Drones can monitor invasive species, search for missing persons and collect scientific samples in locations that are inaccessible. They can help police and fire fighters with surveillance, traffic accident investigation, and search and rescue. Drones can travel through air or water. They can even be programmed to work together in a swarm — with artificial intelligence coordinating their movements.

Learn more about these remarkable tools at our next STEM Café with NIU associate professor of engineering Sachit Butail; and Bob Myers, owner and operator of Hawk Aerial Imagery. They’ll talk about different types of drones (with a focus particularly on aerial drones), their various uses and the process of operating and repairing drones.

Northern Illinois University STEM Cafés are part of NIU STEAM and are designed to increase public awareness of the critical role that STEM fields play in our everyday lives. They are offered in partnership with the NIU Alumni Association and made possible with support from Thermo Fisher Scientific and Bayer Fund.