Written by Sean Riedel

The Aerial Remote Sensing Club at the University of North Texas gives students hands-on experience exploring the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, to map and analyze landscapes through remote sensing — driving student success through career-connected learning and equipping them with high-demand technical and analytical skills.

And now, the club has received funding from the UNT Diamond Eagles Society, expanding opportunities for the club to grow its reach.

John South, a lecturer and undergraduate advisor in the department of geography and the environment, serves as a faculty leader for the aerial remote sensing club at UNT.

“It was incredibly meaningful to the students in our drone club, to the students interested in remote sensing and to me personally,” South says. “This award made something possible for our students that was quite literally out of their grasp.”

South says that the cost of UAVs has increased exponentially due to restrictions on non-government approved aircraft, decreasing accessibility for students and faculty to obtain them.

The UNT Diamond Eagles Society — a network of donors, alumni and community members — vote every year to support a new high-impact campus project. Since 2017, the society has funded seven previous projects, including UNT’s Mean Green Acres hydroponic farm and the Diamond Eagles Community and Learning Area at the UNT Pollinative Prairie.

With the funding from the Diamond Eagles Society, the club is able to clarify a pathway forward for students to learn an in-demand skillset that will increase their opportunities for future careers.

“We have opened the door for the students to learn a new skill that is very much in demand,” South says. “I want the learning process to be student-led where they can work on projects that will teach them new skills and new applications of the UAV. The emphasis this year will be to increase the number of students participating in the program. Their ideas and enthusiasm will continue to drive the club forward.” 

South says additional funding will provide access to a wider array of low-end training UAVs and advanced sensors for the UAVs, including a hyperspectral camera system which will open up a new way of analyzing the environment — particularly vegetation, atmospheric gases, soils and mineral formations — and further enhance students' ability to interpret things that can't be detected visually.

South says he hopes that those students who choose to go into an industry or a government entity that can utilize these skills will find jobs where they already have an understanding of how a UAV can assist them in that work.  

For those students who want to go on to an advanced academic degree, these skills may provide them with the knowledge they need to further their research capabilities.

“In the end, this program is all about helping our students be successful in a world where many talented people are competing for jobs,” he says.

Looking ahead, the UNT Diamond Eagles Society will convene again in August 2026 to vote on the next transformative campus project. Those interested in helping shape the future of the university are invited to join the society or renew their membership.