Daytona Beach Campus Collects Data In Coastal Environments

Dr. Nickolas “Dan” Macchiarella is a professor in the College of Aviation at the Daytona Beach Campus of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida. His academic specialty is the application of sensors on Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS).

The work of Macchiarella and his students supports the COASTech program by conducting research on the coastal environments and educating the public. The educational element is done through a two-month series of summer events at the Brevard Zoo in Melbourne, Florida, called “Science Sundays.” These events feature a blend of education and entertainment as guests of all ages including children participate in hands-on activities and discussions with and about live animals. Guests also get to see the UAS in action simulating data collection in the field.

On the research side, Macchiarella and his students spend a lot of time in the Indian River Lagoon basin, flying UAS equipped with visible and multi-spectral cameras. The data they gather are used to search for subjects of interest such as sea turtles.

Tyler Deal, a College of Aviation senior majoring in UAS said, “COASTech has been a great project that allows me to use what I have learned in my degree program in a way that benefits the environment. It has provided me with many opportunities for community outreach and has led to other environmentally focused projects around Cape Canaveral. The experience has even provided opportunities as far away as Argentina.”

Dr. Macchiarella noted, “Not only are we able to contribute positively to the land and the environment through our love of aviation and UAVs, [but] I’m able to work directly with the next generation in the workforce, and the upcoming generation of students, to inspire them to make the planet a healthy and sustainable place for generations to come.”

FMI:  daytonabeach.erau.edu/