As the saying goes, babies and puppies draw attention…and today’s Rotary meeting proved that statement! Read on, dear friends.
President Chris Swope opened the meeting by barely hitting the bell at first, but then knocking it out of the park on his second try!
A very heartfelt reflection was delivered by Jeff Benson with the theme, “You may never know the full impact of a small act of kindness.” He challenged us to look for one opportunity each day in May to positively impact another person, even a small way. Good advice, Jeff!
Hari Kerns graced us once again with her accompaniment skills as we quietly sang, “America.”
Only two visiting guests were in the house…one who perhaps might be the youngest person ever to visit, the cute little Miss Eva Pacek. (That’s the “baby” reference.)
Health of the Club: It was announced that Sandy Draggoo has pancreatitis. Please keep her in your prayers.
For our Special Music, Hari introduced the Capital Flute Quartet, who started together nearly 40 years ago. As a flautist myself, this was my kind of music! The group includes Judy Tan, Isabelle Scott, Diedra Garlock and Gaile Griffore, with Hari also accompanying on piano. Many Rotarians learned for the first time that there are many, many different kinds of flutes and piccolos! The first piece was called Florist and included movements titled
Trillium, Calla, and Baby’s Breath Toggle (with a Boogie Woogie beat). Lastly, the quartet played
Over The Rainbow, a favorite of many!
Announcements:
- Two upcoming volunteer opportunities are available at Greater Lansing Food Bank: Wednesday, May 27 & Tuesday, Sept. 22, 9-11 a.m.
- Two openings on the Foundation Board of Directors
Craig Stiles reminded everyone that there’s still time to contribute to Paul Harris and pushed for final contributions. Our club is currently at around $7,000 and every little bit counts. We would like to achieve 100% participation.
Bobby Hoffman reminded everyone of the ePIFany Now Party tonight, 5-7 p.m. at the new MSU Headquarters, honoring Irv Nichols. Free admission and food.
Cathy Zell was chair of the day and introduced Jonathan Gusmano, LCC’s program director for Computer Information Technologies and Careers.
And now onto our puppy appearance! Jonathan brought along the very first drone dog any of us have ever seen in person, appropriately named, Snoop Dogg. Snoop walked across the room and immediately waved to everyone to kick off the presentation. Incidentally, Jonathon is a classically-trained musician and got a degree in IT. Now he works with drones. He was quick to state that drones can be a force for good...unlike the presentation a few weeks ago about drone usage by government in war zones which left us all feeling like we wanted to bury our head in the sand.
Jonathon said that drone dogs like Snoop work with special needs children in local schools who can’t be around actual dogs. These dogs offer individuals a companion or guardian and can help with health issues, like monitor blood sugar, recognizing issues like seizures and can even contact emergency services and tell them where the person is.
LCC has a single course where people can get their federal certification/license as a drone operator. LCC is one of only two drone programs in the state and one of the first in the country.
Other uses for drones include going into places that would be unsafe for humans, like fires or public safety situations. Jonathon said they’ve even used dog drones for flame-throwing in controlled-burn settings.
While manufacturing has been using robotics for decades, humanoid drones are being perfected to replace certain jobs that are very hard on the body, like those in plants that are repetitive and take long hours. However, we still need professionals with drone training to program and fix those drones, so they won’t completely take the place of humans. Drones can also be used in manufacturing facility to fix something while their programmer is in another part of the world.
LCC’s does great outreach to the community, and in their high school student program, the students actually get to build their own drone. They also hold community-based drone public days twice a year.
During the Q&A section, Rotarians might’ve broken their record for most questions asked of a presenter! This speaker was truly fascinating.
Jonathan explained the difference between a robot and drone. Robots are programmed to do something repetitive. Drones use AI to do things autonomously, make their own decisions based on situations, and can even answer questions appropriately! That’s why drones are helpful to people with health issues. They can also be used for security and even recognize people by named if programmed.
Then the question came about AI and it’s downside. He stated that AI is just a tool, which obviously can be used for tremendous good or tremendous evil. LCC always talks about this with students and reinforces the importance of ethics in this field. But so many job creations and advances can be done with AI and drones, if done correctly. Yes, it can take jobs away, but he said there’s no replacement for human creativity, thought and intuition.
Jonathan explained what parts and technologies are used in Snoop Dogg: LYDAR, cameras, sensors (air quality sensors, geospatial mapping, etc.), lights, and practically anything can be mounted on Snoop depending what the needs are. As parts get cheaper, smaller, and better everyday, including impact-resistant plastic, there will be a lot more drones. He can also connect and disconnect to other systems, like police.
He’s programmed both by human and AI, so Snoop can make some his own decisions! He ended the meeting by showing off some of his tricks, like standing on his front legs, dancing and waving goodbye. Needless to say, we all fell in love with this non-furry friend!
Email for Michelle Lantz: michelle@glfoodbank.org
We have a service opportunity at the Greater Lansing Food Bank on Wednesday, May 27th from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and Tuesday, September 22nd from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. located at 5600 Food Ct., Bath Township. Please let Jason Brunette know if you can help: 