STUDENT SUCCESS INTERNSHIPS: Drone Pilot Intern for Mapping Cow Grazing Forage Utilization at Merced Vernal Pool and Grassland Reserve
Department Name: UC Center of Excellence on UAS Safety, UC Natural Reserve System (Merced Vernal Pools and Grassland Reserve)
Project Supervisor Name(s): Dr. Brandon Stark, Joy Baccei
Project Supervisor Email Address(s): Bstark2@ucmerced.edu, jbaccei@ucmerced.edu
Who Can Participate:
Undergraduates who have been enrolled for at least one semester at the time of application with a minimum of 3.0 GPA may participate. First-year transfer students are eligible to apply. In addition, students must be in good academic and conduct standing with the University and be able to carry a full course load and still be able to complete the project experience.
Do I Get Paid?
A project provides students with the opportunity to apply classroom learning to real-world experiences. Upon completion of the project, the student will receive up to $3,000 awarded through the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships as a student stipend and will be added to your financial aid awards.
Job Description:
Every autumn, the Merced Vernal Pools and Grassland Reserve conducts a survey measuring the amount of dried grasses in the reserve. This is an important measurement as the level of dried grasses, known as Residual Dry Matter (RDM), is a proxy for estimating grassland productivity and rangeland health. But measuring RDM is a time-consuming process that involves repeatedly cutting and weighing samples all over. In this project, the student will explore using a low-cost drone as a new tool for RDM surveys, gaining hands-on experience with environmental analysis software and drones, to help land managers improve their RDM surveys.
Job Tasks:
In this project, the student will: Conduct trips to the MVPGR to establish ground truth data Utilize spatial analytics software to analyze data Calculate Residual Dry Matter (RDM) at various locations Operate a drone to collect aerial imagery.
Additional Requirements:
Interest in environmental sciences, ecosystems of California and conservation efforts. Some programming experience recommended.