This week, CU Boulder Graduate Research Student Alex Hirst traveled to North-West University in Johannesburg, South Africa to further his research for the UAE Rain Enhancement Project. He will be working with Dr. Roelof Burger and his lab to collaborate on development of planning algorithms to allow the Super RAAVEN sUAS to explore seedable regions within clouds.
This collaboration is intended to allow him to learn about the forecasting models that the South African atmospheric scientist partners are using to predict cloud development and movement. These forecasts will enable the project team to optimize the paths for the UAS.
Hirst’s research is supported by the National Center for Meteorolgy (NCM), United Arab Emirates, and his travel was funded in part by the Graduate Student Global Enrichment Fund at CU.