Who We Are

We are a woman-led team of drone pilots, rangeland scientists, and educators, and we are passionate about greater education in the world of drone flying and science. Drones are bringing new opportunities to all kinds of scientific endeavors, and we want to share all of this information - that's our mission!

This site is focused on bridging the gap between educational and professional settings when it comes to the uses and applications of drones for research, field work, and land management. Feel free to reach out to us on our Outreach Center page, and we look forward to connecting with you in the future. 

Tracy Shane

​Tracy Shane is a faculty lecturer, PhD candidate and certified rangeland management specialist in the
Department of Agriculture, Veterinary and Rangeland Science. She is passionate about agriculture
education and has taught courses in a variety of subject areas including livestock production, rangeland
management, rangeland vegetation monitoring, sheep production, beef production, rangeland livestock
interactions, introduction to veterinary medicine and senior seminars. She frequently volunteers her
time during the Nevada State FFA convention and has taught K-12 teachers about agriculture in Nevada.
Ms. Shane leads a team of graduate and undergraduate students in
ecological data collection and data processing and analysis. She enjoys outdoor activities such as
camping, mountain biking, and hiking with her family and dog.

Tracy's Research

Ms. Shane has several research interests including the remote sensing of drylands, use of emerging
technologies such as small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) for assessing rangeland condition,
wildland fuel loads and detecting landscape changes, and evaluation of wildlife and livestock foraging
effects on dryland ecosystems. ​

Sarah VanNest

Sarah VanNest is an undergraduate student at the University of Nevada, Reno working towards a Dual Bachelors in Rangeland Ecology and Management and Wildlife Ecology and Conservation. She is passionate about agricultural education, rangeland health, and wildlife populations. Each year, Sarah enjoys helping out at the Nevada FFA State Convention and the Nevada Junior Livestock Show. She will be graduating in the Spring of 2023 and enjoys baking, reading, hiking, photography, and camping.

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Hannah Potts

Hannah Potts is a graduate student at the University of Nevada, Reno working on her Master's of Science in Geography. She is passionate about public lands and their protection, as well as specific issues related to mine land reclamation. She is a licensed drone pilot, and joined Tracy Shane's field team in 2022 to help with flights and processing of data. She has also worked as a member of the Nevada Division of Mineral's Abandoned Minelands Crew and for the FOCAL lab at UC Davis. She has used her experience in drones and geographic information systems (GIS) in both of these roles, as well as in her research projects and interests.  Her thesis focuses on the applications of drone technology for monitoring the Mohave Ground Squirrel, a threatened species that lives in the Northern Mojave.  She lives in Nevada, and enjoys backpacking, hiking, wood working, baking, and embroidery. 

Interested in the Research Our Team is Conducting?
​ Check out some of their research posters!