On Saturday, April 12, 2014, the University of California at Merced held its annual Bobcat Day, a day in which admitted high school seniors and their parents are given a chance to UC Merced to see what the school has to offer. They are invited to engage in workshops and interact with various clubs and organizations around campus, including the ESL UAV Team. Here, prospective students can learn about college life and learning opportunities that are unique to UC Merced, as well as talk to current UCM students to get the reality of the school and why it is so great.
Bobcat day also provides a unique opportunity for members of the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Team to promote the team while recruiting new members who are excited to learn about what the team is doing and are eager to help. Thomas Thayer, a 3rd year students and member of the UAV Team, said, "Many of the prospective students that I spoke to today are really interested in our team, because working on a real world engineering project that benefits the community is something that most have not done before. Plus they would get to work with UAVs, how cool is that?"
The UAV Team was loaned a fixed wing drone from MESA lab for presentation, since the team is currently in the process of purchasing their first UAV platform.
