Welcome Back (Greetings from Six Feet Away)

The rhythms for the fall semester are radically different in 2020. With limited exceptions made for on-campus activities, a few have the privilege of returning to campus.

CPP engineering professor with students

This small research group led by aerospace engineering professor Dr. Subodh Bhandari gives us a peek into day one of the new normal for the foreseeable future.

Bhandari’s research projects are funded by the Cal State Agricultural Research Institute (ARI), National Science Foundation (NSF), University Space Research Association (USRA), and companies in the aerospace industry. The first project, funded by ARI, involves unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) using remote sensing technology for the assessment of plant health and optimization of nitrogen and water for plant production. The second research project focuses on increased autonomy of UAVs.

These projects involve engineering students in aerospace, mechanical, electrical and computer, and science students in computer science and plant sciences. The students work on instrumentation, sensor integration, and data collection, processing, and analysis.

CPP engineering aerospace student conducting research

"It’s really nice to come back here and see the same lab and people again. It’s pretty nostalgic.”

- Sung Hyeok Cho, Aerospace Engineering Graduate Student

“It feels very good to be back. I miss being face-to-face—nothing replaces it. We’re excited to be able to continue to do research again.”

- Dr. Subodh Bhandari, Aerospace Engineering Professor and Faculty Advisor

CPP engineering professor Subodh Bhandari