Frontiers of Ocean Research

I am in a class called Frontiers. This class we learned a lot about oceanography. For our final Action Project we were given the task to write a literature review. This was pretty much find a Grand Challenge and research it. I choose to look into computer modeling. This technology has a lot going for it and researchers say I can predict outcomes that can positively benefit the ocean. 

Aviation Manual

This is the third unit of the term, the class is called "Endurance". For this AP, we had to create a sort of survival manual for the future. For my AP my manual called Aviation Manual l will talk about the road to become a commercial pilot and what that would look like for me. For years now I have been interested in flight and I wish to pursue that interest in collage. Now I feel like no one should have there future all planned out like this but this can provide ideas and a general direction to where to end up. Overall I liked this AP and I think it was a good choice to have it be the senior classes last one. 

Overall I think Action Project inculpates my goals within the next decades or so. Its hard to know where your going or what you want to do at this age. I think this AP did a good job of outlining what your dream future would look like. Through my experiences things will effect this and it would be a "direct path".  I've had a good amount of time to think about my future over the last couple months because of the virus.  I know that these types of things will get in the way but I have to learn to work around them.  I 

Enduring Kayaking

This is an action project about the topic of endurance. For this AP we had to do a 12 hour challenge based around a certain question. Mine was originally going to be about flying but because of the virus and limited by technological reaches, I had to switch it up. I ended up choosing kayaking because I was already on a lake and I thought it could be challenging. My main question was to see if kayaking would improve my upper body strength. I had some other questions about form and core strength but I get into those throughout the video.

Essentially every day I kayaked for an hour or two and then recorded my data. During these kayaking sessions I kept in mind my form, my distance and my time. I tried to stay vigilant of whether I was increasing or decreasing my general performance. I set my camera up on a tripod on the back of my kayak. This was a little bit daunting because it was pretty flimsy and I thought it was going to fall out every so often. Some of the days I couldn’t really get on film because of the wind or waves but I still recorded them in my log.

I think throughout the video both of my questions were answered in a good way. Even though this wasn’t my first choice for something I wanted to do for 12 hours, I saw it as a good experience and a solid opportunity because of how accessible these tools were for me. Also, I’ve done kayaking here in the past and I assumed because I was already familiar with this sort of task, it would be good for me to do more of it. Throughout this AP you’ll see a video of multiple days where we’re on a kayak and then talk about what happened that day and if anything really stood out. 

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Overall I think this is one of the most unique assignments I’ve ever done. I really felt like I had a choice of what I could do for my own project and it was nice not to follow a strict guideline. I think this not only had me thinking about how good I have it but it also got me thinking about how easy it is to get some exercise even when there’s a pandemic lock down going on. I found myself not needing much help during this project but on occasion my father helped me with a few things relating to filming which was very useful. I didn’t use any sources or copyrighted material for this either. Also, both of my questions were answered successfully. I feel like kayaking can definitely improve my upper body strength because I’ve noticed a big difference. Another question was about improving my form and I think my form has also definitely been improved because of this AP. I’ve noticed myself going faster yet exerting less energy.

The Autobiography

For my Action Project for Endurance we had to create an autobiography. This was the first AP I have done outside of school because of this virus. In my opinion it didn't change much and if anything. I found myself with more time to do it and really trying to focus on improving writing. This relates to Endurance because Autobiography I talked about a few challenges I have endured and grew from over the years.


In the cold, dark winter of 2001, I was born. I’ll bet a lot of people already know I’m not originally from America, but I’m not sure how many actually know where I’m from. I was born in Ust Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan, near the Siberian border. In the winter it gets colder than an icebox, but in summer it’s hotter than spices in the American South. I do not have any memories of this mysterious land. Even though my parents exposed me to Kazakh culture throughout my childhood, being an immigrant was never really an issue for me. I never found a reason to think about where I was from because it just didn’t relate to the life I was living in America. And I think that’s fine personally, because I don’t identify with Kazakh customs like eating goats. That sounds about as appealing to me as eating a worm.

Growing up was pretty nice. Our family was financially comfortable, and I was able to go to a preschool that was about a block from where we lived. That’s where I ended up meeting a few of my neighborhood friends that I still hang with today. My parents have always wanted to expose me to a bigger world and not just keep me around Chicago. We often took trips to Indiana because we have a place there. We also traveled to California to see family and to the island of Bermuda to see family there as well. In fact, I now have Bermudian citizenship. We have traveled to Canada and Italy, and when I was about five years old, we visited Ireland. I remember Ireland very well and what I remember is - it’s cool. Through my grandparents, I have Irish citizenship so I have a lot of different passports. My parents want me to be an international man, but I just like Indiana.

Earlier I referred to the organic farm we used to own in Indiana. It was a place in nature with colors as vibrant as a paint store. I think our farm showed me a very different side of America. You know in life it’s pretty much city people and country people, and I’ve been lucky enough to experience them both. I like some aspects of one (the friends) and I really like some aspects of the other (the freedom). I think our traveling and experiencing different countries has without a doubt opened my mind and shown me there are a lot of other cultures and people out there that you just don’t hear about so much.

I remember one challenge I faced when I was at the farm: it was learning to properly shift the tractor because tractors have two different gear clusters, and it’s as confusing as learning Chinese. There are low and high gears for towing and speed and you have to learn carefully how to position each one in a certain spot. At a young age, I feel like that’s kind of a challenge to remember exactly how to shift something each time, but I figured it out around the age of seven or eight. That’s when I started driving the tractor around our old farm like a race car at Indy. It kind of got me into farming and into the idea of having my own farm at some point. At first driving a tractor was something I had to learn and it was extremely overwhelming, but with more training it became as natural as breathing.

I feel a mental challenge I’ve had to overcome was my going to Mount Carmel freshman year. The only things I liked there were gym class and the French fries. But the mental aspect of having to get up and go 40 minutes south to an area and a school that I really disliked was tough. I had some friends there, but it was the distance between the school and me that really did it in. Also, the issue with those friends was that they mostly lived in far away suburbs, and it was hard to meet up with them. So I just stuck with the same group of friends I’ve had since sixth grade and that hasn’t been a bad thing I would think, but that’s just why that occurred.

One of the main reasons I transferred to GCE Lab School is because of its proximity to our house. I couldn’t have asked for a more convenient school and I know that even when I don’t agree with some of the things at GCE, at least it’s really close by. For me that’s a big plus. It has made the mental aspect of going to school a lot less stressful. Having to wake up early and catch a bus is now nonexistent. I feel like the school is still school, but instead of a 40 minute bus ride, it’s a 10 minute walk.

Over the years I’ve been interested in war planes and flight. Since my uncle is a pilot, he showed me a little bit about that lifestyle. I’ve been around planes from a very young age, and I remember going to see my uncle’s planes in his hangar in Boston. There’s a picture of me in one of those planes at about four years old. It ignited my interest in aviation like a turbo fan engine on a 737. When I was there again at eight, I got to fly in his helicopter. We flew around the Boston/Connecticut area. Even though the experience was cool, the heat that day was like the surface of the sun. At that point, I was a big fan of helicopters but not so much airplanes. As more time progressed and there were more trips and more airplane rides, I couldn’t get over the turbulence of an airplane. Then, eventually something clicked and I instinctively knew that turbulence is really nothing to even bat an eye at. I mean that’s what just happens when you're 30,000 feet up - you hit different air pockets and that’s what does it. Now turbulence is a breeze. After I got over my discomfort with it, I really started thinking more about a professional pilot career and how I can do that.

About a year ago, I went on a flight with a guy named Butch. That was the first time I’ve actually flown anything myself because he let me take the stick and control the plane. It was a very cool experience, even though it was a Cessna 150 and we were probably only going about 120 miles per hour up there. This was not super fast for an airplane, but it was still really exciting to see how I was making this vehicle in the sky rotate and do turns. This experience sparked my interest back up like a barbeque lighter. Then, when I toured colleges later that year I started thinking about colleges that had flight programs. I might want to continue on to become a commercial pilot but I also just might want to get an instrument license just to be able to fly a plane.

Another influential fact is that my grandfather met Orville Wright who was the first person ever to fly a plane. I really think that’s a cool thing that not many other people can say - that their grandfather met the inventor who flew the first plane. I really think this kind of pushes me to try to go for this goal. So in a way, I kind of look up to past pilots and my grandfather who was a machinist and liked to work on mechanical things. He was also interested in aviation like I am and he had many books and small statues of planes around his house. Every year in the summer when we go back to visit, I end up reading his aviation books.

As you can probably assume by this point I am pretty sure I want to become a pilot. I think it would be an exhilarating career to be able to take people from coast to coast in under six hours. I think another really impactful flight career would be to fly a DC-10 tanker. These are the planes you see dropping chemicals on bush fires to put them out, which can save millions of dollars in damage and human lives as well. So maybe I would pursue that as a noble goal for my life.

Elevator Pitch Final Presentation

I wanted to focus on an elevator pitch because we are introduced to it in class but I feel like we could’ve went more I depth with this type of pitch really interest me because you have to be direct and informative within 20 to 30 seconds which I think is a very effective technique because it pushes the consumer To have to think fast which sometimes can catch them off guard in a good way.

Time capsule

I am currently in a class called "Equality". We are learning about how some races and genders are discriminated against still to this day. I found it really interesting when we talked about the Japanese internment camps because our next door neighbor, Mr. Honda, was in one. It is unbelievable to me that America had these and people just accepted it as a reality. I wanted to see what this would look like in the future. So basically I theorized what would happen if Russia attacked Anchorage, Alaska and America took the same approach as these camps did in the 1940’s. For my product, I chose to make two protest signs. One from each side of the anti/pro-Russian debate. For the anti-Russian protesters I made their signs say "Better Dead than Red". I chose this because it relates back to the 1950's in America where this "anti-Commie" mentality started. For the pro-Russian sign I had it say "Освободи нашу расу" which translates to "Free Our Race" with a resist fist in the air. I chose a red fist because of the history around "The Red Scare" back in the 50’s. Also, for my OP-ED I chose to use a minority: a Japanese woman and how she reacts to these events as history repeats itself.

THE GCE TIMES  March 12, 2120

Russian Ban faces Extreme Backlash

The biggest story in 2119 is the banning of all Russian citizens after the Battle of Anchorage. The Russian’s invaded Anchorage, Alaska and took it over. Over the last couple of months, there have been daily battles by the US to try to take it back. It is believed that there are Americans of Russian descent who have sided with Russia to help overthrow Alaska. As a result, the US is banning all Russian citizens entry to the USA. In addition, all first generation, natural-born Americans of Russian descent are being ordered to move to an internment camp in Seattle, Washington.

There, all Russians will be held until further notice. Again, no one from Russia will be allowed entry in the US at this time. The United States government is taking all precautions to prevent any further warfare as well as investigating where the breach of trust occurred with the Russian spies. No further information is available at this point as to who breached American’s trust however it is confirmed that those persons of interest are being held in the camps. This has caused total upset in the United States and is being broadcasted in round-the-clock news coverage. All citizens who are first generation of Russian descent are forced to leave their homes, jobs and families.

This is causing panic among those US citizens who are not of Russian descent. There is cause for concern about the safety of not only the US citizens but those of Russian descent being sent to camps. Many of these people being interned are experiencing discrimination from other US citizens simply for being Russian. This occurrence is causing national concern. While the spies were American citizens, it is important to note that not all American citizens of Russian descent are traitors to the United States. Shown below are some pro/anti Russian propaganda from the time.

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THE GCE TIMES  March 12, 2120

The Legal Matters 

Effective immediately PUB Law 109-442: The full excommunication of all first and second generation Russians.

The United States requires the fullest protection against any and all spies. In order for this to happen, the US is requiring all persons who are not citizens and are of Russian descent to leave the country immediately.

All persons of Russian descent who are second generation or more recent, are reported to go to the internment camp. Any and all people of this description will be moved to such camp until further notice.

Military action will be taken for all people resisting action.


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THE GCE TIMES  March 12, 2120

TALK BACK--LETTERS TO THE EDITOR


What does the average American think of the law?

PRO

Life is pretty normal for most Americans who are not Russian. Life goes on for us. For me, a father of two, I am doing what I can as a police officer. Because of the ongoing war with Russia, the economy is not great so my family is cutting back on spending. A lot of my friends are concerned about the draft and having to go up north to fight. Some of the students at my kids' school are going to a protest rally later this week. They are protesting mostly because the President proposed internment camps in Seattle for Russians. The protesters say it's too similar to the camps the United States had for Japanese 177 years ago. I say, as a person of the law, we can never be too careful. There is no tolerance for spies and right now, we just can't trust the Russians. It is too bad we have to lump all people into one category, but that is just what has to be done.

From

Ricky Bucko 

CON
I am writing as a Japanese-American woman. My great-great grandparents were put into a Japanese internment camp. I remember my great-great grandfather telling me stories of how awful it was for them. They were beaten and starved just because they were Japanese. He told me how the government goons stole his land that they worked hard for and gave them far less than a tenth of the farm's value - only $25,000 in 1970's dollars. After they were let out of the camp, they were treated with such disrespect from their fellow Americans. People who were once their friends were now their enemies for no good reason. I understand that we have to protect our country but is it really necessary to send every Russian to a camp? Are they all dangerous and spies? I think not.

Sincerely,

Yui Tang

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Good Shot Ammo

In my class "Social Entrepreneurship", we have learned a lot about business. We studied things like different investors and how companies get their funding. We also learned about how a company can have a mission statement and a visions statement which summarizes their goals with that company. Overall this was one of the more informative courses we have done this year and I can really see how this brings in that "real world" aspect to our class.

Good Shot Ammo Corp.

Business Plan

“Aim Higher”

O.L, Owner

Created on March 8, 2020

Executive Summary

Good Shot Ammo manufactures and distributes ammunition for law enforcement needs as well as recreational hunting and target-shooting weapons. These weapons include rifles, shotguns and pistols. In addition to ammunition supply from our factory, we will offer consultation and training services to those interested in this recreational field to better educate the public on proper gun use.

I have been passionate about ammunition and weapons my entire life. I have a great deal of experience in all facets of gun safety and I see Good Shot Ammo as an opportunity to blend my passion with doing good for the community.

As a large and vital employer in the region, we will strive to aim higher to give back to the community. Our most important customers are those men and women who protect us every day-This is our local law enforcement. Because carrying a weapon is necessary, we hope to be their one stop in supplies so that they are confident in obtaining a sustainable and renewable ammunition source. The ammo is bought in bulk by the station then provided to each officer. We care about the communities we serve and want to help local law enforcement be as effective as possible.

We also care about properly educating the public on how to hunt safely and target shoot. We only promote hunting for game that is overly populated and by reducing the population, we are helping the ecosystem. Also, the bullets sold will have the option of being renewable. Customers can return old shell casings for refurbishment where they will receive new bullets in the old casings for a discounted price. This will decrease the amount of spent brass which harms the environment when left for decay. In addition to preserving used shell casings, using steel shot bullets instead of lead reduces the damage to our environment.

Good Shot Ammo will be located in Walkerton, Indiana. There is a shortage of employment in this area, so bringing the business here will offer the community many more jobs. This has the potential to revitalise the whole region and is needed for Walkerton and its surrounding towns. So not only will Good Shot Ammo strive to help the environment, it will bring economic opportunity to those individuals wanting to work for the company. These are some of the ways Good Shot Ammo meets the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. The SDG's this relates to is number eight and twelve. Eight talks about decent work and economic growth. The business will provide jobs to an area that needs them and will boost the regional economy. Number twelve talks about responsible consumption and production. The company takes pride in how we push for all steel ammo and reloadable bullets.

By following the SDGs and the ISO 9001 standard, we are making sure that this business is the most sustainable it can be. We provide healthy work spaces, good pay and opportunities for advancement. The diagram below explains more. 

Company Overview

Mission Statement and Vision

The mission statement

To provide quality protection services to our clients by supplying them with ammunition in a sustainable and renewable way. We hope to become one of the largest ammunition supply companies in the Walkerton region.

The vision statement

At present, ammunition is an almost 20 billion dollar-a-year industry. The future outlook of the industry is positive. It is predicted to grow 3.9% over the next five years and will reach $21 billion by 2023, from $19.6 million in 2017.

Distribution

Good Shot Ammo will offer its products and services through trade shows, mail-order/catalog sales, retail stores and online orders through its website. Typical customer transactions (price, frequency, volume) are detailed in the Accounting & Investment section.

Legal Structure

Good Shot Ammo is an “S Corporation” and will be located in Walkerton, Indiana. An S Corporation is a type of legal structure for small businesses with a limited number of shareholders.

Marketing & Sales

Industry Research

Good Shot Ammo will join the ammunition industry, a 20 billion dollar enterprise worldwide. We hope to change the way ammunition is made so that one day, all ammunition will be sustainable and renewable.

Detailed Description of Customers

The target customers for Good Shot Ammo are primarily members of law enforcement and the military and secondarily recreational groups such as hunters and target shooters. We can sell to Private militaries per person or in bulk. Usually with law enforcement they always buy in bulk. We hope to work with most local law enforcement agencies to become their main ammunition supplier. In working with local law enforcement, we hope to streamline their ammunition process by effectively supplying the departments with ongoing consulting and supply support.

Some of the demographic characteristics of people buying our ammo are currently white males between the ages of 25 and 65 who are employed and live in rural areas. These demographics are expanding to include other racial sectors. Some of the psychographic qualities might be people of conservative values who appreciate the armed forces and police. The CXL Institute, an online market research firm, provided the standards for this data.

Additionally, we will work with retail customers to supply ammunition for their recreational needs. We hope to offer a monthly subscription for shipments of various ammunition needed based on weapons used.  We will also start a shooting competition team to further market our name as well as compete in professional NRA competitions and even the US Olympics.

Company Advantages

Good Shot Ammo provides goods and services to local law enforcement, military, military specialists and recreational customers. A key competitor for Good Shot Ammo is a company called Federal Premium Ammunition. They serve primarily law enforcement and military customers. It would be good for our two companies to have a friendly competition. By doing this we show that are ammo is reliable to Federals and we can show a lot of people how don't know about the company. This is how free market enterprise works. A potential client for Good Shot Ammo could be the US Army. A requisition from the government would be extremely beneficial for our business. This will not be an easy client but we can work for it.    

Research and Development

The company is planning to conduct research and development in sustainable and renewable bullet manufacturing, such as how to protect steel from rusting before use. Also, better packaging needs to be developed that is absolutely airtight so that nothing will oxidize.

Growth Strategy

To grow the company, Good Shot Ammo will do the following:

• Network at gun and ammunition industry trade shows

• Network with the Fraternal Order of Police

• Establish a company website that contains information about our services with Business-to-Business (B2B) and Business-to Consumer (B2C) portals

• Create a professional marksmanship team and promote the bullets made in-house as they use these products during competitions.

Management & Organizational Structure

Principal Members

 

Owner/Operator. Oversees all operations of the company. 

Human Resource Account Manager. Overseas all personnel and ISO 9001 compliance. 

Research and Development Manager. Oversees new product development. 

Marketing and Sales Manager.Oversees the sales force and website development.  Production manager. Oversees all manufacturing operations and ISO 9001 compliance. 

Accounting & Investment

Yearly Projected Costs - salary, expenses

3 Year Projections

Year one shows slightly lower sales than predicted so the profit is barely enough to cover R and D. Year two and three we profited as predicted and used the following assumptions about the cost. 

Cost of Goods 35%

Labor 25%

Overhead 25%

Rtd. Profit (5% R&D) 15%

Bass Pro Corp. “The Best in Fishing, Hunting and Boating Gear: Bass Pro Shops.” The Best in Fishing, Hunting and Boating Gear | Bass Pro Shops, 2006, www.basspro.com/shop/en?

 “ISO 9000 Family – Quality Management.” ISO, 27 Feb. 2020, www.iso.org/iso-9001-quality-management.html.

RT ThomasFebruary. “Top 5 9mm Self Defense Rounds Used by Law Enforcement.” Wide Open Spaces, 3 Feb. 2020, www.wideopenspaces.com/the-best-5-self-defense-ammo-for-9mm-used-by-law-enforcement/.

Wagner, Scott W. “Which Firearms and Ammo Do Police Use?” USCCA, 14 Aug. 2019, www.usconcealedcarry.com/blog/which-firearms-and-ammo-do-police-use/.