Dr. Hamilton is a retired Biological Field Station Director and Academic Coordinator. He received his BS and MS in Biology from the California State Polytechnic University in Pomona, and his Ph.D. in Natural Resources Policy and Planning from Cornell University. Over his career, he managed two University of California field stations and natural reserves, while collaborating on research that merged the lines between ecology, engineering, and conservation. He has been co-PI on interdisciplinary teams of faculty and students who design, engineer, and field test tools for remote sensing of organisms and ecosystems. These field systems incorporate cameras, sensors, wireless networks, and robotics to build portable sensor platforms capable of semi-autonomous operation. Drones conduct aerial surveys of vegetation and microclimate and are able to collect water samples from lakes and rivers. “Tree-bots” navigate aerial cables through forest canopies measuring plant growth and gas exchange, while below-ground robotic rhizotrons capture thousands of digital images documenting the microscopic interconnections between tree roots and fungi. Small robotic boats and submarines measure water quality at variable depths and assess the health of a coral reef.