Using Physarum Rigidum to Determine the Fire Evacuation Routes for Fire Cases during Lunchtime at Moonshot Academy-Project-MOONSHOT ACADEMY

Driving Questions

How does the slime mold's biological mechanism for sensing and responding to attractants and repellents translate into its ability to find optimal paths in a complex environment?
What are the limitations of using slime mold as a model for human evacuation behavior, considering factors like human psychology, decision-making processes, and social dynamics that might not be reflected in the slime mold's behavior?
Beyond fire evacuation scenarios, what other real-world applications could benefit from the slime mold's ability to find optimal paths, such as urban planning, transportation network design, or resource allocation problems?
How can the experimental setup using slime mold be further refined to more accurately simulate real-world evacuation conditions, incorporating factors like varying crowd densities, individual differences in mobility, and dynamic changes in the environment?

Project Introduction

Disciplines/Subjects: Mycology; Biophysics; 3D Modeling

Key Themes: Biologically Inspired Solutions for Real-World Problems

This research explores the use of slime mold, specifically Physarum rigidum, to model optimal fire evacuation routes in a school building. The study used a 3D-printed model of the school and simulated fire scenarios using a repellent substance, pyruvic acid, to guide the slime mold's growth. Lucy placed oat flakes at potential exits, representing attractive destinations for the slime mold. The experiment demonstrated that the slime mold successfully navigated the model, avoiding the repellent and connecting to the oat flakes, revealing potentially efficient evacuation routes.

The study concludes that slime mold can be a valuable tool for designing and evaluating fire evacuation plans. It also highlights the potential of slime mold as a model organism for studying complex problem-solving behavior.

Core Competency

Habits of mind: Curiosity, Continuous Learning, Growth Mindset, Strive for Excellence

Transferable skills: Research Question; Research Gap; Research Method; Conclusion; Academic Writing Conventions; Citation

Content Knowledge: Mycology Fundamentals, Collective Behavior Studies, Biophysics, Architectural Design And 3D Modeling

Team Members2

Wen Chen

Head of the D.R.E.A.M, Head of Research Track

Irene Chi

Biology Teacher, Science Research Supervisor

Using Physarum Rigidum to Determine the Fire Evacuation Routes for Fire Cases during Lunchtime at Moonshot Academy

Wen Chen Wen Chen

Irene Chi Irene Chi

Driving Questions

Project Introduction

Core Competency

Team Members2

Wen Chen

Irene Chi

Deliverables1

Using Physarum Rigidum to Determine the Fire Evacuation Routes for Fire Cases during Lunchtime at X School

LET’S SHOOT FOR THE MOON