BEAUFORT, Carteret County – Researchers at the Duke University Marine Lab have put together an elaborate system of unmanned aerial devices to study marine life off the Atlantic Coast. The Marine Conservation Ecology Unmanned Systems Facility includes lots of equipment, some home made, for the mission to learn about and protect marine life. “From being able to go out and assess populations of animals–count them, to looking at the threats that might influence those environments, like marine debris,” says facility director Dr. David Johnston. Video data collected from Duke Lab drones and shared with NewsChannel 12 show gray seal populations along the Canadian coast line. Johnston says since it’s part of Duke University, another important part of the mission is to train Duke students and others how to operate this system safely and efficiently. Courses targeted to begin sometime next year will cover an array of flight planning and airspace issues, rules, even craft building. They’re expected to draw students in Marine Science and other fields of study. Program manager Everette Newton, a retired U. S. Air Force fighter pilot, expects the FAA to change rules affecting […]
