Independent Study Projects. Please read the philosophy of why ACES pursue Independent Study Projects so vigorously.

To my mind, the characteristics of a great project include such aspects as imagination, creativity, a degree of risk and, sometimes, even simplicity, to name a few. Check out the flashlight circuit 'board' this guy made out of little more that a piece of paper and a pencil. Simple, but inspiring. Consider, possibly, a problem that needs a solution. Boyan Slat did at age 17 when he was in high school; four years later he was cleaning up the world's oceans. So, dig in, think, dream, research, and explore possible project pursuits. Be discerning: don't accept the first thing that comes along. Above all, remember this is your education. You can choose a path of little resistance, but who would you be short-changing?

You'll be expected to maintain the progress of your ISP so have your phone handy to at all times to capture the images of your journey. Be conscious of the fact that a two-page summary of your project will appear in your ER after Presentation Day for more permanent record of your efforts. You may wish to take into account the ISP Evaluation document that will be applied on your Presentation Day.

Also, don't underestimate the value of an enterprise/entrepreneurial aspect to your project that could see a number of units of your project for sale in the Dragon's Lair or beyond, reaching an even a broader audience.

ACE	TITLE	DESCRIPTION	D'Arcy's Degree of Difficulty
Ascherl, P-C.	Stopwatch	A circuit that has 2 digital displays that show the amount of time since started.
Clarke, Q.	Music to Colour	The LEDs illuminate when the circuit detects a high amplitude waveform.
Clewley, D.
Gajer, R.	LED Pixel Display	You produce patterns of drawing on your computer and it displays on an LED Board
Gallagher, C.	LED Chaser	This circuit uses 6 LEDs to create various light patterns.
Goodman, G.
King, W.	Automated Car	Build a case for a small, four-wheeled car that would go until sensing an object in its way, then reverse and turn.
Logush, O.	(Resistor Transistor Logic) Binary Adder/Multiplier	This project is going to use NPN transistors to create AND, NAND, XOR, and OR gates capable of demonstrating binary addition and multiplication.
Longwell, J.	Automatic Door Alarm	Uses sensors to detect when a door is opened and turns a speaker on.
Lowry, J.	Binary Switch Keyboard	Eight or so switches that act as a 0 or 1 in binary with an input button to input the command (Arduino-based)
MacDonald, G.	LED Roulette	When a button is pressed the lights turn on, one at a time. When the button is released, they slow down until only one LED is lit up and the light is no longer moving.
Majlessi, A.	Traffic Lights	The project uses two 555s to supply pulses to drive a traffic light circuit.
McAuliffe, E.	Logic Gate Demonstrations	Using a chessboard, weights, string and hooks, I will demonstrate how types of logic gates work. I will also make a circuit that uses 7-segment displays to show how the gates work.
Ormsby, S.	Motor-Driven Car	A car that is controlled by a switch that truns [sic] on 4 motors ans [sic] LEDs to make a car drive.
Peters, O.	Solar Tracker	This circuit is a solar tracker that uses LEDS to detect the sun. LEDs turn on with sun detected.
Schaffer, J.	LED Zeppelin	A game where you must press a button when a light flashes. More lights turn on the longer you hold the button.

For the bulk of your formal education you have been, and will continue to be, required to consume curriculum chosen for you by someone else. Fortunately (hopefully) you will put this knowledge and skill to good use in your future. However, jumping through someone else's hoops alone does not, typically, secure future success. For that, you must demonstrate your own initiative, motivation, and passion. These qualities need to be cultivated and our Grade 10 hardware course is a perfect place to start. There is so much to learn and there are so many great projects out there that offer stimulating contexts within which to develop and refine your interests.