 Emerging trends is one of my favorite courses in the remote sensing curriculum. Students are given a chance to interact directly with my colleagues who excel at their work in the real world. The course is taught in seminar format with a different guest speaker each week discussing a topic of current interest in the remote sensing industry. Students get to explore advanced topics that weren't covered in other courses such as bathymetric and geiger mode lidar, oblique aerial imagery, radar and thermal mapping. Students get to hear from the professional horse's mouth how these technologies are being put to use in the real world. For example for ocean bottom mapping, oil spill response, ecological modeling for wildlife conservation, aviation safety or even creating a virtual world for self-driving cars. The goal of this course is to give students the opportunity to thoughtfully explore the more esoteric realms of remote sensing in discussion with fellow students and real-world practitioners. I feel strongly about the position of this course at the end of the certificate program because it gives students the chance to begin actively networking outside the confines of the university. I think that's so important in a field like remote sensing where technology changes significantly over very short periods of time. One has to not only master the fundamentals but one has to develop a sense of inquisitiveness and confidence to continue learning as time goes on. I see this course as an important stepping stone in that transition. While registered students exchange ideas for future projects and research, I openly invite former students to listen into the guest lectures for professional development. I also see this course as an opportunity for the guest lecturers who are industry leaders to meet and appreciate our Penn State students. This course is the end of the remote sensing certificate program but I also see it as the beginning of ongoing relationships between our current students, alumni and the professional world.