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Session Number 2793 UMES-AIR: A NASA-UMES Collaborative Experiential Learning Project

Abhijit Nagchaudhuri, Geoffrey Bland University of Maryland Eastern Shore /NASA Wallops Flight Facility

Participating students: Brian Vetter, Robert Fries, Joseph Ford, James Taylor, Jeremy Rodgers, Olatunde Alade, Amy Davis, Sushil Milak, Vinod Yadav, Guntupalli Rajasekhar, Tony Baldwin, Gregory Waters, Gregory Smith, Robert C. Washington, Jason Tilghman, Carlton Snow, Matthew Watson, Jerry Reynolds, Ani Panoti, Levy Lovell, Towanda Sample, Calvin King, Rebecca Howe,Eddie Daubert, Anthony Ross, Jamison White, James Watts, Cory Curtis, Firew Waktole, Bushara Dosa, Elhibir Abusin, Aghdam Freshteh, Amadi Williams and many others

Supporting Faculty/Staff and NASA Personnel : Dr. Gurbax Singh, Dr. Ali Eydgahi, Dr. Roman Jesien, Dr. Mark Williams, Dr. Leon Copeland, Dr. Daniel Okumbor, Mr. Rodney Spencer, Ms. Madhumi Mitra, Ms. Tracie Hedricks, Mr. Anthony Stockus, Mr. Roland Wescott (NASA), Ms. Lisa Johnson (NASA).

Administrative support/leadership : Dr. Eddie Boyd Jr., Dean School of Business and Technology (UMES)

Abstract

UMES-AIR (Undergraduate Multidisciplinary Earth Science-Airborne Imaging Research) project which was partially funded by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in the fall of 1999 has provided a platform for involving a group of undergraduate students in mathematics, science, engineering and technology (MSET) curricula at University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) in an "out of classroom" active learning and exploratory research experience in the field of remote sensing and its applications. The project involves flying an instrumented payload on a tethered blimp filled with helium to a height of upto 2000 feet. The payload includes monochrome and color cameras attached with different band-pass filters, transmitters, and the power supply for all on-board power requirements. The transmitters are used to transmit the acquired images to the ground where they are received at the ground station and displayed and recorded on a Video-Cassette Recorder cum Television unit. The scientific objective of the project includes aerial imaging in the visible and infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum, land survey, study of shoreline erosion, research in agricultural land use patterns, and environmental studies pertaining to algal blooms in the Chesapeake Bay. The project also has a strong focus towards educational objectives and involves more than twenty students from different MSET curricula at UMES.

UMES administration has strongly supported the activity by providing space for the blimp shed, and encouraging student and faculty involvement. The initial phase of the project has drawn significant student participation. The project has also received additional funding from the University System of Maryland for promoting recruitment and retention of minority and economically disadvantaged students. The first phase of the project has been a success. The blimp with the instrumented payload has been flown over the UMES Campus to a height of 500 feet. The acquired images are currently being analyzed. Subsequent launches for the blimp are scheduled to be at UMES agricultural fields and the Wallops Flight Facility of NASA.

Proceedings of the 2001 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright ©2001, American Society for Engineering Education

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Bland, G., & Nagchaudhuri, A. (2001, June), Umes Air: A Nasa Umes Collaborative Experiential Learning Project Paper presented at 2001 Annual Conference, Albuquerque, New Mexico. 10.18260/1-2--9924