Our researchers worked with student scientists from the Duke University Marine Lab Community Science Program! Ph.D candidate, Patrick Gray showed students how our researchers use drones in marine conservation – including altering drones to fit our research needs, why we use drones for our work, and even a piloting demonstration. We love opportunities to share what we do with students – if your students are interested in learning more from our researchers, please get in touch!

Coordinated by former post-doctoral researcher Dr. Michelle Shero, the MaRRS lab hosted Dr. Karen Joyce, co-founder of ‘She Maps‘, an Australian organization that use drones as a platform to address gender equality in STEM. A team of graduate students, researchers, and local teachers participated in a two-day instructor training program.

In 2017, the MaRRS lab once again worked with local K-12 schools to identify and collect marine debris using our fixed wing and multi-rotor drones. Students from East Carteret High School’s Advanced Placement Environment Science (APES) 2017 class visited the lab and were able to collect the marine debris they identified in the drone flights over the Rachel Carson National Estuarine Research Reserve.

The MaRRS lab and the Duke Marine Lab’s Community Science Program collaborated on several marine debris cleanups over the summer. A fourth grade class from Tiller Elementary School visited the lab and removed drone identified marine debris on Bird Shoal and Bulkhead Shoal.

The Duke Marine Robotics and Remote Sensing Lab worked with Ms. Tammy Schooley’s East Carteret High School Advanced Placement Environmental Science (APES) class on a comprehensive marine debris drone project. Last May, the APES class used MaRRS fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft and multi-spectral cameras to detect, identify, and analyze marine debris on the Rachel Carson National Estuarine Research Reserve. During the second part of the effort, the class visited the Reserve to “ground-truth” the aerial data and to remove the debris. The students concluded the project by providing a presentation to local government officials, scientists, and marine debris experts to explain their findings on the scope of the marine debris challenge in Carteret County, and offering their analysis on potential solutions.