Drone Course – January 9 – 13, 2017
The Interterm 2017 Drone Course will offer students an opportunity to learn about drone technology with a focus on mapping and image analysis to support conversation efforts. In addition to gaining an understanding of the technology, students will learn how to fly drones safely, legally, and responsibly in the national and public airspace.
The course is open to, and supportive of, emerging ideas for drone application in other domains such as art, film, theater, etc. We are also excited to include design thinking principles into our practice, including course conceptualization started last spring by students on the Drone Thinking Initiative project. Incorporating Design Thinking principles into this course will ensure that we are grounded in a liberal arts perspective, enabling students to develop a more thorough understanding of this disruptive technology and to seek creative solutions to challenging problems.
Optional spring trip and collaboration with Kashmir World Foundation
The course will include an optional field trip to St. Catherines Island, Georgia in collaboration with the Kashmir World Foundation. The primary purpose is to image and map sea turtle nesting sites and to contribute to ongoing research by the Kashmir World Foundation. Our students will be learning methods and techniques to add to the Foundation’s research on sea turtle conservation (see appendix for Kashmir World Foundation activities). Students will have additional opportunities to map and image other areas on the island including, but not limited to, archeological sites, dynamic beach systems, impacts from hurricane Matthew, and other flora and fauna habitats and ecosystems. Some of these opportunities may have potential to develop into special studies projects.
We are excited to work with the Kashmir World Foundation on this venture and believe there will be other fruitful opportunities for collaboration in the future.
Details
Interterm Course: January 9 -13, 2017
Optional spring trip: March 11 – 13, 2017
Instructors: Jon Caris, Director, Spatial Analysis Lab; Scott Gilman, SAL post-bac Spatial Fellow; Alex Widstrand ’17, Engineering Major (Caris and Gilman are certified remote pilots)
Registration opens November 28 2016