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By Arianna Schuck

When Florida Tech announced that the university would be switching to online class instruction for the remainder of the spring semester on Mar. 12, many questions were raised, especially regarding the curriculum structure for lab instructions.

“We have made some adjustments to the ground rules for field and lab work in order to maintain social distancing,” said Richard Aronson, department head of Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences. This includes having fewer people in a lab at a time.

Florida Tech instructors have said that online lab instruction is not ideal, but students are still receiving a good education under the current circumstances. Photo// Florida Tech Research page

On Florida Tech’s Coronavirus updates page, under the frequently asked questions section, Florida Tech administration responded to a question regarding how labs would be taught saying; “there are several solutions to be implemented to support laboratory classes. At this point, we are finalizing the plans to convert all laboratory courses online.” The FAQ page also stated that additional details on specific laboratory requirements will be provided by the professors.

According to Aronson, the research labs will continue to take place, but there have been some changes to adapt to the current circumstances.

“We are carrying out our lab exercises through video demonstrations, through the use of data from previous years’ labs and through the purchase of software,” Aronson said.

While some faculty such as Julia Grimwade, program chair for biological sciences and chemistry, have said the switch to online lab instruction is necessary for students and faculty members safety in light of COVID-19, some students’ perspectives have varied.

Alexander Datillo, a freshman majoring in mechanical engineering, feels that lab instruction needs to be done in person.

“Understanding the results of a lab should be made easier by switching to online,” Datillo said. “But the lack of hands-on experience will make it difficult to learn from mistakes that could be made during the experiment had it actually been performed in a lab setting.”

Other students such as Katherine Johnson, a junior majoring in general biology, said that her workload has become more taxing since switching to online instruction. Out of all of Jackson’s classes and two labs, the only instruction through Zoom is one of her labs.

“The lack of uniform structure is taking a toll on my education,” Jackson said.“The point of labs is so they are hands on ways of learning and practicing lab protocol, simply posting data is inadequate.”

Grimwade stated that the situation for online lab instruction is not ideal, however she believes students are still receiving a very good education.

Aronson also added that given the current circumstances, lab instruction is “quite good” at the moment.

“What matters is that we are maintaining educational outcomes,” Aronson

Florida Tech’s resident drone club soared into the public eye as it hosted its first meeting of the fall semester on Friday, Sept. 27.

The Florida Tech Drone Club was founded to “bring awareness, provide experience and to be able to get the tools that we need to have to use drones to their full efficacy,” according to Nathaniel Bouchie, junior aerospace major and vice president of the drone club.

The club meets roughly once or twice a month and performs most of its other activities outside of its official meeting time.

These activities include drone building, racing and photography, but can span beyond those three categories for others interested in the club.

Furthermore, there are several opportunities for students who are interested in flying drones that are offered by the club as a whole and by its members.

The club has simulators that new flyers can practice on before piloting a physical drone.

They also have drones owned by the club’s members and by the university that can be used for events undertaken by the club, which include drones that use first-person view.

The club has taken steps to get involved in Florida Tech’s other clubs as well as in the community.

Robert Tonning, a junior in mechanical engineering and the current president of the drone club, said he enjoys flying because there are so many things that can be done with drones.

“I love the photography aspect with the Mavericks,” Tonning said. “You can race them, you can take pictures, you can map—there’s so many applications, so it’s a really good side hobby to have.”

The drone club had the opportunity to map out the animal sanctuary in Cocoa Beach last year and has considered going back, as it’s a good outreach opportunity for the club and its members.

The club also films some of the university’s athletics using drones, which included a soccer game last year.

The club wants to work with FITV as well to film an overview campus tour using their drones.

For those interested in drone racing, the student-led organization is looking to work with Eau Gallie High School to gain access to their hangar and to form a local drone racing league.

The club also encourages freestyle flying, using both line-of-sight piloting and FPV.

Eddie Torres, an experienced drone pilot from Homestead, Florida, described FPV freestyle flying as something incredible.

“It’s amazing,” Torres said. “The first-person view experience is something that everyone should try because you get the sensation of flying. You have the freedom of flight, being able to put yourself in places that you can’t [without a drone].”

The drone club is currently looking for new members.

Those interested in joining can find their meetings in Skurla, room 106 on Thursdays or on Florida Tech Engage.

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Students struggling with online lab instruction

Drone club kicks off the new semester