Overview

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Introduction to UAS in the Environmental Sciences is the first course in the three course sequence, UAS Applications and Operations in Environmental Science: Become the Scientist Pilot. This three course sequence is taught online, with both asynchronous and synchronous components, providing significant flexibility for professionals seeking to learn more about how drones are applied in environmental science. Learn more about the sequence.

In this introductory course, you will learn how to:

1. Explain the four physical forces that act on aircraft.
2. Describe how those forces act on different kinds of drones.
3. Describe or differentiate between types of drones and explain how they work.
4. Explain how drones are applied to the study of animal populations, individual animals, and their habitats–including humans.
5. Explain the basic theories for photogrammetry and structure for motion analysis.
6. Discover how drones can be used to record the behavior of animals.
7. Relate the potential of machine learning for efficient data analysis.
8. Explain the importance of key best practices in drone research, including legal and ethical concerns.
9. Analyze arguments for and against drone technology in surveillance and reconnaissance.
10. Create a conceptual model of how drones can be used in an environmental science/management context.

The cost to take a single course in the sequence is $2,000; the cost to take the entire three course sequence is $4,200.