Bearable
Curtailing bear habitat destruction by giving scientist tools to study bear behavior
The project
Current technologies only allow ecologists to gather minimum data on black bears such as location and temperature. Although those two data points are good to have it does not provide the information needed for ecologists to solve two main problems. The main two problems that have been relevant to modern issues are black bears foraging in neighborhoods and their decrease in population due to habitat destruction. Additional data can allow ecologists to study black bears and their behavioral patterns.
Our project aims to give the ecologist and scientists the tools to study bear behavior patterns by utilizing acceleration. Adding acceleration data to previous technology (location and temperature) can be used to determine energy expenditure to reach behavior conclusions. Algorithms can be made to extract information such as sit, stand, run, walk and forage. This will provide information on how much energy a black bear has expended to see how much food it needs. This will help ecologists to find out why bears forage in neighborhoods, also the ecologists can use energy expenditure data to aid the decreasing bear population.
Number of bear species in North America
black bears in Virginia
average life span of a black bear
Our Process
Meet the Team
Samantha Deck
Biology, Class of 2020
My name is Sam Deck. I’m a senior at JMU studying Biology with a Pre-Vet and Math minor. I’m an Operations Supervisor at UREC and the President for Club Softball.
Kunlin zhao
Industrial Design, Class of 2020
My name is Kunlin Zhao, I am a senior industrial design student at James Madison University. I want my design to create the connections between the users and the products. Loving to develop the beauty of design.
Tiffany Nguyen
Communications, Class of 2020
My name is Tiffany Nguyen. I’m a senior at James Madison University as a Communications major and a Computer Information Systems minor. I currently am the IT Team Lead at our help desk. On my free time, I usually am in a dance team called Visual Distortions Dance Crew.
Tariq tomilinson
ISAT Major, Class of 2020
Parth Patel
Engineer, Class of 2020
Parth is a senior engineering student, with an interest in system development and engineering design. He is passionate about utilizing technology to build systems that incorporate diverse skills and discipline. He joined the Internet of Things class to tackle open-ended problems and work with a multidisciplinary team.
Faris Assaadi
Industrial Design, Class of 2020
My name is Faris Assaadi. I am a senior Industrial Design major here at James Madison University. I have a passion for creating physical objects that can make an impact in various areas and have an ambitious drive to learn every step of the way. After graduation I hope to venture into a design career focused in sustainable innovation.