Feb. 27th KTU exhibitors

VT RASC-AL Robo Ops 2016 Team

Given that our project revolves around background research and actual construction of a robotic rover system for future extra terrestrial exploration, we intend to operate a very hands on booth for attendees.  We will have our large rover system on display for students to observe being operated as well as interact with individually.  Team members will be presenting to attendees on the ideas of what makes a successful rover drawing parallels between past Mars rovers and our system.

Aerospace & Ocean Engineering Dept.
The design team running the booth is led by 4 aerospace students who are conducting research and development on the rover as their senior design project.  The team also includes 2 mechanical engineering juniors, 1 electrical engineering graduate student (and competition alumnus), and 2 highly experienced in robotics grade school members.  Our project is supervised by Dr. Kevin Shinpaugh.

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Looking Down is Looking Up! Why do we work with aerial photography?

Geospatial tools, which include geographic information systems (GIS), global positioning systems (GPS), and remote sensing, provide us with a new understanding of the earth. In this activity, participants will use GIS and remote sensing to identify changes on the earth’s surface. We will examine aerial photography from different time periods, and students will explore, estimate, and measure general changes in land use during these two periods. Students will also be exposed to basic remote sensing interpretation skills. Observing these kinds of changes helps us understand how landscape changes influence our local communities and environments. These data provide communities with the necessary information to plan for the future, and mitigate the impacts associated with these changes.

Geography and Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation
This hands-on activity is being led by faculty from the Department of Geography  and the Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, a Ph.D. student in Geospatial and Environmental Analysis and Geography and Meteorology students. This activity is co-sponsored by the Virginia Geospatial Extension Program and VirginiaView.