Posted on Nov 19, 2007

Students and faculty combine scientific knowledge, practical know-how, and a penchant for tinkering to invent new research tools

"Don't look into the green lights, the lasers could blind you," says Professor Steve Moore, the director of the Ecosystem Electronics Lab, EEL for short. The lasers he's warning about are mounted to the ROVing Otter, a suitcase-sized robotic submarine usually deployed in Whaler's Cove off Point Lobos, just one of the devices under development at the lab. Coveted by schoolchildren across the nation, a chance to pilot the ROVing Otter brings students into the murky depths of a kelp forest - made less murky via headlights and green lasers - where they use the ROVing Otter's web-based control system to steer the vehicle deep beneath the undulating kelp. A streaming video webcam mounted to the vessel allows students to check out anemones on the seafloor, follow fish, or have a close encounter with a harbor seal, all from their own classroom.

Today the Otter sits on a cluttered countertop amid circuit boards, screwdrivers, and spools of wire, waiting for Mike Bass ('08) to finish testing a new set of more powerful, more efficient thrusters (better maneuverability for following fish) as part of his senior Capstone project in the Earth Systems Science & Policy major.While Steve plays with the lasers, Mike is bent over a Coleman cooler that has been transformed into a test tank, measuring the thrust generated by a tiny motorized propeller. After fiddling with the setup for a few minutes, he gives it the juice. The propeller whirrs into action, jerking through the tank. Mike checks a gauge to see how much power it took, and makes a note.

Across the room Coastal and Watershed Science & Policy grad students Tamara Myers ('09) Shane Anderson ('09), and Amanda Grant ('09) string electronic sensors onto small foam buoys. "We're working on a prototype for a low cost flow sensor," says Shane, attaching the sensor to the buoy with a small wire.

When finished, these sensors will be positioned offshore in Monterey Bay to help assess fish habitat preferences. The fish in these areas have already been tagged and their movements are being tracked as part of a study led by CSUMB professor James Lindholm. The sensors will measure ocean conditions like light, temperature and water movement. When these data are correlated with data from the tagged fish, CSUMB scientists will be able to hypothesize what environmental factors make an area attractive to fish. This information, in turn, can be used by state and federal agencies to help protect the long-term sustainability of the local fishing industry.

The scientists in the EEL invent out of necessity, developing new research tools because they either don't yet exist or the tools that do exist cost too much. They bring together a diverse array of scientific and engineering disciplines - from ecology to robotics - and combine those with a strong sense of what's practical and a penchant for tinkering. The result: usable technologies that reveal the natural world in new ways.

They don't limit themselves to aquatic environments either. Though she hasn't made a final decision, Tamara is in talks with the Ventana Wildlife Society (VWS) about a project that might help bring California condors back from the brink of extinction. Based on earlier EEL success with a wild barn owl nest camera done in collaboration with the Hastings Natural History Reserve and Carmel Middle School, the proposal involves placing web cameras in the nests of condors recently released from captivity. Usually located in craggy cliff faces or isolated canyons, condor nests are nearly impossible to monitor. But, with today's technology, conservationists may be able to observe the nesting birds and learn what factors help or hurt their nesting success.

Though the project has potential, Tamara faces some intense challenges. How will she power the cameras? How will she transmit the data? How will she design the system so that biologists can mount the cameras without disturbing the birds? How will she keep costs within the budget of a small nonprofit? Tough questions, but also the sort of stuff EEL thrives on.

Several campus and community partners, including WeTEC, the CSUMB IT department, California State Parks, the Lindbergh Foundation, and Remote Ocean Systems, Inc., provide the tools and financial support that make solutions possible on a number of projects. As Steve points out, "The Ecosystem Electronics Lab provides fantastic learning opportunities for CSUMB students while developing unique nature-observing technologies to support a wide variety of ecosystem research and education efforts. That's a tall order for a small lab, and we depend heavily on generous support from many campus and community partners - including funding agencies, businesses, and private individuals - who provide the needed expertise, equipment, supplies, and funding."

In a world where technology is increasingly linked to a number of environmental ills - global warming, habitat destruction, landfills overflowing with e-waste - the students and faculty at work in the EEL operate on a different paradigm, one in which robots work to save the seafloor and raptors star in their own 24/7 web-based reality shows. It's a place where technology and ecology come together for research, discovery, education and conservation. Just watch out for the green lasers.

Related Links:
Division of Science and Environmental Policy (https://sep.csumb.edu/sep/)
More about the ROVing Otter:
WeTEC Page ([ https://csumb.edu/site/x17370.xml ]https://csumb.edu/site/x17370.xml)
ROVing Otter Homepage ([ https://science.csumb.edu/ro/ ]https://science.csumb.edu/ro/)
Institute for Applied Marine Ecology ([ https://sep.csumb.edu/iame/ ]https://sep.csumb.edu/iame/)
Carmel Middle School Owl Cam (https://home.csumb.edu/m/mooresteve/world/courses/zoology/OwlCam/CMS_OwlCam_Moore.htm)

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