Introducing the strategically-designed Invasive Plant Team! These handpicked students have come together to tackle the task of surveying for terrestrial invasive plants. Teamed with James Barnes as well as Blue Ridge PRISM – an organization dedicated to reducing the negative impact of invasive plants – we aim to prevent threats to biodiversity, recreational, and economic resources. Let’s not forget to mention plants are our buds and we have every intention to maintain a healthy environment. Our team has developed ideas for building a drone that detects commonly disruptive plants. Stay around to learn more about our journey!
Meet the Team
Kinsey Miller
Junior, Biology
Aaron Swecker
Senior, Physics
Sachin Sundar
Senior, Biology
Katarina Saxon
Senior, Industrial Design
Emily Barrett
Junior, Industrial Design
Celina Wickham
Junior, WRTC: Technical Communication
The Process
Click through to learn about some of the initial steps Triad took to get started on their task!
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OUR CHOSEN PLANT SPECIES
Tree of Heaven was initially used for practicing folk medicine in China and was brought over by immigrants before the 1900s. It then became a decorative tree but quickly spread without any environmental factors controlling it. With the aid of an unmanned system, we plan to map and work towards being a part of the solution.
The challenge:
Different objects in the environment reflect and absorb different amounts of wavelengths (of light). With this being said, just because two trees look a similar shade of green to us, it doesn’t mean they are the same shade of infrared. It’s impossible to see it with our eyes alone.
%
How often you can see the electrmagnetic spetrum with the eyes alone
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Looking Forward
Using multispectral imaging with the red-edge camera to capture images to identify invasive plants.
Our Project Roots
Understanding the challenge of invasive plant species.