A group of Walla Walla University engineering students completed a three-year project with the Blue Mountain Humane Society (BMHS). The students' solar-powered pavement temperature sensor and display was successfully tested and installed just in time for graduation.

“Hot pavement is a constant concern in the summer at the shelter as well as for any dog owner,” said Steve Lenz, BMHS development leader. “I hope the thermometer will help inform our staff and volunteers more quickly and accurately when we need to use our hot weather procedures to keep our dogs safe."

Previously, Lenz had been taking ground temperature readings with a handheld infrared thermometer when he could and posting the results online. When Natalie Smith-Gray, assistant professor of engineering and computer science at Walla Walla University, reached out to BMHS to ask about potential project needs for her team of engineering majors, Lenz jumped on the opportunity.

BMHS has a crew that walks dogs three times a day, and Lenz often sees other community members walking dogs in nearby parking lots and downtown. He believes the team’s device will have a meaningful impact, both by protecting BMHS animals and by educating the community.

Nathan Gray, Walla Walla University alum, served as the project mentor, and Andrei Maiorov, who recently graduated with an engineering major, served as the student lead. Both remained with the project from start to finish.

Beyond his technical work on the device’s display unit, Maiorov facilitated project progression, procured materials, and maintained communication with the humane society. His team consisted of Kolby Kriegelstein, Noland Oickle, Anna Stefaniv, Barrett Bothwell, and Tyler Sing—some of whom graduated or joined along the way.

The temperature sensor unit is made up of an ESP32-C6, battery, solar panel, IR temperature sensor, and various electrical components. The display consists of an ESP32-C6, RGB LEDs, and various 3D-printed components. In addition to displaying the numeric temperature, the lights change color from cool greens to hot reds for easy reading.

The team hopes the unit will soon be able to send data to Home Assistant, an open-source smart home system, which would then transfer data to the display. This would allow BMHS to connect the sensor to multiple displays as they are added throughout the facility.

After three years of hard work and innovation, Maiorov said this project taught him a lot about managing a team and scheduling them effectively to meet deadlines. His favorite part, though, was “learning about how we can use Home Assistant to connect devices together and realizing how the classes I have taken from my professor have prepared me to take on real engineering projects in the real world.”

The original article was published on the Walla Walla University news site.