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Thursday, November 07, 2013

Student design brings tower to life

Alesha and Michael in front of the tower


Horizons Regional Council has partnered with UCOL design student Alesha Ritson to turn one of its most visible water monitoring stations into the most informative.

The station, down by the old Teachers’ College site on the Manawatu River, captures information on river level, sediment load, dissolved oxygen, turbidity and water temperature. It has recorded information for every major flood since 1880 and has the longest continuous flow record in New Zealand.

Horizons communications manager Kate Ritani says while the station plays a vital role in flood protection and water quality, its purpose is not always obvious to those who come across it.

“The old Teachers’ College monitoring station is one of the most prominent among the 174 sites we monitor region-wide. It was lifted earlier this year to accommodate higher stop banks and we saw the change as an opportunity to provide more information about its role,” Mrs Ritani says.

“We approached UCOL with the idea of wrapping the cylinder that the station sits upon and were very impressed with the concepts the students came up with.
“Alesha’s a student in UCOL’s Bachelor of Applied Visual Imaging programme and her design stood out due to its clarity and use of colour. It’s been great working with her to bring this design to life and see it applied to the tower.”
UCOL graphic design lecturer Kate Dudley says she is pleased UCOL has had the opportunity to be involved with the project.

“It’s great when students get the chance to be involved with real-life projects. We are always happy to support our students to achieve their full potential to learn and contribute to their communities at the same time.
“Being able to collaborate with community organisations in this way also enhances students’ career potential.”

Alesha was rewarded for her design with an iPad mini which is already proving useful in her studies. She also enjoyed the opportunity to observe the printing process and hopes to get into printing once she has finished studying.

ENDS

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