Firmware Engineer James Nicholls Completes his Capstone Project at BCIT

Left to right: James Nicholls, Clinton Gaudet, Aman Webeshet, Andrew Cheng

Congratulations to our newest Hedgehog and Firmware Engineer James Nicholls and his team on completing their capstone project at BCIT. James’s successful completion of his capstone project is a testament to his academic excellence, determination, and commitment to his field.

YVR Environmental Monitoring System 

As the airport sits on Musqueam traditional territory YVR has stewardship responsibilities through the Musqueam Indian Band – YVR Airport Sustainability & Friendship Agreement. One such responsibility is ensuring that the airport’s activities are in no way harming the surrounding rivers. Currently the water quality is measured manually by staff who take weekly measurements at random locations. These samples are then sent off to an independent lab for analysis. 

This is a slow and costly process and is inadequate for alerting response teams in case of environmental emergencies. YVR sought a means to measure the water quality in real time, with an accessible and easy to read UI.

The solution proposed involved developing an Environmental Monitoring System (EMS) for YVR that is capable of monitoring the health of their waterways while providing access to historical data and analytics for better decision-making. Active sensors are collecting data such as CO2, CH4, water level, and water flow, which is then reported on a Cloud-based user interface. The final version of the project will consist of an array of wireless and self sustaining smart devices installed around the island.

The project is a continuation of a previous cohort’s efforts and James and his team have made dramatic improvements to the hardware, power management, and communication systems used in the device. The project is still ongoing and next fall a new set of senior students will continue where our fresh graduate left off.

What is a Capstone Project? 

The capstone project is a culmination of years of dedication and learning. It is an opportunity for students to demonstrate their skills and knowledge by completing a practical project that demonstrates their ability to apply what they have learned to real-world problems. 

Once again, please join us in congratulating  James on completing this academic milestone. Your hard work and dedication have paid off! 

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