visit, we will give a brief and fun presentation introducing the microbes and Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs). Subsequently, each class of students will build 3 units of MFC. Like a science experiment, each unit will be built with different variables such as soil mixtures and environmental conditions.
For 2 months, Students will then monitor and measure the amount of electricity produced by each MFC unit weekly. During this period.we will occasionally check-in virtually to ensure that the MFCs are blinking. If it is not blnking, we will work with the students with the troubleshooting. We will also be happy to answer any questions that the students might have.
At the end of the challenge, we hope to receive a couple of 3-minute videos by the students describing their learnings and findings. With your permission, the best videos will be published on our website. We would then retrieve the MFC units, which will be
cleaned and reused for the next group of students.
We hope to pilot the Mini MFC Olympics around February / March 2024.