Air support
Continued from Page 7 be miniaturized and lightened to about six pounds. They also must make them quiet and ensure that the camera is able to take clear pictures. Semke hopes to begin testing as soon as weather permits. UND has exceptional qualifications for supporting such a project. Most universities would have to outsource at least one of the key pieces that make this project tick, according to Semke. Semke says everyone on the wildlife project is complementing, not competing with, each other. Desell calls the project a “unique and novel” experience because of all the talents involved. It also is a good indication of the future of research, with the wide range of disciplines and large amounts of data involved in the project, he said. “The folks on this project should be very proud of what they are accomplishing at UND,” said Corcoran. Outside interest, including that from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service, has been tremendous, say members of the UND team. If the project is successful, it will not only push back the limitations of wildlife research, it will help UND attract more students and faculty with interest in these areas and acquire more research funding. “This is the future” said Felege. “It is what everyone is talking about.” n
This is one of numerous scenes shot by Kyle Cassidy for the North Dakota Man Camp Project. His photographs documented the many efforts to create housing in the Bakken region during the dramatic expansion of oil and gas development.
Historical parallels can offer insights for today’s challenges in the Bakken region.
What was old ... ... is new again By David Dodds
In their own words UND UAS course manager Mike Corcoran on what it’s like to be part of the interdisciplinary wildlife project: “I’m an aviator by trade, so flying is typically my favorite part of any project. However, I’m finding more and more that seeing what other people gain from UAS is what it’s really all about. This is unbeatable. It’s like seeing the world of aviation opened up to an entire mass of people who simply have not had access to flight before, at least within their profession, within their reach. UAS offers this opportunity. Watching their excitement as they build more potential, and create greater use from this technology, far exceeds my love of flight. It’s been great to see the growth. Better yet, I get to see this excitement from both professors and students alike. So far, this is my favorite part about this project, and working at UND.”
8 n UND Discovery n University of North Dakota
There’s the famous saying: “What goes around comes around.” Another variation is “Everything old is new again.” Then there’s this foreboding doozy: “Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” They’re repeated so much in modern usage that they’ve become cliché — probably because there’s more than a shred of truth behind them. University of North Dakota scholars who have their collective eyes fixed on the oil-producing region of western North Dakota could apply all of these sayings to the environment that exists there. Oil production, fueled by fracking in the Bakken shale geological formation, has ramped up so much in recent years, the people of the area — both natives and newcomers — have struggled to cope with unprecedented growth and, yes, wealth. A big problem is that there’s not a whole
lot of good advice being given to the people who live there. Sebastian Braun, chair of UND’s Indian Studies Department, is among a group of researchers trying to change that. “It’s clear that they do not have the tools to put this in a global perspective,” Braun said. “They have been basically told to ‘just adapt.’” Braun and his colleagues contend that world history — ancient and modern — is rife with examples of people and regions that have found themselves swept away in the whirlwind of a boom economy. Some have dealt with the challenges better than others. The point is, there’s plenty of historical data on how other people and cultures have handled scenarios similar to what is currently playing out in the Bakken region of North Dakota. “This is being spun in a way that this is new — but it’s not — and this is something that is not just happening here,” Braun said. One way UND researchers are getting