Timeline: Feb 2026-Present
Supervisor: Libby Hsu
Project Overview
The Ridgway’s hawk is a species endemic to the Dominican Republic, where it is critically endangered due to habitat loss, indiscriminate hunting, and botfly infestations. The Peregrine Fund has been successfully working on different projects to increase awareness about hawk conservation and to prevent indiscriminate hunting of them; however, botfly infestations are still a prevalent issue, as they have been known to kill the chicks, and previous ways of treating the hawks require field technicians to climb up palm trees to reach nests, which can be dangerous. To address this, they have been developing a fumigation pole that can reach and treat Ridgway’s hawk nests to prevent botfly infestations. We intend to iterate on the design by creating a prototype that can address some existing issues with previous designs and improve the work flow for field technicians treating the chicks, with the goal of helping Ridgway’s hawk conservation as a whole.
Outcomes & Contributions
This project is ongoing.
My responsibilities are as follows:
- Perform literature review of similar projects
- Select and budget materials for the project
- Use CAD to aid in the rapid-prototyping of different designs as well as to provide clear visuals for communication
- Use the various shops in N51/N52 to 3D-print and machine various parts for the fumigation pole
My anticipated goals are as follows:
- Double the height of the pole, from 24 to 50 feet
- Increase robustness of the pole module, which houses the pump, spray nozzle, permethrin bottle, and camera
- Add wireless remote operation for the pump and camera
- Complete a written report of design
Technical Details & Skills
CAD: Onshape
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