ATLAS Institute graduate students Joseph Lyon, Cassie Cladis and Jack Pierce developed a digital method for soliciting and tracking materials, such as night vision binoculars, ranger uniforms and communication devices to help safari rangers combat poachers in Tanzania—all for the cost of buying a laptop computer. 

As part of their graduate practicum, Lyon, Cladis and Pierce worked to help Honeyguide, a Tanzanian non-profit organization that conserves wildlife in Africa. The park rangers were in need of better equipment and technology, given the humid climate which caused equipment to deteriorate more quickly. The students focused their efforts on developing a digital system that can log, track and communicate information about the donated goods—binoculars, walkie talkies, etc.—and share the data directly with the donors. The technology behind the system is as simple and basic as what has been in use for decades: bar codes.

Read more about the project on the CU Engineering website: