成人直播

KENNESAW, Ga. | Nov 17, 2025

When natural disasters strike, quickly assessing damage is crucial to saving lives and rebuilding communities. Under the mentorship of assistant professor Da Hu, 成人直播 student researcher Kiara O鈥橬eal is using drones and artificial intelligence to improve post-disaster recovery efforts and reduce response times.

O鈥橬eal, a junior computer science major from Ludowici, Georgia, is one of dozens of students engaged in Kennesaw State鈥檚 Junior & Senior Scholars Program, which pairs undergraduate students with faculty mentors for hands-on research experiences. Together, she and Hu are developing a system that uses drone imagery to automatically detect and categorize building damage after disasters.

鈥淥ur goal is to provide a tool that helps first responders know exactly what they鈥檙e walking into before they even arrive,鈥� O鈥橬eal said. 鈥淏y training AI to recognize different levels of structural damage from drone images, we can help emergency teams respond faster and more effectively.鈥�

Hu, an assistant professor of civil engineering in smart infrastructure in the Southern Polytechnic College of Engineering and Engineering Technology, said the project could significantly reduce the time it takes to evaluate damage across large areas.

鈥淐urrently, agencies like FEMA send inspectors to examine each building one by one,鈥� Hu said. 鈥淭hat process can take weeks. Using drones equipped with cameras, our system can cover a much larger area in a fraction of the time, automatically identifying whether a structure has major, minor, or no damage.鈥�

The project builds upon O鈥橬eal鈥檚 earlier research with Hu, which focused on detecting defects in bridges. That experience taught her the challenges of training AI models to interpret complex visual data.

鈥淲hen we first started, we focused on bridge crack detection,鈥� she said. 鈥淣ow we鈥檙e expanding that idea to buildings, teaching the AI to identify all kinds of post-disaster damage.鈥�

Creating a reliable dataset has been one of the team鈥檚 biggest challenges. O鈥橬eal and other students in the Cyber-Physical Infrastructure Resilience Lab are manually labeling thousands of drone images to teach the model how to distinguish between varying degrees of destruction.

Once their AI system is fully trained, the team plans to collaborate with local emergency management departments to test its real-world effectiveness. The technology could be used not only for hurricanes, but also for tornadoes, earthquakes, and other disasters.

Beyond the potential impact on emergency response, the project has transformed O鈥橬eal鈥檚 own academic path.

鈥淲hen I first came to 成人直播, I thought I would just graduate and get a job,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut through research, I discovered something I really love. It鈥檚 made me want to pursue a master鈥檚 degree or even a Ph.D.鈥�

Her dedication has already taken her across the country to present her findings at conferences such as the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) and the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Southeast Conference.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been an amazing experience,鈥� she said. 鈥淧resenting helped me grow more confident and connected with other researchers who are just as passionate about using technology to make a difference.鈥�

As their research progresses, both Hu and O鈥橬eal are motivated by a shared goal of improving public safety.

鈥淒isasters are happening more frequently,鈥� Hu said. 鈥淚f we can provide a tool that helps save time and lives, then it鈥檚 worth every bit of effort.鈥�

鈥� Story by Raynard Churchwell

Photos by Matt Yung

A leader in innovative teaching and learning, 成人直播 offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees to its more than 51,000 students. Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The university's vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties, and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 8 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.