A drone-based surveillance project called Turtle Tech leverages two different unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), provides crucial conservation insights as well as paying jobs for students, said John M. Robbins, associate professor of Aeronautical Science. “We’re fine-tuning our operations and computer visioning systems to identify individual sea turtles – including their species, gender and even unique markings,” Robbins said. “Students have hands-on opportunities to work on flight operations, aircraft modifications, payload integration and much more. This project is a win-win for sea turtles and students.” Eagles Raise Their Hands Student volunteers put in many hours of service on a wide range of projects. Eagles pitch in to promote literacy, to build homes for families in need, to provide humane care for
Gardening in an Urban Food Desert Students in Embry-Riddle’s Honors Program worked to feed people experiencing hunger and disenfranchisement, through a partnership with a nonprofit group called Derbyshire Place. At Embry-Riddle, “We are sensitive to how we might help to bridge some of the divides in our culture,” said Dr. Geoffrey Kain, Honors Program director and professor of Humanities. “A good answer is to plant more seeds of community.” Derbyshire Place works with Volusia County on a system whereby local residents — many in public housing — can use food stamps to buy the community garden’s fresh produce right in their own neighborhood. Leveraging Drones for Good Embry-Riddle researchers are using drones to better predict monsoons and other extreme weather events and to assess air quality. They also work with law enforcement to locate missing persons and provide aerial damage assessments after natural disasters, to guide first responders. Eagles are even using drones to better understand the behavior of multiple sea turtle species along Florida’s Space Coast, as part of a project with Northrop Grumman and the Brevard Zoo.
animals and much more. Last year on the Daytona Beach Campus alone, student volunteers packed up more than 300 bags of groceries and bag lunches to help people in need. In addition, through a Food Recovery Program, students prepped
1 . 5 TONS Students prepped more than 1.5 tons of food that would have been thrown away
more than 1.5 tons of food that would have been thrown away and donated it during 2020-21. They also worked to get dozens of students registered to vote and helped with community gardening projects, beach cleanups and blood drives. On the next spread are just a few ways that Eagles are raising their hands.
Helping our Communities | 27
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