CSU Drone Center Team
Christopher Robertson – Drone Center Director
Email: [email protected]
Christopher has dedicated 24 years to Colorado State University, transitioning from a two-decade tenure in law enforcement with the Colorado State University Police Department to his current role as Director of the CSU Drone Center for the past 6 years. With over 9 years of experience in UAS operations spanning both public and private sectors, he co-founded the Larimer County UAS Team, offering drone services for fire, police, and search and rescue operations. Christopher’s expertise includes piloting sUAS for various missions, such as police, fire, search and rescue, GIS/remote sensing, and scientific tasks. He founded the CSU Drone Flight School, facilitating over 900 individuals in obtaining their Part 107 FAA UAS certificate.
Additionally, Christopher serves as an Adjunct Professor with the Walter Scott College of Engineering, teaching UAS technology. Holding FAA Private Pilot and Remote Pilot licenses, his proficiency extends to various unmanned aerial systems, including multi-rotor, VTOL, and fixed-wing models. Throughout his tenure at the Colorado State University Police Department, Christopher served for 16 years in the patrol division and 4 years in event security management. In 2020, he assumed the role of full-time Director at the CSU Drone Center, continuing his commitment to leveraging technology for community safety and support, as evidenced by his contributions to Larimer County Search and Rescue as a drone pilot, search leader, and K9 handler.
Adam Smith – Drone Center Assistant Director
Email: [email protected]
Adam leads all public-facing and educational initiatives drawing on over 20 years of expertise gained as a retired police officer from Colorado State University. His pivotal role in developing and overseeing the department’s UAS program underscores his deep understanding of drone operations. Holding an FAA Part 107 pilot license, Adam’s extensive experience encompasses piloting drones for law enforcement, event management, search and rescue missions, as well as commercial photography and videography. As a decorated U.S. Navy veteran, Adam embodies discipline and dedication, while his current role as a Colorado emergency medical technician reflects his unwavering commitment to community service and safety.
Alex Olsen-Mikitowicz – Lead Technician
Email: [email protected]
Alex brings a unique blend of military, academic, and aviation expertise to the CSU Drone Center. A U.S. Air Force veteran, Alex served as a sensor operator aboard the E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS). He is also a Part 107 licensed remote pilot with over 650 commercial flight hours as well as a private airplane pilot with instrument rating. After earning his masters in watershed science from CSU, Alex became an ASPRS certified mapping technician with broad experience in remote sensing and geospatial data analytics. When he’s not running projects at the CSU Drone Center, Alex enjoys exploring Colorado’s outdoors on either skis or a mountain bike.
Don Hunter, Ph.D. – Wildlife Research and Development
Email: [email protected]
Don Hunter wears the hats of scientist, teacher, and author. With a doctorate in wildlife ecology, he was lured into the worlds of two big cats, the mountain lion and snow leopard. Their environments, east and west, enriched his life and moved him to study them and help to conserve their worlds. In addition to dozens of journal articles and publications, he contributed and edited Snow Leopard – Stories form the Roof of the World, a poignant collection of first-person stories by those who have shared a personal connection with this rare cat. His current research centers around using thermal-equipped drones to census the prey of large cats—wild sheep and goats in the mountains of Colorado and Central Asia.
Cal Mickelson – Content and Marketing
Cal is a senior Computer Science major with extensive experience in front-end web development. He is also a skilled videographer and editor. In his free time, he enjoys skiing.
Davis Schenkenberger – Student Technician
Email: [email protected]
Davis is a current CSU student studying Computer Science with a minor in GIS. He has
experience writing software for open-source UAS flight systems, and has built and developed numerous workflows and models in addition to his experience with UAS mapping & modeling.
Michal Marquardt – Student Technician
Michael is a recent CSU graduate with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. He specializes in aerial photo and videography, remote sensing applications, and flight instruction. Michael is targeting a career in design engineering and enjoys playing guitar and drums, hiking, biking, and photographing Colorado’s mountain scenery in his free time.
Jonathan Ballard – Student Technician
Email: [email protected]
Jonathan is a graduate student at CSU studying Computer Science with a focus in artificial intelligence and machine learning. He has a Bachelor’s in Computer Engineering from Oklahoma Christian University, where he was part of a capstone team that designed, built, and tested a VTOL drone from scratch for a non-profit organization in Honduras.
Nickalas Padgett – Student Technician
Email: [email protected]
Nickalas is a senior studying mechanical engineering and has a background in defense communications design and manufacturing. He is currently leading a team designing an induction foundry in the manufacturing education center (EMEC). At the drone center, Nickalas is a Part 107 licensed pilot and a UAV technician. Nickalas’s focus is on repairing and improving circuits and wire harnesses. Nickalas loves working on electronic packaging design and any kind of heat transfer problems.
McKenzie Johnson – Student Technician
Email: [email protected]
McKenzy will be graduating in Fall 2024 with her bachelor’s in computer engineering with a machine learning minor. Her career goal is to work on control systems for autonomous aircraft. In her free time, she enjoys flying drones, playing sports, and being outdoors!
Sudish Raghupatruni – Student Technician
Email: [email protected]
Sudhish is a third-year undergraduate mechanical engineering student at CSU with a minor in biomedical engineering. In his capacity as a technician at the CSU Drone Center, he focuses mainly on repairing and maintaining drones, while also contributing to setting up the RedBird TD2 flight simulator and participating as an actor in the first responder UAV workshop. His career goal is to work as a design engineer developing impactful products that he is passionate about. His hobbies include motorcycling, fishing, and machining.
Bryce Rubino – Student Technician
Email: [email protected]
Bryce is a junior studying mechanical engineering with an interest in aerospace. At the CSU Drone Center, he specializes in 3D modeling and printing but loves anything that involves working with his hands. He just recently got into the world of drones, and it is quickly becoming one of his passions.
Jack Gottschalk – Student Technician
Jack is a senior Mechanical Engineering undergrad working primarily in CAD modeling and 3D printing. He enjoys spending time outdoors and modeling his own personal projects in his free time. After graduation he is planning to move into a career that involves design and manufacturing processes.
Bohannon “Bo” Robertson – Chief Canine Officer (CCO)
Bo is an accomplished Larimer County Search and Rescue canine, where he served the Front Range admirably for years assisting in many successful recoveries. Now in retirement, Bo helps train new search and rescue members in canine-assisted tracking concepts. Bo’s specialties include high-altitude fetch, decommissioning drones, and precision belly-rub landings.