Beavers: Ecosystem Engineers on Campus
An immersive exhibit about urban beavers and the ecological benefits they provide, including on the NC State campus.
Overview
We created this exhibit to raise awareness about beavers and their importance for ecosystems. In altering habitats, beavers create a variety of opportunities for other species to live in places where they could not otherwise survive—for this reason they are an important “keystone species.”
We also wanted to raise awareness about beavers living on campus. At Rocky Branch, there is a public science project that provides an opportunity to contribute to ongoing observations of beaver engineering in action.
How We Did It
We collaborated with Chris Norcross, a Ph.D. student in Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, and his advisor, Karl Wegmann, to create this exhibit about beavers in urban environments. Chris studies how North American beavers affect the form and function of river systems, and this exhibit was a showcase of his work.
Trevor Thornton created the exhibit as a web application for the Cyma Rubin Visualization Gallery. It plays from a local directory in the Google Chrome browser. Trevor edited and arranged the content to be an immersive and educational experience.
Chris Norcross wrote the narrative for the exhibit and provided video footage and images. With assistance from Jason Evans Groth, we used one of the audio booths in the Hill Library's Digital Media Lab to record Chris reading the narration and responding to interview questions.
Karl Wegmann set up a Chronolog station next to the beaver dam at Rocky Branch, giving passersby the opportunity to take pictures with their phones to help monitor changes to the beaver dam and pond over time. The resulting timelapse, showing the dam repeatedly breached by hard rains and repaired by the beavers, was incorporated into the exhibit.
Chris and Karl also used motion-sensitive cameras from the Libraries’ Technology Lending Service to capture video of the beavers at Rocky Branch working on their dam at night. This video was featured in the exhibit, giving visitors a rare glimpse of the nocturnal animals in action.
Shaun Bennett and Trevor Thornton used one of the Libraries’ 360-degree video cameras to shoot footage of the beaver dam and pond, providing ambient sound and giving an immersive feel to the exhibit.
Visitors to the exhibit enjoyed learning about beavers in urban environments, including how campus engineers have used a "beaver deceiver" on Rocky Branch to protect stream restoration infrastructure at risk due to enhanced flooding resulting from the beaver pond. People said, "I didn't know this was on campus!" and "This is so cool!" It was especially fun to hear a spontaneous "Awwww" at the beaver cuteness on display.
