Shrews Proving Efficacy of JMU Professors’ Invention

Contact Information

Eric Gorton

Contact Details

gortonej@jmu.edu

Description

A tiny species of shrew in James Madison University’s Edith J. Carrier Arboretum has been visiting and snacking in a device invented and patented by biology professors Katrina Gobetz and Bryan Cage.

Gobetz said the device, which she is calling an “Animal Monitoring Station,” could go into mass production in 2022 and will help researchers, school children and citizen scientists around the world explore some of the tiniest mammals on the planet in a way that doesn’t endanger the animals.

Gobetz and volunteers she recruited have been testing 3-D printed versions of the device since 2018 in a variety of settings. A patent was granted for the Animal Monitoring Station in 2020.

Web Presence

https://www.jmu.edu/news/2021/08/23-animal-monitoring-station.shtml

Involvement

Involves Faculty

Scope

JMU Campus Scope, Harrisonburg/Local/VA

Date

Summer 2021

Areas of Engagement

Engaged Learning

Format

Research