6-5 Sat Jan 2 Conservation technology through multidisciplinary undergraduate teams Schulz, A*; Seleb, B; Wallace, R; Hu, D; Georgia Tech, School of Mechanical Engineering, Atlanta, GA; Georgia Tech, School of Mechanical Engineering, Atlanta, GA; Georgia Tech Research Institute ; Georgia Tech, School of Mechanical Engineering, Atlanta, GA akschulz@gatech.edu https://www.schulzscience.com/
At Georgia Tech we teach a team-based design course, GaTech4Wildlife, which manages interdisciplinary teams to work on technology to support wildlife conservation. This course is part of the Vertically Integrated Projects program, which gives students opportunities to engage in long term interdisciplinary projects spanning several years. Since its inception, our course engaged 30 students from 14 different majors. Each team comprises 4-5 students, which allows a range of majors to round out each team’s skill set. Through journal club, case studies, and traditional lectures, students build a groundwork in conservation technology and apply it through projects carried out at partner locations such as Zoo Atlanta. Current projects include designing an automated foraging device for primates, organizing a rabies vaccination biscuit distribution network for urban carnivores, and creating a carbon neutral indigo snake reintroduction center. This course connects biology experts to engineering students and creates open source instruction so this course can be implemented nationwide.
