Design and Construction of a Buoy to Extend Data Collection Period in Lake Erie

As harmful algae levels continue to rise in Lake Erie, people and wildlife are at risk. To prevent the water from becoming too dangerous, the Scholars of Excellence in Engineering and Computer Sciences (SEECS) program from Gannon University has collaborated with the Regional Science Consortium to engineer a submerged device that extends the data collection timeline and stores water quality data of Lake Erie. The SEECS program was established in 2008 at Gannon University and is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Scholarships in Sciences, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (S-STEM) program. This device will record dissolved oxygen levels and water temperature at fixed intervals. By extending the collection timeline, the conditions under which algae is produced should become clearer and a solution for this problem could be created to save the lake. Our current plan for the project is ensuring that both our data collecting and storing components work. This requires connecting a dissolved oxygen probe to a raspberry pi board and researching a battery source that can withstand a few months underwater. Next steps would consist of constructing a waterproof container that could withstand the pressure under water and prevent moisture from entering the device. Then, a series of testing will be conducted in order to assure our components and containment do not have defaults. One test is placing our electrical components into a refrigerator for about a month to see if data collection is accurate in cold temperatures. Another test would be placing our containment underwater to confirm it is completely waterproof. Once our buoy is tested and guaranteed to be successful under the lake, we will move forward to planning the anchorage of the system.