Page 40 - fall2017

High-Tech Hummingbirds

Drones: disruptive and versatile teaching tools

by Tim Vanderpool Chris Richards photo

hey flit across the sky — small, hushed, seemingly innocuous.
And they are changing the world.
From gathering data on huge cracks in the earth called
fissures to helping pollinate trees and monitor the U.S.-Mexico
border, the unmanned aircraft called drones have already
Tbecome indispensable.
The University of Arizona is at the forefront of their development.
The rush to remotely controlled flight is not without controversy. In his
book, “The Fourth Industrial Revolution,” World Economic Forum founder
Klaus Schwab argues that emerging technology — such as drones — can
potentially upend societies. For instance, artificial intelligence might blur
the line between digital and biological reality. And drones will greatly test
our concepts of personal privacy.
Yet technology also improves lives. It’s in that latter arena — enhancing
the planet and benefiting mankind — that UA scientists are hard at work.
UA drone research has helped identify huge, potentially dangerous
fissures, gauge the lasting impacts of wildfires and monitor landslide-prone
areas. Drones could boost agricultural sustainability by pollinating Medjool
date palm trees even better than bees do and provide journalism students
a unique view of the dynamic U.S.-Mexico border. University scientists are
also helping secure that border with drone technology.
Klaus Schwab was right: Technology is changing us. And the UA is
leading that change.

Michael McKisson, an assistant professor of practice in the School of Journalism,
provides instruction on drone journalism and 360-degree video production
to a group of journalism students. They are learning to use digital and drone
technologies to report on important cultural and social issues along the U.S.-
Mexico and U.S.-Canada borders for a class taught by Celeste González de
Bustamante, left, an associate professor in the school. The class is supported by
UA 100% Student Engagement funding.

38 ARIZONA ALUMNI MAGAZINE