Kamman, Aliza. "Out to Dinner with a Mt. Abe Alum." Personal interview. 16 Mar. 2014.
Why not use all the resources I possibly can? Who do I know at Ithaca? Oh, Aliza Kamman! My best friend's sister is a Junior at Ithaca College. Upon my visit to Ithaca I made sure to contact Aliza ahead of time. After my tour my mom and I took her out for a nice seafood dinner at a nearby restaurant. It was here that I had my questions answered, and on a more personal level. This made me realize that for every college I visit, I should try to contact someone I know there. I was very pleased with my visit to Ithaca and it was partly because I took the extra time to talk to Aliza. I will follow my own advice in the future.

Admissions Office of Colgate. "Visit to Colgate." Personal interview. 15 Mar. 2014.

I've discovered that visiting colleges is the number one way to know if a college is right for you or not. Colgate was my number one choice before I visited it, and I was worried that my first impression was going to change that. Arriving there I drove through miles of fields with amish farmers. The weather was cloudy, and sub-par. All of a sudden, almost happening simultaneously, we came to a beautiful campus and the sun came out. I spent the next four hours on campus and loved every second of it. The tour was well done and beautiful, the buildings were phenomenal, the cafeteria food was good, and I even sat in on a class. Sitting in on a class was also a great thing to do. I sat in on Dr. Gray's Intro to Philosophical Problems class. The entire class was engaged, debating, and the professor was energetic, keeping the students going. This experience exceeded my expectations. My original worry was pushed aside, Colgate remains my number one school.

"Millions of College Reviews & Rankings." College Prowler. College Niche, n.d. Web. 08 Apr. _____2014.

College Prowler is possibly the most useful online source to students looking for colleges, exploring colleges they are interested in, and to get inside information on their next four years. On College Prowler you can enter your requirements for which type of college you want to go to. You can enter your SAT scores, ACT scores, and GPA so that it will give you your chances of acceptance. You can even compare colleges and see what they are graded in different categories; food, academics, guys, girls, location, weather...etc. But what makes College Prowler so useful and unique is the comments and reviews left by students. Students submit reviews and grades daily on different aspects of their college. These are specific experiences and opinions by real students. This gives high school students a look to see what the attending students thought of their college, and give them an idea of whether they still want to attend the college. I decided which areas of focus were most important to me, and I put them in a chart with the college names and their grades in my specific categories. Then I compared the comments made by students in each individual category. These tools are incredible essential in my college searching. I will use this until the moment I have applied to colleges. I will also probably post on it when I am a college student so that I can help high schoolers like me.

Admissions Representatives from Colgate, Ithaca, Bates, Middlebury, Stonehill, and St. _____Lawrence. "College Fair at CVU High School." Personal interview. 7 Apr. 2014.

On April 7th, 2014 I went to the college fair at CVU high school with my fellow classmates that are also interested in college. This was my third college fair I've attended in high school, and it was the most successful. Previously, college fairs were a chance to get out of school, get free pens, and start to think about going to college. This time was different. This time, I was there to work. I didn't spread myself too thin, and I didn't overwhelm myself. I only spoke with six representatives; Colgate, Ithaca, Bates, Middlebury, Stonehill, and St. Lawrence. All six of these colleges I plan to apply to, and all six of them I plan to visit. I thought it would be the best use of my time to visit with the representatives, ask about the campus and the surrounding town, and use them to help me plan my touring trips. Colgate and Middlebury are my top choices, so obviously I was impressed by them, but this college fair gave others the opportunity to catch my eye. I am now more interested in Bates and their environmental science program on the coast of Maine, and I also now have three possible safety-target schools; Ithaca, Stonehill, and St. Lawrence. This college fair verified for me that I want to visit all six of these schools and apply to them. Stonehill was a new addition to my list that began interesting me on this trip. This college fair was a huge success for me now that I am doing so much work preparing myself.

Middlebury Admissions Staff Member. "Admissions Talk." Preparing for College. Mount Abe, Bristol. _____Oct. 2013. Lecture.

It's important to take advantage of all these kind of events that you can. As a high school student, I don't know much about applying to college, and these admission staff are the experts. If someone who admits students to college for a living gives me advice on how to help myself get admitted, I am definitely going to listen well. This Middlebury staff member gave me a lot of really good advice on writing my common app essay, and advice like creating a professional sounding email. My advice to other high school students that are nervous about applying to colleges, is to go listen to lectures like these. They are very helpful to me, and I will be continuously looking over my notes as I get closer to applying to colleges.

Pope, Loren. Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think ______about Colleges. New York, N. Y.: Penguin, 2006. Print.

On March 15th I visited a friend and his dad loaned me a book: Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think about Colleges. I've wanted suggestions for a long time about what would be a good college fit for me, so all new resources help my process. Loren Pope is able to give me a new perspective on colleges, and help me find new colleges that I might never have been able to find on my own. There on hundreds of colleges out there, most of which you will never even encounter in your searches. I hope that I won't miss a college that has a perfect fit for me and the only way I know how to that was to use all the resources I can possibly get my hands on. Anything I can use to help me on my way to finding my college, I will use.

Clark, Martin. "Community Resources." Personal interview. 1 Mar. 2014.

Throughout my project, not many things have gone smoothly, but the one resource I know I can count on %100 of the time is Martin Clark from Martin's Hardware. Martin given me guidance, deals on supplies, and connections to other buyers. After most encounters with obstacles in my project I seek advice from Martin. When I discovered my original dome connectors would never come, I knew going to Martin would be my next step. Knowing already that Martin's Hardware did not stock these items, I emailed Martin with a description of what I needed, a quantity, and within hours he responded with a buyer and a price. Within another week I put my order in through Martin, and within another week and a half, they were delivered. Martin has been a solid rock for this project throughout the entire year. Everytime I need something, he either has it or knows exactly how to get it for me. Without Martin I am certain I would never be able to complete this project. He is an excellent community reference, and as I begin building in the Spring, he will continue to be a beneficial resource.

"Better Business Bureau Serving Eastern MA, ME, RI & VT." Better Business Bureau Serving _______Eastern MA, ME, RI & VT. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2014.

Without the Better Business Bureau, I would still be stuck. At the end of November, 2013 I ordered dome connectors from domeconnectors.com. These connectors were originally suppose to arrive on December 5th. They 'business' responded to me after I sent them several emails. They wrote that the connectors were on back order and would be delivered no later than the end of December. It was when they still had not come by late January that I decided I had had enough waiting. I researched the 'business' I was dealing with on BBB and realized I was going to need to find a new provider. My dome connectors were never coming, because the company I bought them through was a fraud. The Better Business Bureau saved me from wasting any more time, as it helped me decided to call my credit card company, get refunded, and start looking for other connectors. I think knowing about the BBB is an extremely important thing. In the future, I will be using the BBB when buying from a business I am not familiar with.

"Green House Effect and Global Warming (Meritnation.com)." YouTube. YouTube, 29 July 2010. Web. 06 Mar. 2014.

One requirement for my ILO is that I learn the science behind my geodesic dome and the science behind a greenhouse. I decided to learn all about the science involved with a greenhouse. What I really wanted was a short, easy to understand video to attach to an explanation on my Google Site. I spent some time on the internet and finally came across a perfect video. It's short, easy to understand, and includes an animated visual. I found this video on YouTube and added it to my Google Site. The video explains that the key to the greenhouse science are the glass (or polycarbonate walls). Solar radiation (sunlight) travels through the glass, reaching, and warming the ground. When the ground releases this thermal radiation it rises as heat does. This heat is trapped in the greenhouse though. It can't go through the glass ceiling like the sunlight can. With heat continuously being trapped in the greenhouse, the temperature within begins to rise. The greenhouse becomes a warm environment, that also gives the vegetation access to sunlight. Even if the weather outside the greenhouse is cold, the temperature is kept warm inside; proven by this science. For anyone trying to understand the basic concept of how a greenhouse works, this video is perfect for you. It also touches upon the greenhouse effect; global warming. These two concepts are exactly the same, hence the name.

When looking for colleges, visiting colleges, and applying to colleges, a kid's best resources are his parents. They have been through the process themselves, and in many cases, they've already helped one of your siblings through it. So far my mother has been an excellent resource, not just in helping me plan my trips and come with my on my trips, but also to continue to remind and talk to me about colleges. As the time gets closer we are constantly talking, and planning at my dinner table. My mom also works at Middlebury College, so the fact that she is there means she hears about events that will help me along my road. For example, she has passed information on to me about an annual meeting at Middlebury similar to VSACs College Pathways meeting; an informational meeting about going to college for high schoolers. Since my mom has gone to college herself, works at a college, and has helped my brother through college, I have decided that she is going to be one of my most crucial resources on my journey towards the perfect school.

Kamman, Alan. "1st Counselor Meeting about College." Personal interview. 6 Feb. 2014.
Earlier in the year when I was telling Alan Kamman about my upcoming ILO, I hinted to him that I would want to meet with him a few times during the last semester of my junior year. These visits would keep me thinking about what I need to do to get ready for college, what I need to do to apply to college, and what colleges I should be visiting. On the 6th of February, I had my first meeting with Alan. It was a successful one. He was very helpful. He told me that I should think about three types of colleges when applying and visiting. My reach colleges, my target colleges, and my safety colleges. I have decided I will most likely apply to 10 colleges. Four reach colleges, three-four target schools, and two-three safety schools. Alan was also able to show me a list of colleges that were already put into the three categories: most selective, selective, and least selective. I will be using this when apply to colleges and deciding where I want to go visit. Since he was so helpful I will most likely visit Alan a few more times as the semester continues so that I can stay on track and keep him updated.

While working for Martin Clark, owner of True Value, Martin's Hardware in Bristol and Middlebury, began to talk to him about my geodesic dome project. He asked me what materials I was going to use and when I told him that I had just decided to use lumber, he convinced me that I would get no better price than if I bought it through him. He is doing me a huge favor by giving me discounted prices on the lumber I want. This was a classic example how using the competencies that guide our independent learning, can pay off in the end and help you in your projects. I was working for, and helping Martin, and in return and out of kindness, he agreed to help me with my tight budget for materials. We have been exchanging emails, design plans, price estimates, sale estimates, and material ideas and Martin has been more than helpful. I suggested a meeting and he said during one of my work blocks, I could swing by the store anytime and sit down with him and talk about these issues face to face. He has been extremely helpful and I think without him and the deals he is giving me on wood, I would not be able to buy the polycarbonate sheets I wanted, holding my greenhouse from reaching it's potential. Many people I have talked to throughout my project have given me great advice, or ideas, but Martin was the first person to give me concrete help; actual deals on materials that are vital to my project, keeping my budget in mind. I will be ordering my lumber through Martin, and I will be able to order the Premium Lumber because of the deals I got on it. This was a great resource to discover.

I met with Mr. Hamilton after school to discuss prices for covering my dome. We looked online to get examples of other people who made geodesic dome greenhouses. The main purpose of our meeting was to talk about how to cover the dome. We talked a lot of polycarbonate sheets 4 ft by 8 ft for around $50. This is the best quality stuff. We talked about polycarbonate sheets over regular plastic sheets with the worry in mind that things could easily puncture the stretched plastic wall and cut a hole in it, ruining it and the effects of a greenhouse. When we talked about ways to attach the polycarbonate, we continued to run into problems when attaching it to the metal tubing. So, in search for a solution, we looked to see how other builders did it, and the most surprising thing was that other recreational greenhouse builders did not use metal at all. They used 2" x 4" lumber. We decided this was the new route the we had to take. We found tracks that could easily drill into a piece of lumber and the polycarbonate sheets would just slide right through these tracks. Problem solved. Mr. Hamilton was very useful to me and my project. I have not yet ordered my polycarbonate because I wanted to buy the connectors and the lumber first, but when I do decide to buy the sheets, I will be meeting with Mr. Hamilton again because of how helpful he was the first time. He knows more than I do about greenhouses, being a science teacher with an interest in the Mount Abe garden and owning a greenhouse of his own (made out of wood), so during my building and buying I will continue to check in with him to see what he thinks of my designs and progress.

After the suggestion made by Garrett Davis (11th grade) in a collaboration meeting, I met with Wyatt Lossmann (10th grade) about the possibility of welding my connections of my dome. In our meeting we discussed the options of square tubing struts, open circle connections, and welding my connections. This was an exciting meeting because Wyatt ending up offering to even to my welding for me. Wyatt was an incredibly useful resource for me to connect with while my ideas were originally involving metal. Unfortunately I ended up not needing to use Wyatt when I made the decision to switch to a wooden frame, but the experience of collaborating with another student was very helpful in my ILO. For anyone else looking for help in welding, Wyatt is the guy to go to. Not only is Wyatt skillful in his trade, but he is also eager to get more welding practice.

I have been meeting with Matthew Brown at least once a week to discuss all the problems I have been coming across in my designing. As the metal shop instructor, he has great insight on what materials will work and he has helped me think about problems that didn't originally come to mind (what materials will not work, what connections will be too hard to seal with plastic, and how best to attach the metal struts together). Mr. Brown has been incredibly helpful because without him, I would most likely have made rash decisions in buying material that would end up not working out. He has helped me understand that before making a commitment to an idea or a material, you have to think about every possibility that could go wrong, and make sure you are prepared for it. When working on a building project, especially one using metal, Matthew Brown is the man to go see. His position as a teacher makes him a reliable source, especially for student projects.

Brown, Matthew. "Materials and Connections." Personal interview. Sept.-November 2013.

Work with Nature. "How to Make a Geodesic Dome / Geo Dome / Bio Dome." YouTube. YouTube, 07 Aug. 2012. Web. 09 Oct. 2013. . This is a Youtube video sponsored by Work with Nature where a man shows on camera, step by step, his building geodesic domes (including his calculations and math). He made this video to help other people who are eager in building domes and to tell people about his business of selling these domes to people who don't want the excitement of building their own. The video uses metal piping and it covers cutting the metal, drilling holes, pressing it, attaching them, the math, the construction, what materials to use, and how to cover the dome. This video will be the most helpful tool I will use during my ILO, because as of October 7th, I have decided to use metal piping for a greenhouse and this video is the perfect step-by-step visual instructor. I will basically follow these steps exactly with maybe some background research and experiments from other websites. I have spent a lot of time on YouTube looking for other videos of this caliber, but this one is by far the best. I've read the reviews and comments for this video and it looks like other people have successfully made domes using this video. This video has already proven a huge help to me. Through this video I have made decisions like what materials to use, how to attach them, and how to do the math that is necessary in making a dome. This source is easy to use, and when you miss a step it is easy to go back and watch it until you have it down perfectly. This video has made me much more confident going ahead with my project now that I have such an easy, usable model to go off of. I highly recommend using this source if you need to make a geodesic dome.

This Google Site made by Curt Drury is an excellent example of a cheap, but very successful geodesic greenhouse. This source shows how to build the dome using PVC pipe and cutting your own connections. This will make the joints weaker, but if it worked for Drury then it is worth it to look into. He made his dome with only spending $300. This site is very useful because the creator of the dome doesn't leave out steps and projects. He was very good about recording his process as well as uploading pictures of it. I would recommend using this site, especially if you are thinking in terms of a greenhouse. This is a good reference to go back and forth to while you research and build your own dome. When I found this site and read it, I was able to make my decision that "Yes, a geodesic-dome-greenhouse is a realistic, exciting option". Once I knew it was going to be a greenhouse I could eliminate materials like wood (too wet in greenhouse for wood). This site is very helpful. I will be referring to it and comparing to it as I build my dome.

This website is a necessity when building a geodesic dome. With every example I have discover, every geodesic dome builder has used Desert Domes Calculator. With this website all you need to do is type in your desired dome radius and it gives you strut lengths for all three sizes (A, B, C). It gives you options for 3/8ths of a dome and 5/8ths of a dome, and how many connectors you need. This website is very easy to use. I suggest, like I learned from all my resources, to mess around the sizes of the radius to change the sizes of the struts. Lengths of materials usually come in 10ft sizes so make strut lengths where you can make the maximum amount of struts for each 10ft piece without wasting too much material. I think this website is very easy to use, and I will be using it for my model and my final dome.