Inspired by the leaf pattern in a tree in his home, 13-year old Aidan Dwyer designed an award winning solar panel arrangement that is 50% more efficient than the traditional roof top panels. In Aidan's winning essay "The Secret of the Fibonacci Sequence in Trees" he wrote:
“I built a test tool to measure the spiral pattern of different species of trees. I took a clear plastic tube and attached two circle protractors that could be rotated up and down the tube. When I put a test branch in the tube, I aligned the zero degree mark on one compass to match up with the first offshoot branch. I then moved and rotated the second compass up to the next branch spot. The second compass measured the angle between the two spots. I recorded the measurement and then moved up the branch step-by-step.”
Aidan won the 2011 Young Naturalist Award from the American Museum of Natural History where you can read his remarkable essay. Aidan already applied for a patent of his invention.
Photo Above: Snake plant taken from Lui's home Heaven.
