In recent years, some U.S. high schools and trade schools have begun integrating drone technology classes into their curricula, in part to spur students to consider the expanding drone industry as a promising career path.  But at the college level, it’s more common to find a senior professor and drone enthusiast using his university campus as a platform to educate the broader public about the purpose and value of drones for business, recreational and community life.

A good example is Roger Piland, a senior professor in the Communications Department at Elon University in Elon, North Carolina near Greensboro.  With support from the Elon school administration, Piland inaugurated “Elon Drone Day” in November 2021 in partnership with the North Carolina Department of Transportation, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Safety Team and local business and civic groups. The daylong event drew more than 120 attendees to learn about the training and regulatory requirements for operating drones and to experience a live drone demonstration illustrating the wide range of roles that drones can perform in industry – including site mapping, inventory management and safety inspections.  The event also showcased the latest developments in drone product design as well as state-of-the art drone camera surveillance, sensing and imaging technology.

After the success of last year’s event, Piland applied for a grant from the Elon Innovation Council to sponsor an expanded drone fair and exhibition in 2022.   The Innovation Council solicits funding proposals from Elon faculty, students and staff to support innovative science and technology projects that also expand Elon’s commitment to diversity and global outreach.  Earlier this year, the Council granted Piland an award of $4,500, which will allow him to draw in more university departments and to incorporate the local community as well as students in drone training abroad.

“We’re really looking at ways to incorporate other disciplines from across campus, particularly engineering and computer science, whose fields are making an impact in the drone industry and whose students can see how they can fit into the drone field,” Piland said, in a university press release.

This year’s Drone Day will also include representatives from Global Air Drone Academy (GADA), a Baltimore, MD-based center that trains youth in STEM education programs to become drone pilots.  GADA also sponsors various overseas training initiatives, especially in Nigeria and other African countries where drone technologies are beginning to enter into industry but still need outside funding and technical support.  “We want to bring [GADA] in to show that this is a global opportunity,” Piland said. “It’s feeding a career path and jobs for young people who can look ahead and say, ‘I have a future in those fields.’”

Thanks to Piland’s efforts, Elon was recently accepted as an associate member of the National Association for Uncrewed Vehicle System International (AUVSI).  AUVSI’s North Carolina chapter is co-hosting this year’s Elon Drone Day, which is scheduled for November 18th.  Piland is expecting on-site attendance this year to be well over 500, with participants in Africa and elsewhere viewing the event remotely.

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