It was of critical importance to us that the community as a whole be taken into account when assessing our plan of action for this project. While Science World is technically our client, the surrounding community also dictates what we can and cannot do. After our first few site visits we stopped looking at the framework and structure of Science World and started looking around the intersection – the community centre to the south, the parks and apartments to the east.  We are very excited that the solution that we have come up with will likely not have any negative impacts on the surrounding community. In turn, by helping Science World save money the project will in turn allow further investment in new exhibits, allowing Science World to do what it does best – instill scientific interest in young minds.

Perhaps the most important lesson learned through this project was how important it was to stick to deadlines. While some of how deadlines may have seemed like arbitrary dates to outsiders, they were what kept us working as a single student body. When the team was ready and prepared to accomplish what needed to be accomplishing, the sky was the limit. We even surprised ourselves sometimes at how thoroughly and efficiently we could research and write about our topics.

We would like to once again thank our mentor, Carlo Penacerrada, our professor Susan Nesbitt, and the whole Telus World of Science staff – Dustin, Mila and Chad.

Since our last blog post, our solution to the problem has changed. We have done a significant amount of research, and have come to the conclusion that the ultrasonic devices which we believed to be the best option will NOT work with the birds that we need to deter (seagulls, crows and pigeons in particular). This is because their range of hearing is similar to that of humans – rendering the devices useless. From our research of precedent examples, we believe that a multifaceted approach featuring spikes, adhesives and sonic (not ultrasonic) devices will be the best solution.

Our project implementation process has been that of creating a formal document. Given the setback of the ultrasonic devices however, we have extended our self-defined deadline from March 22nd to the 28th to give the client the best idea of how to solve their problem. Each of the members in our group has been assigned a section in the report to write, and we are well on our way to being finished. We will be meeting again this weekend to compile our sections and discuss our findings/conclusions section.

With regards to the poster, we have a surprise for the class which we hope will work out. While we do not want to discuss the details on this public blog, one setback that we are having is that we are finding it difficult to rely on people outside of the group to respond in a timely manner.

We hope that our client will consider implementing our recommendations. We believe that, if put into practice, these solutions could provide significant savings which could then in turn contribute to promoti ng scientific interest in the community.

Potential placement zones for frequency emitting devices

This morning we met once again with representatives of Science World to clarify a few key details of the project. We now have a firm grasp now of the problem and are ready to create a report. In this report we will outline the pros and cons of each potential solution in individual sections – with an additional section explaining which solution we recommend.

The team has set a due date for the report to be March 22nd. On this day we will forward the final copy to our clients at Science World.

Our Timeline is as follows:

–          March 22nd: Submit formal report to client

–          March 25th: Present poster and project to class

–          March 26th-April 5th: Present findings to client in PowerPoint presentation

Each member of our team is responsible for making this happen. We have divided project responsibilities among us, so that each individual design can be given the attention it deserves.

While we have made a number of visits to the site, it does not seem that this project will require any hands-on work implementing the solution itself. We do believe, however, that our report will potentially lead to tangible changes in the management of Science World’s geodesic dome.

The installation of a frequency emitting device is one of our leading solutions; however, we were having trouble calculating where to place them on the structure. By utilizing a scale model of Science World from Trimble Sketchup, we can visually approximate where these devices need to be placed. It is important to note that the biggest threat caused by the birds lies out of sight at the top of the dome. As a result we must allocate our resources efficiently to ensure there are no blind spots in the northern hemisphere.

This project will be a success if our design is socially and economically feasible enough for Science World to implement it. We believe that we can accomplish this.

This week our team met with representatives from Science World. Mila, Chad and Dustin took us through an overview of the problem and what methods they had in mind to solve it. This was the first time that we really understood the magnitude of the situation on the dome.

We were told how the birds’ excrement dissolves the seals between window panels on the   dome. In addition, these birds drop rocks and other objects from the frame of the dome, causing damage to the glass itself. While this discussion confirmed some of our expectations from last week’s site visit, we certainly did not expect that cleanup and re-paneling takes about one month and costs Science World about $50,000 per year!  As a result, our budget is certainly higher than anticipated. This has minimized one of the major constraints on our project.

Our group felt fortunate to have the opportunity to get a 360 tour of the geodesic dome. After discussing our brainstormed ideas, Science World officials put forth a few of their own:

1. A tripwire system, sending a slight electric shock around the frame of the dome
2. A natural extract to make standing on or in the vicinty of the dome unpleasant for the birds
3. A trained predatory bird — one that can nest safely at the dome and deter other birds from coming near

An unexpected constraint of the project is that there are laws in Vancouver preventing people from removing Seagulls from their nests. Thus, if a seagull has created a long-term nest on the site we will be unable to disturb it, and the project will be disrupted. This creates a time constraint that we were not anticipating — one that makes our job all the more exciting.

Finally, we were told that we won’t be installing the solution. Our goal is to create a formal report detailing our research on which solution would best fit the mould of the project. Science World will then review the report and decide where to go from there.

This past week our team visited Science World to get a better idea of what we were up against. Over the course of our visit we saw seagulls landing all over the geodesic dome and realized the extent of the problem. In addition to the exterior skeleton of the dome itself, we saw birds grouping together at its base. We sat down and brainstormed a number of ideas to deal with this, which we will be taking to our meeting with Mila this coming week.

1. Spikes
   While we recognize that it isn’t feasible to cover the entire dome with spikes, it may be effective to use them on specific problematic areas. For example, the base of the dome sees a lot of traffic from the birds, and this could serve as a deterrent for them to come to the dome in the first place. As of right now it seems like our most reasonably priced solution.
2. Glue
   There are a number of glue-like products on the market that can be spread on a surface to make it uncomfortable for a bird to land on. While we discussed this extensively, we ultimately decided that it was likely infeasible because of the amount of space that would need to be treated, the difficulty in applying it, and the need to reapply it on a regular basis. This process may exceed the cost of repairing the dome.
3. Electric Charge
   We briefly discussed sending an electric charge through the frame of the dome, but decided this was dangerous to the birds and potentially nearby humans.
4. High Frenquency Sound
   We are currently leaning towards the installation of a high frequency system that deters birds from entering the area. We have seen many precedent examples, such as stadiums and apartment buildings that use this technology. We still need to do more research, as we have two major concerns: money, and the effect on other animals. We do not want to accidentally create a nuisance for pet owners walking on the seawall, and need to come up with an economical solution. However, we believe that a central hub with speakers placed strategically around the building may be part of a potential solution to Science World’s bird problem.

Our prevailing idea right now is some sort of composite system utilizing both frequencies and spikes. At this time we are not able to complete a timeline of the project – we will attach this to our next post after meeting with Mila.

Hi everyone,

Welcome to our blog! Our team is comprised of six Civil Engineering students: Keith Russell, Jack Liu, Aria Ashtiani, Carson Xu, Parastoo Ghazizadeh, and Farindokht Lari and is headed by our outstanding mentor Carlo Penacerrada.  We not only have a technically skilled group, but one that is passionate about the task at hand. The project is very exciting and offers an opportunity for us to create a solution that we can be proud of for years to come.

Our roles will be as follows:

Keith Russell – Blogger
Farindokht Lari – Mediator
Jack Liu – Secretary
Carson Xu – Client Liaison
Parastoo Ghazizadeh –  Leader/Organizer
Aria Ashtiani – Documentor

The goal of the project is to keep birds from roosting in and on the structure of Science World’s geodesic dome. This could potentially cause damage to the exterior of the structure — one that is unique and, in all likelihood, very expensive to repair. We are all looking forward to discussing these challenges and how to approach them with Science World representatives.

If we succeed, we will save Science World from having to make costly repairs, and the community may also benefit from fewer aggressive birds near Creekside Park. Perhaps more importantly less downtime for maintenance on the building will lead to Science World  being able to fulfill its goal of instilling scientific interest in young minds.

My name is Carlo Domini Penacerrada. I am a fourth year geological engineering student and I will be your CBEL Mentor!

I come with a handful of community service learning experience such as:

-Three years with Community Learning Initiative-CLI UBC as a student project manager for the Reading Break Project

-An Engineering Peer Academic Coach (EPAC) where we provide guidance to engineering students that may need help with academics

-Peer Coordinator for the Vice President’s Emerging Leaders program-Engineering Cohort

But I also have work experience:

-Eight months working for Search Minerals, a grass root mineral exploration company based in Labrador, Newfoundland

-Four months working for Teck Coal-Fording River Operation with their mineral exploration department

-Currently working on an eight month term with Golder Associates-Burnaby Office

I am here to give you guidance and feedback. Don’t hesitate to contact me for any help. My primary contacts are:

Email: Cdomini_1@hotmail.com & Cpenacerrada@gmail.com

Cell: 778-839-6593

And if it is urgent, I am more than willing to give you my direct office line which is:
Phone:604-297-4630