Challenge 1

Welcome to the high school challenge page for Challenge 1 of the Fairchild Challenge! Read below to find challenge information, entry requirements, resources and more for the challenge.

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Challenge 1: Sculpture

Title: Beetles and Blossoms
For individuals or groups | Maximum points: 200
Due Date: Fri., Oct. 20, 2023 by 5 p.m. 

Download the Challenge 1 Rubric Here

Your Challenge:

Often misunderstood, beetles are one of the unsung heroes of forest health. From pollinating plants to breaking down organic materials to fighting off unwanted pests, beetles are one of the most diverse, species-rich orders on Earth. Your challenge is to create a set of 3 to 10 beetle sculptures made entirely out of “found objects” and recycled materials. Make sure the beetle you choose belongs to the order Coleoptera, lives in a type of forest, and has a beneficial impact on its ecosystem! Along with each sculpture, please write a 1-2 page analysis on the unique impact your beetle has on forest health and why you think it is important. Consider how the beetles may also be impacted by the health of their forest home and the roles they play within their distinct environment. Your essay should include a thesis and support for your argument. Include any relevant information about the beetle such as its habitat, its food sources, and how it interacts with other animals and humans. Please also include what materials you chose to construct your beetle out of and where you sourced them. The short analytical essay should be your own work and should include a Works Cited with at least 3 sources.

Finished sculpture may be scaled up in size but should be no larger than 5”x5”x5” and should weigh no more than two pounds.  Sculptures should not contain any food or edible ingredients (including wheat, seeds, or pinecones).  Select sculptures from this challenge will be featured in Phipps’ Winter Flower Show. Therefore, each sculpture must have a securely-fastened string or wire so that it can be hung on display.

Schools are welcome to submit additional well-made beetle sculptures for the opportunity to be displayed in the Winter Flower Show. These additional sculptures should be submitted in a separate container from the sculptures that are being judged for the Fairchild Challenge and clearly marked “Display Only.” A limited number of sculptures will be displayed.

Entry Requirements:

Deliver to the science education coordinator at Phipps in person or via certified mail (electronic submission is not accepted):

• Challenge Entry Form
• Create a sculpture using found or recycled materials of a beetle
• Each finished sculpture should be no larger than 5”x5”x5” and should weigh no more than two pounds, and should have a securely-fastened string or wire to be hung on display.
• For each beetle you sculpt, write a short paper detailing the unique impact your beetle has on forest health. The paper should be 1-2 pages with 12 point font and 1-inch margins, and it should include a Works Cited with at least 3 sources.
• Include the school name and the participating students’ names.

Address:
Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens
The Fairchild Challenge c/o Jennifer Torrance
One Schenley Park
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Resources:
The following list of online resources may be used when preparing your entry.

 

• Insects in Forests – Climate, Forests and Woodlands (extension.org)
• Beetles (Coleoptera) – Wisconsin Horticulture
• Bark beetle outbreak enhances biodiversity and foraging habitat of native bees in alpine landscapes of the southern Rocky Mountains | Scientific Reports (nature.com)
• Beetle Pollination (usda.gov)
• Beneficial Insects: Beetles (usu.edu

School Submits: Challenge Entry Form, 3 to 10 sculptures (Please note: submitting fewer than 3 sculptures will result in a lower score on this project.)

 

Standards: 

Read below to find the standards for Challenge 1 of the High School Fairchild Challenge

• Grades Nine – Twelve

Grades Nine – Twelve

• CC.3.5.9-10.A Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to the precise details of explanations or descriptions.
• CC.3.5.9-10.E Analyze the structure of the relationships among concepts in a text, including relationships among key terms (e.g., force, friction, reaction force, energy).
• CC.3.5.9-10.G Translate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text into visual form (e.g., a table or chart) and translate information expressed visually or mathematically (e.g., in an equation) into words.
• CC.3.6.9-10.C Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
• CC.3.6.9-10.G Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the usefulness of each source in answering the research question; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
• CC.3.6.9-10.H Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
• CC.3.6.9-10.F Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
• 3.3.10.A2 Analyze the effects on the environment and the carbon cycle of using both renewable and nonrenewable sources of energy.
• 4.1.10.A Examine the effects of limiting factors on population dynamics. 
• Analyze possible causes of population fluctuations.
• Explain the concept of carrying capacity in an ecosystem.
• Describe how organisms become classified as threatened or endangered.
• Describe how limiting factors cause organisms to become extinct.
• 4.1.10.D Research practices that impact biodiversity in specific ecosystems.
• Analyze the relationship between habitat changes to plant and animal population fluctuations.
• 4.4.10.B Analyze the effects of agriculture on a society’s economy, environment, standard of living, and foreign trade.
• 4.5.10.B Describe the impact of integrated pest management practices on the environment.
• CC.3.5.11-12.A Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to important distinctions the author makes and to any gaps or inconsistencies in the account.
• CC.3.5.11-12.B Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; summarize complex concepts, processes, or information presented in a text by paraphrasing them in simpler but still accurate terms.
• CC.3.5.11-12.E Analyze how the text structures information or ideas into categories or hierarchies, demonstrating understanding of the information or ideas.
• CC.3.5.11-12.G Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., quantitative data, video, multimedia) in order to address a question or solve a problem.
• CC.3.5.11-12.H Evaluate the hypotheses, data, analysis, and conclusions in a science or technical text, verifying the data when possible and corroborating or challenging conclusions with other sources of information.
• CC.3.6.11-12.C Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
• CC.3.6.11-12.G Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the specific task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation.
• CC.3.6.11-12.H Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
• 3.1.12.A2 Evaluate how organisms must derive energy from their environment or their food in order to survive.
• 4.1.12.A Analyze the significance of biological diversity in an ecosystem. 
• Explain how species adapt to limiting factors in an ecosystem.
• Analyze the differences between natural causes and human causes of extinction. 
• Research wildlife management laws and their effects on biodiversity.
• 4.5.12.B Evaluate pest management using methods such as cost/benefit analysis, cumulative effects analysis, environmental impact analysis, ethical analysis, and risk analysis.

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