Carrick Detweiler will discuss “Shaping the Future Rise of Drones” at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 8. in the Nebraska Union Auditorium. The talk is free and open to the public.

The lecture continues the theme, “The Rise of the Machines,” for the College of Arts and Sciences’ new CAS Inquire program. The series is built around a collegewide series of lectures that give students, staff and faculty a focal point for conversations.

Detweiler is a Susan J. Rosowski Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. He co-directs the Nebraska Intelligent MoBile Unmanned Systems Lab.

“Beyond being simple toys, drones are increasingly used for everything from surveying crops for stressed plants to inspecting roofs for hail damage,” Detweiler said. “By leveraging advances in everything from the electro-mechanical design to novel software that can automatically detect faults to reduce risk and increase safety, we can shape the ‘rise of the machines’ to benefit society.”

The series includes five lectures in five disciplines, followed by a panel discussion with all the speakers in March. Guy Reynolds, English and women’s and gender studies, opened the series on Sept. 10 with his talk about British novels.

CAS Inquire students take specialized courses, help with facilitating the program and enjoy additional benefits. They can apply, or be nominated by faculty, for the program on the web page.