Putting on a show: SAFS drone program demonstrates research for congressional staff
On August 16, congressional staff from the State of Washington gathered for a drone demonstration located at the Taylor Shellfish Farm near Olympia, led by the Marine Landscape Ecology Lab (MLEL), based at the University of Washington School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences.
Demonstrating the basics of how drones fly and collect data during marine ecosystem research, Corey Garza, SAFS Professor and Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the UW College of the Environment, shared with the group how his team uses drones to study the marine ecosystems that make up Puget Sound and further afield. From kelp forests to wetlands, drones are a critical piece of technology used to research marine landscapes such as these.
Part of a broader effort to demonstrate the breadth of coastal research being conducted within the UW College of the Environment, staffers also got the chance to try their hand at flying the drone as part of the demonstration.
In attendance were the following staffers: Sean Connell (Rep. Larsen), Steven Klausner (Sen. Murray), Amy Linhardt (Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez), Sara Develle (Rep. Strickland), Courtney Acoff (Rep. Kilmer), Kei Fujisawa (Rep. Schrier), Patrick Eckroth (Sen. Cantwell), Hanna Albert (Sen. Cantwell), Hunter Wade (Rep. Schrier), Ryan Blue (Rep. Kilmer).
For the demonstration, Corey showed how drones are supporting shellfish aquaculture in Washington as part of a collaborative new project with the Pacific Shellfish Institute, of which Taylor Shellfish is one of the partners. Present at the demonstration were: UW Marine Biology undergrad Ashley Rendon, UW College of the Environment Associate Dean for Administration Stephanie Harrington, Deputy Director of Federal Relations for UW Sang Han, Katie Houle and Bobbi Hudson from the Pacific Shellfish Institute, and Bill Dewey from Taylor Shellfish.
Interested in other stories featuring UW drone research?
- A view from above: using drones for coastal research in California
- Supporting Tribal-led salmon monitoring using computer vision