The Mark Cuss Memorial Scholarship is open to undergraduate studies at any recognized Canadian University. It is a cash scholarship of $5,000 to be awarded annually to student winners of an essay writing competition upon proof of enrollment in a qualifying institution.
This year the winner of the 2022 Mark Cuss Memorial Scholarship is Jake Stenson.
Jakes essay outlined his vision for how Drone (RPAS) technology innovations can create a safer, more efficient, and cost-effective environment for wildfire management and mitigation. His essay focused on wildfire risk in British Columbia, Canada but the concepts discussed have global implications as wildfire risk increases worldwide. Jakes essay included academic literature in the UAV and Emergency Management sphere, in addition to personal experience working as a Wildfire Fighter with the BC Wildfire Service and as a GIS Analyst/RPAS Pilot mapping wildfires with Hummingbird Drones Inc. In his essay he discussed the background of UAVs and the Wildfire Industry, the current limitations in understanding wildfires, how UAV Hotspot Mapping has revolutionized firefighting, the role of UAVs in frontline firefighting and the opportunities for Artificial Intelligence incorporating the wealth of data that UAVs can collect.
Jake Stenson is enrolled in the Geographic Information Systems Bachelor Degree program at Selkirk College. His transcript indicates a very strong student, and he will be graduating in May 2023. For summer 2023, Jake will be pursuing drone pilot work for wildlife detection and mitigation in the Oil and Gas Industry. He hopes to continue developing his skills in the unmanned systems industry and integrating this into his future career.
To learn more about Jakes paper please see the enclosed video.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WaZN3dAPY-Y1asEdcZq0jCrEh5Qf6KRk/view?usp=share_link
