Engineering Students Take Flight with BirdBuoy Capstone Project

Published: July 31, 2026

Author: Liz Dowell

For most, tracking migratory birds means looking up. For four Greenville University engineering students, it meant creating a smarter, more impactful way to understand and shape migration research.

2026 Seniors Cade Buehnerkemper, Zach Connelly, Alessia Russo, and Koby Cantu focused their capstone project on BirdBuoy—a monitoring system designed to revolutionize bird migration tracking and deliver critical environmental data for conservation and research.

The idea began with a simple observation.

As Cade Buehnerkemper became more involved in duck hunting, he noticed that much of the data collection surrounding migratory bird populations still relied on manual methods. Researchers often conduct visual counts from helicopters or track birds through traditional banding techniques.

"I realized there was room for improvement and an opening for technology in this area," Buehnerkemper said.

What started as an observation became an ambitious engineering challenge. The team envisioned a system to collect bird counts and environmental data to better understand migration patterns.

BirdBuoy gathers data on migrating birds and related environmental factors.

"Our system tracks migration patterns and gathers environmental data that may influence routes," said Zach Connelly.

The team believes BirdBuoy can advance bird migration science, offering powerful new tools for researchers and conservationists while also benefiting bird watchers, photographers, and hunters.

"This device will provide valuable information based on environmental conditions," Buehnerkemper said. "It will allow for many studies to be done on birds among many other things."

Building that solution was not without challenges.

The team faced the complex task of integrating multiple sensors and processors into a single system while also stabilizing a camera capable of detecting birds in flight. While individual components worked independently, getting them to communicate effectively with one another required persistence and problem-solving.

After extensive testing and refinement, the students developed adjustable motion-detection settings that can identify birds flying overhead while filtering out unnecessary triggers.

For Assistant Professor of Engineering Daniel Raja, the project exemplified what engineering education can become when students move beyond theory and into application.

"What stood out to me most about the BirdBuoy project was how naturally it connected technical complexity with a meaningful, real-world purpose," Raja said. "The students were not just building a device; they were developing a system that brings together sensors, cameras, radar, and audio to monitor bird migration in real time."

Just as important as the technology itself was the growth that occurred throughout the process.

"It was difficult at first because it was such a big project and we had no idea where to start," Buehnerkemper said. "As the semester progressed, we became better at understanding each other's strengths and weaknesses and leveraging our talents in the best way possible."

That experience reinforced something larger than engineering principles.

"I think this project has really motivated us and confirmed our passion for engineering," Connelly said. "It's shown us that engineering can be a lot more fun than just doing math."

As BirdBuoy transitions from the classroom to the field, it symbolizes Greenville University's commitment to real-world learning and to engineering to solve pressing environmental issues.