Campus Operations

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Campus Operations When our first student team is active and our first core structure is functional the campus will be considered operational – students plus a structure equals a school. The Sari Sari store and bistro-café will be open for business.

  • Aquaponics / Aeroponics / Algaculture Prototypes: Our first generation closed loop agronomy systems will be constructed with locally available materials, drawing on international supply chains to the minimum feasible extent. For some items, namely pressurized pumps, we will attempt to select reliable hardware that can be repaired on site. Hydraulic and pneumatic systems that can be manufactured on campus are under consideration. No digital technology essential to the function of these systems will be included. This does not include research test equipment, though such apparatus will not be integral to our prototypes. Click to know more: aquaponics / aeroponics / algaculture.
  • Mobile Canning Line: We will invest in the equipment for a canning line based on rolling carts and tables. When large harvests happen we will set up the canning line to preserve batches of produce for later use or sale. When not in use, the line stations will be put in storage.
  • Sophomore Cohort Specialization: With expanded agronomy systems and our first core structure now operating it will be time to bring in a new first year class (freshmen) and for the second year students (sophomores) to decide on their specializations. Students will be familiar with all basic roles on campus but as they form stable teams they will have to divide roles and begin more advanced training in those roles. 
  • Studio Upgrade(s): With more workshop activity to come on campus we will need to establish additional noise insulated studios for students to film in. Our initial offices and indoor kitchen will be quiet sets but dedicated production spaces will be required.
  • Workshop Upgrade: We will add larger stationary tools for woodworking and establish our machining / welding welding shops. Adding the ability to machine metal and possibly a kiln to dry our own lumber will greatly expand the range of items we can manufacture on campus. This is vital for our research program as laboratory equipment is notoriously expensive.
  • Mycolab & Mushroom Farm: We will build and operate a conventional small scale mushroom farm with an end to end process. From laboratory and pasteurization to harvest and processing, our operation will produce mushroom products such as antipasto, dried and powdered mushrooms. All of these products will have long shelf life. Growth media, such as rice straw, wood chips and inedible agricultural biomass will be sourced locally – even from our own farm. This provides us with a second farm, as our production of plants is limited by the amount of sunlight on our land. Fungi can thrive in enclosed spaces with minimal or no illumination, below or behind our photosynthesizing crops.
  • Core Café Finishing: Detail work and high end décor costs considerably more than basic industrial style so we will do much of this in house. Certain skilled trades will still be called for high build quality in public areas like the café, guest suites and studio sets.  
  • International Student Program: With the café core second story décor finished to a reasonable standard we can host international students. The two high suites are test rooms for the residence build to come. International student tuition subsides our research program. This provides all students on a team the opportunity to publish peer reviewed research papers and a rewarding cross cultural experience.
  • Small Scale Livestock: We will keep chickens, quail and rabbits. This is essential as biomes require plants, fungi and animals. Livestock also provides us with more ingredients for café fare fresh from our own farm.
  • Core Residence Build: This core structure provides an additional teamspace (multirole classroom / workshop) and additional guest accommodations. The kitchen facilities and subsystems are not as expensive as those of the café core, however the interior finish / décor cost more. This allows the expansion of our international student program to the point where every local student team could regularly host one or two visiting international students.
  • Greenhouse (Systems) Build: These are our second generation aquaponics / aeroponics / algaculture built into a tropical weather greenhouse. Controlled greenhouse conditions allow us to expand the range of our Agronomy research. Bio-isolation systems such as decontamination locks and a glove box infrastructure also planned for this structure. These features will develop elements of our later exovivaria input / output (EIO) builds.
  • Tala Center Build(s): Core structures can be upgraded with the Tala Center features.  This provides considerably more student study space on campus.
  • EIO Prototypes (Greenhouse Upgrade): Exovivaria Input / Output (EIO) units are self contained greenhouse systems designed to test environmentally sealed miniature biomes for food production and regenerative life support in space. We measure all the inputs, outputs and behaviors of these units. It is assumed that spin gravity in space will effectively match earth gravity in the testing environment. Our first setups will work at ambient pressure, though we will monitor atmospheric composition. These environments also allow us to test growing conditions without pest or disease load. This provides a control relative to other experimental plots on the farm. Isolated tests of integrated pest management, like insect predator studies, are also possible. Small livestock could also be included in these engineered biomes. This is an important line of research for our focus on closed loop resource systems. Click here for more information on EIOs and visit our research partner Project Persephone.
  • USS Hope Mission Analog Build: As a late stage in our space science program we plan to build a mission analog. Crews would simulate scenarios on an Earth-Mars liner, the USS Hope. Three crews would rotate for one to three week periods testing workflows, evaluating simulated equipment and learning about space science. Each of the three crews would have a turn at being mission control, shipboard crew and simulation support. Not only will this be a rewarding educational experience but during mission control and simulation support phases team members can enjoy time in the Philippines.

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