Sramana Majumdar

"Violence, Identity and Self-determination: Narratives of conflict from the Kashmir Valley" 4:15 PM, Monday 18 Nov Room 239, BYC Bryn Mawr College

Exposure Index

Tired of paper and pencil questionnaires about integration and intergroup contact? Try the new and improved EXPOSURE INDEX (click tab above on this page).

Court Discloses Memo Approving Drone Strike on American

Since 2011 when U.S. citizen al-Awlaki was killed in a drone strike, various civil rights groups (and family members) have sought to obtain (and challenge) the legal justification for the strike. The issue gained further notoriety in early 2013, when Attorney General Eric Holder refused to rule out a lethal drone strike on U.S. citizens […]

Ukraine Resurrects Soviet-Era Super Drones

While drones may be exploding onto the world consciousness at the present time, the idea is surprisingly old, with autonomous torpedos, mobile anti-tank mines, and also these jet-powered surveillance drones from the 1970s. Unable to land properly, the Tu-141 carries a parachute system instead. It does, however, manage to have a top speed more than […]

LAPD adds drones to arsenal, says they’ll be used sparingly

This is more than merely another “police obtaining drones” article. The drones the LAPD received are being given away because the citizens of Seattle refused to let their police force use them. It remains to be seen whether Los Angelos will also reject their use. It is also noteworthy that the LAPD, avoided the word […]

Drone Battle Over Syria

Both Assad’s forces and the rebels have been using small, often commercial, drones for battlefield intelligence. Even in a war torn and now heavily isolated country, innovation continues.

The NSA’s Secret Role in the U.S. Assassination Program

Drones and the NSA: two of the biggest stories in military technology meet in this article. The NSA provides targets’ cell-phone location data, and drones often collect signals intelligence data for the NSA to analyze. Perhaps even more interesting than this predictable synthesis is the terrorists/insurgents’ adaptation. By changing or trading cell phones, the article […]

Driverless Trucks Will Keep Army Safe From IEDs

Convoys are historically desirable targets in warfare. They are also unarmed. Unmanned convoys can keep people out of dangerous situations while sidestepping the growing debate over the ethics of autonomous killing machines.

Navy’s 757-Sized Drone Will Provide Big-Time Surveillance

Once again, the Navy demonstrates its interest in drones, this time with a high altitude surveillance vehicle. The article hints at an impressive amount of automation in both flight and sensor analysis.

Coming Soon, a Night Watchman With Wheels?

This prototype illustrates just how far the field of robotics has come. With half a dozen kinds of sensors and some level of autonomy, this device still has an expected effective cost of just $6.25/h. Needless to say, privacy is a concern. As it is designed to be networked, perhaps security should also be a […]

Army Scores a Super-Stealthy Drone That Looks Like a Bird

In the U.S. military’s ongoing battle against insurgents and terrorists, radar stealth is less important than invisibility – or, in this case, disguise. Designed to look like a circling bird from a distance, this small drone model is designed to provide short-range surveillance without alerting the subjects.

Which drone future will Americans choose?

This commentary attempts to look at drones in the context of nuclear proliferation. While drones certainly are more focused than a nuclear bomb, they are also far cheaper to obtain. While the fears stated may be exaggerated, privacy and proliferation will continue to be major concerns. The Asch Center also agrees with the author that […]