Experiential and Exploratory Learning
RESEARCH & INNOVATION
Innovative and Experiental Learning
Our students and faculty are constantly getting down and dirty with their education. Hands-on, experiential and exploratory learning are what we’re all about. Both in and out of the classroom, discoveries and breakthroughs abound.
Projects
FireMAP
Dr. Dale Hamilton
Chair, Department of Mathematics/Computer Science
NNU is developing the Fire Monitoring and Assessment Platform (FireMAP), a remote sensing system which will enable monitoring of the extent and severity of wildland fires. The platform consists of the hardware, an off-the-shelf unmanned aerial system (UAS), an attached image acquisition unit and the computer software to process and geo-analyze images. FireMAP provides a responsive, affordable and safe means of mapping wildland fires.
MakerSat
Dr. Steve Parke
Faculty Researcher and Professor of Engineering
In 2020, NASA launched the first satellite designed to be additively manufactured in space. It was the third satellite NNU students have built in partnership with NASA. Team projects like this have jump-started the engineering careers of more than 50 NNU students and several high school students. NNU, NASA, Idaho Space Grant Consortium and several Idaho companies like Plexus, Micron and American Semiconductor have funded research such as the MakerSat-1 project.
Idabot
Dr. Duke Bulanon
Chair, Engineering
As part of NNU’s focus on engineering in agriculture, four students worked with two members of faculty to develop IdaBot, a prototype for an autonomous utility robot designed to assist Idaho specialty crop growers in day-to-day maintenance and harvesting. Outfitted with high-tech sensors, controllers, RFID (radio frequency identification) reader and a small tank sprayer, IdaBot can navigate vineyards and orchards, applying chemical treatments vital to the health of grape vines and fruit-bearing trees.
Global Research
Opportunities
Australia/New Zealand
International Bushfire Research
NNU Computer Science Professor Dr. Dale Hamilton worked as Science Lead on a project with the Australian/New Zealand Frontier Development Lab Data Quest on research using artificial intelligence to address bushfire issues by using space-based sensors. NNU students helped the research teams with data acquisition and collection tasks as they obtained and prepared data as the Data Quest was starting
