On June 4-8, SurvTech had the privilege of participating in the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) camp. At the MacDill Youth Center at MacDill Air Force Base, military children learned how to build and fly drones, along with researching safety and Federal Aviation Administration guidelines. SurvTech was asked provide expertise and instruction.
We showcased our DJI Matrice 600P Octocopter unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and custom unmanned surface vessel (USV).
David O'Brien and Jordan Kowenski took turns chatting with the young future surveyors and scientists, who had many great questions. Jordan has hundreds of hours of flight experience, and had a lot to say about what it takes to keep these "drones" in the air. The kids were particularly interested in learning about LiDAR technology and how topography can be determined with lasers.
Hank Simpkins and David Graves took advantage of the great weather to demonstrate our custom USV, showing how the vessel can be controlled by radio telemetry or by wireless connection to a laptop. Water bottom mapping with sonar technology was a brand new concept to many in attendance.
It is not every day that we get a break from surveying to share our experience with others, and this was the best audience.
Thanks to MacDill Airforce Base and SAME for an inspiring week among some bright minds.
