Drone Camps for Educators and Students
SPONSORED BY FIRST SOURCE FEDERAL CREDIT UNION
Drones, or unattended aerial systems/vehicles (UAS/V), have become increasingly important to the economic engine of upstate New York. With the NUAIR Alliance based at Griffiss International Airport in Rome, New York, one of seven UAS/V testing programs in the United States, and numerous research and development companies within the region, there is a regional focus on cutting-edge UAS/V technologies. The integration of drones into the National Air Space, the testing of automated package delivery for mega-companies such as Walmart and Amazon and the like are being addressed within what is called New York state Governor Cuomo’s “Drone Corridor”, spanning the 50-mile stretch from Rome to Syracuse, NY.
All of this points to the importance for today’s public schools to include the study of drones within their technology education programs for students.
And who better to learn from than those engaged in this work? At The Project Fibonacci® Foundation Drone Camps, teachers, public school students and college students learn from drone industry experts and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Certified Remote Pilots.
Goals:
- Introduce participants to various topics of interest to hobbyists
- Introduce participants to various drone technologies, training and career options
- Provide educators with technical expertise and resources enabling further drone education to
- take place at the school level within co-curricular or stand-alone curriculums, or as extra-curricular activities (e.g., “Drone technology clubs”)
- Support understanding and appreciation of the local drone industry and its role within the US economy
Hands-on learning opportunities are tied to the “new” New York State Science, Mathematics and Engineering Standards, and include an array of topics:
- Rules of the National Air Space (NAS)
- Aerodynamics and how things fly
- Safe operations of quadcopters
- Flight simulation software
- Indoor and outdoor manual flight
- Using GPS coordinates to pre-program autonomous flight paths
- Semi-automated package delivery
- Small (sUAS) components and repair
- sUAS photography/videography, including “Follow Me” and “Point of Interest”
- First Person View (FPV) and drone racing
- “Sense and Avoid” technologies
- Why study drones? Local drone initiatives and training opportunities
Past Drone Camp Events:
“Third Annual Full STEAM Ahead: sUAS/V, the Future, and You!”
October 2017
A quadcopter camp for high school teachers and their students
“Drones with Larry: An Introduction to sUAS/V Technology”
August 2017
A half-day drone camp for the high school and college participants of the 2017 Project Fibonacci Foundation STEAM Conference
“Quadcopters for Girls”
May 2017
A drone camp designed specially to spark the interest of female students in grades 5-8 and their teachers
“Second Annual Full STEAM Ahead: sUAS/V, the Future, and You!”
October 2016
A quadcopter event for high school teachers and their students with a friendly competition
“Full STEM Ahead: sUAS/V, the Future, and You!”
October 2015
Pilot year drone camp offered to select high school teachers and their students (Rome Free Academy, Camden Sr. High School and Holland Patent High School)
In the News:
High Schoolers to Learn About Drones
Rome Sentinel Article: UAV Day
Student Interest Soars at Drone Days
Students get up-close look at unmanned air systems
Project Fibonacci Competition event set for next week