Problem statement

Researchers currently use sheep and goat tags for tagging seals and sea lions. This worked in the past, but as these tags have evolved to better fit sheep and goats, they have become worse at fitting seals and sea lions. This project seeks open-source solutions to this problem.

• Client: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Cal Poly Humboldt Marine Mammal Education and Research Program
• Client representative: Professor Dawn Goley, Director of the Cal Poly Humboldt Marine Mammal Education and Research Program
• Design teams: Cal Poly Humboldt Engineering 205, Introduction to Design
• Design team supervisors: Instructors Heather Burns and Lonny Grafman
• Semester/Year: Fall 2025

ENGR 205 Collaboration

In collaboration with Cal Poly Humboldt's Fall 2025 semester of Engineering 205: Introduction to Design, students worked with for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Cal Poly Humboldt Marine Mammal Education and Research Program to create and test open-source alternative tags tailored to pinniped needs, offering designs that can be readily adapted, shared, and improved by the wider research community.

Click the names below the images to learn more about each project.

• Fall 2025 - ENGR 205 Intro to Design Projects - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Pinniped Tags
• 
  Tags made offsite with higher budget
• 
  Tags made local at lower budget
• 
  Tags made offsite at lower budget
• 
  Tags made local at higher budget
• 
  Accelerated aging system

More

• Press on these projects:
  • https://kymkemp.com/2025/12/17/cal-poly-humboldt-engineering-students-showcase-design-and-conservation-projects-at-startup-humboldt-on-thursday/
  • https://krcrtv.com/north-coast-news/eureka-local-news/cph-students-partner-with-noaa-to-redesign-marine-mammal-tracking-tags
  • https://www.instagram.com/p/DSTS9VVEv6D/?img_index=1
  • https://www.instagram.com/p/DSdMogmEnh9/