In 2013 I was fortunate enough to spend two months working from NASA Ames in Mountain View, California. Personally and professionally this one of the most memorable experiences of my life. There will never be enough time to give my glowing reports of my entire time there, but there was definitely one thing that really stood out to me. The NASA DEVELOP Program. 

This unique program links industry, government, and universities to conduct innovative research projects addressing problems of relevance to the community. It brings together students, early career professionals, and those in transitional stages of their career (e.g. finishing military service), forming teams to tackle environmental challenges using earth observation data. The stories of the next generation of environmental scientists participating in the program were incredibly inspiring.

I started to talk to NASA colleagues about how I could involve some of my students in Australia. They generously offered to engage with one of my current students, who was about to head over to Florida on a student exchange program. So I passed the opportunity on to one of my 2nd year Bachelor of Environmental Science undergraduate students. I was hoping that she could be a bit of a guinea pig for me, and give me an insider's perspective into the program. I want to share some of her thoughts to show just how inspirational the program is, and to highlight exactly why I want to create a similar experience in Australia.

"At the beginning of last year I signed up for a student exchange program. To my surprise I was actually accepted and I completed Semester 2 while studying abroad at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida. In total I spent about 4 and a half-months there– it was an amazing experience! 

Naturally I was really excited about this trip when I first got accepted and I talked a lot about it during Semester 1. This is how Karen came to know about my involvement with the student exchange program. Further to my surprise, as if the upcoming exchange trip wasn’t amazing enough, she provided me with another amazing opportunity. 

Now, you can imagine my shock when I opened and read her email one mediocre morning while casually on my way to work. NASA, what? Me? Has she sent this to the wrong person?

The opportunity Karen provided me with was to observe and take a small part in an internship program run across the US by NASA called NASA DEVELOP.  DEVELOP was formed with the hopes of bridging the gap between NASA and society, through involvement of the next generation and external organizations. 

The DEVELOP program is run right across the US in 13 different locations and 2 non-US locations. I got to visit the University of Georgia for a week in October to observe this internship in process during my semester abroad. 

When I visited UGA in the Fall term of the DEVELOP program, I spent time with the Colombia Ecological Forecasting team, where the objective was to enhance the conservation efforts of Colombia’s most endangered primate – the cotton-top tamarin. The team used NASA satellite data to aid in achieving the goals of the project partners, which was to increase the habitat suitability for the endangered primate. 

I just want to quickly point out that this South American country is actually located more than 2000 miles, or in other words about 3400kms away from Athens, Georgia. The fact that such thorough research can be done on an area so far away is pretty damn amazing. 

I just wanted to say that this experience was such an eye opener for me – its one thing learning about something in a school environment and then to actually get to see how it is put into practice in the real world. Like I’m sure many of you agree, I feel when you learn about things in university it has a detached feel to it – you know that what your learning is used by researchers and professionals, but its like you feel that what your learning isn’t the full thing. You know there must be more to it, and while it’s interesting, at the end of the day you just do what you need to do to pass and get that degree.

Being given the opportunity to travel to a NASA DEVELOP site and witness the work being done there has been one of the most inspirational experiences I have ever had. Seeing these students, just like ourselves having a key hand in something as precious as saving a entire species was just awe inspiring to me.

As a student who knew what I was interested in but no idea what kind of work to aim for, this experience has both reinforced why I’m studying Environmental Science and has given me something to aspire to upon completion of my degree." - Name withheld

The NASA DEVELOP Program fits squarely within my interests of linking research and education in remote sensing. It also promotes another keen interest of mine - leadership and effective teamwork. I would love to implement this in Australia. 

As I've said before, I think that simplicity is the key to good communication. And it doesn't get much simpler than cartoons! So I thought that I might share some of the cartoon tools that I use to create percieved simplicity.

You may have seen ads on TV where you just can't take your eyes off a hand as it draws pictures or writes a message. They are often really simple, but somehow it just captures your attention and you keep watching to see what will be drawn next. 

When I first started seeing these ads appearing, all bearing similar characteristics, I realised that there had to be software creating them. Enter one of my favourite tools - Sparkol VideoScribe. I have created scribes for communicating a variety of different concepts (see my YouTube channel). I mostly use them for my students, but also for presentations I've given for our School, Funding Pitches, the VC, and... wait for it... for NASA! And if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, several of my students and colleagues have tried their hand at creating their own scribes too. I'm by no means a guru at using this software, and you'll find far better scribes on youtube than mine! But I'm always learning, and having fun doing so. So I can definitely recommend having a play with this one.

Another online animating tool I've dabbled with is GoAnimate. I love using this to bring humour and satire into learning. Creating a short anime style cartoon forces me to really think about the key message, and return to Denzel Washington's "Explain it to me like I'm a six year old" (from Philadelphia). There are several more examples of my animated cartoons like the one below on my YouTube channel.

A recent find for me, and something that I look forward to using more is Pixton. So there's no motion or sound with Pixton, it's just old school cartooning. One of the best things about it is just how basic it is. I can demo how to use it in under five minutes, and then set the students on their own mission to communicate a concept. This one is so much fun to use, and you don't have to worry about having funky voices like in GoAnimate. Or worse - the horror of your own voice over in VideoScribe! I'm now building a repository of student created cartoons to be shared with future years. Below is an example from one of my students, Jenni Lo Choy, 2014.

Simple isn't the same as easy. These cartoons convey a message in a simple manner, but the underlying thought process is far more complex. It's certainly easier to present some text to cover the same points, but I argue that a mix of cartoons is more engaging and memorable.

Yes, the title is correct. No, it shouldn't read 'How Teaching Benefits FROM my Research'. Well, OK, it could read that way as well, it's totally a two way street. But just for now, I'll talk about one side.

I have come across many academics who see teaching as a burden that takes them away from their research. And let's be honest, sometimes the administrative overhead can be a drag. But I strongly believe that just as as teaching should be informed by research, the converse is also true.

I have been teaching in some way, shape, or form since Kindergarten. From peer tutoring to coaching sporting teams, running short courses, and university lecturing, I have done it all. I learn from those better and more experienced than me who demonstrate fantastic teaching skills. And often I learn even more from those who are lacking.

Perhaps one of the most important things that teaching has taught me, is that everything I know is something that I learned. Obvious, right? But this realisation has a big implication. What this means is that I should never take my knowledge for granted, and just assume that others know these things too. Because maybe they haven't learned them just yet. This is important when considering a target audience for a research paper or talk. Mostly they won't know all that I am going to write or say. If they did, then why am I bothering to tell them?

It's sometimes hard to remember back to a time when I didn't understand a particular basic concept in my discipline (remote sensing). It feels like common knowledge. But often these 'basic' things are really challenging for first timers. So here's the next thing that teaching has taught me - keep it simple.

One of my favourite movie quotes comes from Denzel Washington in his role as a Lawyer in Philadelphia: "Explain it to me like I'm a six year old". I consider this quote a lot in my teaching, and challenge myself to break down the most complex concepts into ideas that a child could understand.

By actively practicing simplicity in my classes, it is filtering through to other aspects of my life. And one of the major beneficiaries is my research.

I believe that simplicity is a foundation of good communication, including for research. This doesn't mean that my work needs to be 'dumbed down'. It is about engaging the audience in language that they understand. It's not about trying to impress or over-awe them with technical jargon.

I want my research to be widely read. I want my proposals to be funded. Who doesn't? Teaching - or perhaps more correctly - my students, have taught me the importance of simple language. The importance of graphics. They are my critics along with the research community and funding bodies. I have changed my research writing and presentation styles to reflect the simplicity that my students demand, and I believe (qualitatively) that I am achieving positive results.

Every week I have five hours in front of students. Granted I am not 'presenting' as such the entire time, but even so - how many other non-teaching academics get this kind of practice in public speaking or explaining concepts? Many I know might be lucky to attend one conference per year for a mere 20 minute presentation. I am certain that my improving research writing and presentation skills are primarily attributed to my teaching practice.

And of course, without teaching, there are no students. Chicken or egg? Regardless, many students look for a pathway from coursework to research. If they like my classes, they look for research projects for credit, or just as a volunteer. Either way, my own research benefits from theirs.

So research and teaching are intrinsically linked, just as they should be. I only wish that more academic staff would open their eyes to this.

Buying a remote controlled 'copter is not easy. Sure, you can buy an El cheapo one on eBay, but say you want something quality. Something that you trust to provide a platform for some expensive kit. That won't crash. In the ocean.

The market for Unmanned Airborne Systems (UAS) or drones, has exploded in the past three to five years. What was originally either a small child's toy or a military craft, now occupies a far greater spectrum of uses. Diversifying use has been driven by leaps in technology - firstly in terms of platform design, but also in developing small and lightweight sensors or cameras to use as payload. Airborne imagery for personal or professional use has never before been so accessible.

So whether you opt for a $30 beginner drone, invest in a $500 Harvey Norman special, or get into big business with a model for tens of thousands of dollars, getting your hands on one is incredibly simple. Sort of.

Actually it's not simple at all if you are fortunate enough to be in my situation! In 2014 I was lucky enough to be awarded a substantial grant to create a state of the art UAS for remote sensing environmental monitoring in Northern Australia. At the time I thought it was challenging to write the proposal, but that's nothing compared to what I face when it comes down to the real decision making! 

UAS and their components are a moving feast. For example, the items in my proposed budget are no longer available. More advanced (and hopefully better) items are on the market and are constantly being upgraded and superseded. That's how quickly the technology is moving. As is the Aussie Dollar, but that's another story! 

I used to have a rule of thumb which said that the sensor payload should cost less than 10% of the platform itself. It seemed sensible at the time to make that rule, to protect expensive payloads by housing them on suitably robust and reliable platforms. It still makes sense to me. But in this instance, I'm going to have to break my own rule as I really want a hyperspectral imager, and these don't come cheap. In fact for a quality sensor, the cost outweighs the platform. I'm hoping the platform will still do its job. And not crash. In the ocean.

Maybe one day we'll be able to go to our local drone dealership and test fly a few models. See which ones feel good. Which ones are likely to be lemons. And which ones don't live up to their manufacturer's claims. But not yet. We have to trust the company specs and online reviews. Even so, the exact configuration we want has not yet been created - this was always going to be a custom build. So there ARE no reviews! It's a big investment to make sure it all works. That's a lot of responsibility that both excites me and makes me nervous.

I never expected building a UAS capability to be a fast process, and therefore committed a significant amount of my time to completing the project.  As I'm learning every day, this commitment was certainly not an underestimate. Embarking on a serious UAS project is not for the feint hearted. And successfully getting through the custom build and acquisition is only the beginning. Next comes the processing...

View the link below for one of my training systems.