Bird Strike Decal Competition
What is a bird strike? Since 1970, nearly one out of three birds in the U.S. and Canada has vanished. Window collisions are one of the leading causes of bird deaths in the US, accounting for an estimated half a billion dead birds a year. Birds cannot easily distinguish windows, and other reflective glass surfaces from the sky. On Brandeis’ campus, 42 species have died as a result of injuries sustained from striking glass windows and glass bridge walkways.
One way to prevent birds from striking windows is to reduce the reflective surface with a dotted vinyl decal. During the Brandeis Year of Climate Action (2023-2024), the Festival of the Arts and campus partners invited Brandeis undergraduate students to submit designs for a bird strike window decal.
The winning design by Forrest Shimazu '24 is installed on the front windows of Shiffman Hall on Brandeis’ upper campus.