Introducing "JRC - Conservation Tools"
A maker side hustle to help save species from extinction
Over the last year, I have alluded to a few contracts I've been working on. I was purposefully vague, partially because the work was in process, and I wasn't sure how it would pan out. Well, it turns out the work has gone pretty well. Well enough that I've gone public with this effort and now have details posted on my website. ~JRC
Introducing JRC - Conservation Tools
I design and build tech-based conservation tools, allowing researchers worldwide to quickly and affordably get the custom instruments they need to save species.
That's my current pitch, anyway.
Basically, I've started a side business where I create custom equipment for researchers working in wildlife conservation. So far, these tools have been exclusively assisted reproduction devices for animal conservation.
"Assisted reproduction" is when any intervention is used to enable the conception and birth of an animal. These techniques, commonly used in humans (think artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization, and embryo transfer), have also been increasingly used to conserve endangered wildlife. Assisted reproduction is instrumental for those species so reduced in numbers that random, natural reproduction is either not enough or, in extreme cases, impossible.
Specifically, I make electroejaculation probes ("EEJ probes") and electrical control boxes that power the probes for assisted reproduction in wildlife.
As one might expect, discussing this work without getting at least a snicker isn't easy. But after the twelve-year-old-kid humor dissipates, the urgency of this work rises to the top. Around the world, thousands of species are blinking out of existence. And without intervention using techniques like electroejaculation, many irreplaceable species will not survive to see another century.
Here's how it works (in brief).
The probe, rectally inserted in an anesthetized male mammal, stimulates the prostate through short bursts of AC current and causes the animal to ejaculate. The "result" (sperm) is then used in various ways, from assessing the reproductive quality of the animal to use in artificial insemination and in vitro fertilization procedures to freezing the sperm for future use.
For EEJ probes, as with many things in life, one size does not fit all.
Endangered animals come in all shapes and sizes, and developing suitable EEJ probes is often a species-specific affair. (Even closely related species might require different probes.) As such, having the expertise and capacity to design and build one-off devices is a worthwhile enterprise. And a daunting one.
Knowing what to build (e.g., what shape and size) takes a lot of testing and experimentation. Thankfully dedicated conservation researchers - reproductive physiologists - have been working on many critically endangered species for years. They've learned what works and what doesn't. They know their animals well, and if they aren't getting the desired results, they have a good idea of what might help.
My job is to listen to them, wrap my mind around the limits and challenges, and devise a makeable solution.
After sitting down with clients, often many times, I draft a few concepts, share and then refine them, present them anew, and, upon consensus, create and deliver a new device (if all goes according to plan).
What this means differs from job to job, species to species, but each job has me digging deep into my scientific background and maker abilities. It’s hard work and, truth be told, it makes my brain spin most days. I’m one step ahead of my ignorance as I learn on the fly to make these things work.
But honestly, challenges aside - rather, because of them - this work is the most fun I have ever had making anything.
Creating this equipment is intellectually rewarding. And it forces me to expand what I can make and how I make. Making EEJ probes has made me a better maker. AND! Knowing that it might benefit a species' survival is beyond rewarding.
It's an honor.
I won't go into the design process here. But please do have a look at the JRC - Conservation Tools pages on my website to check out the probes and boxes I've made thus far.
More are on the way, and I am actively seeking out other researchers who need new tools to save the species in their care. I'm hoping this will take off. If so, in a small but meaningful way, I can affect real change for our planet, species by species.
An honor, indeed.
Until next time.
JRC