Add as a preferred source on Google

How do we rid our campus of rodents?

Smart technology gives us new ways to address old problems in our homes, places of business, and in public spaces. One great example is a sensor, invisible to the eye, that fits in a waste receptacle and collects valuable data it can then transmit to users—be they facility management, civil engineers, or sanitation departments.

It measures everything from weight and fill level to temperature and landfill diversion. With GPS, it can track whether the receptacle has been moved and the location where it should be returned. The data, both real-time and historical, are used as a planning tool to optimize routes and make significant boosts in efficiencies, including labor costs, time and environmental impact.

The smart technology now features a user-enabled rodent detection mode. It looks for specific patterns in the measurements it records that indicate rodent movement within the container. The data that are collected can be used to uncover specific problem areas with dense rat populations and identify key surrounding contributors, such as discarded foods and litter in overflowing dumpsters, alleyways, restaurant trash cans, and the street. Over time, the data allow users to measure the success of a rat-abatement initiative.

What makes the new feature a huge benefit is that it gets to the infestation’s root causes and does not simply treat the symptoms.

Rats are smart. But this technology is smarter.

This article originally appeared in the College Planning & Management February 2018 issue of Spaces4Learning.

About the Author

Emma Skalka is vice president of Sales and Marketing at Victor Stanley in Dunkirk, MD.

Featured

  • KI Launches K–12 Classroom Furniture Giveaway

    Contract furniture company KI recently announced the launch of its fourth-annual Classroom Furniture Giveaway, which awards $50,000 each to four K–12 educators across the U.S., according to a news release. The goal is to address decreasing student engagement and increasing teacher burnout numbers by updating learning spaces to accommodate modern needs.

  • Malibu High School Campus Completes $102M Phase 1 of Construction

    Malibu High School in Malibu, Calif., recently announced that it has completed phase 1 of construction for its new campus, a news release reports. The first phase consisted of developing and modernizing the site of a former elementary school into a new, 70,000-square-foot, two-story facility.

  • LSU Breaks Ground on $200M Residential Project

    Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, La., recently broke ground on a new residential complex, according to university news. The South Quad residential project will consist of two buildings and add a total of 1,266 beds for freshmen students. The development comes with a price tag of $200 million, and it’s scheduled to open to students in fall 2027.

  • UNL Kiewit Hall

    Designing for Engineering Excellence: Integrating Sustainability and Wellness at UNLs Kiewit Hall

    Kiewit Hall at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln exemplifies how academic institutions can integrate sustainability and wellness into modern learning environments. With an integrated and collaborative team approach, Kiewit Hall addresses enhanced learning and creativity, physical health, and mental wellness, and fosters a sense of community through innovative design, operations, and policy solutions.

Digital Edition