From their origins in the military, drones are now appearing in many different industries, including real estate, filmmaking, and advertising. Drones are everywhere and have emerged as a great way to teach students STEM skills, such as geometry, science, art and physics. 

 

Ean Mikale, creator of the Dronetrepreneur Program said, “With Fortune Magazine projecting 100,000 commercial drone jobs to be created by 2025, and PriceWaterHouseCoopers estimating the industry to reach $127B by 2022.  Exposing our students in the Greater Omaha area to drones will help them be well positioned for high-wage careers in aeronautics, construction, agriculture, entertainment, logistics, and utilities to name a few.” 

Staff from seven afterschool sites completed two days of training in the Dronetrepreneur Program.   In addition to learning how to fly a drone, staff learned how drones work, weather conditions and airspace limitations.   Staff also learned about state and federal regulations, legal and privacy issues, and using a camera mounted on the drone. After completing the two days of training, staff are excited to show their students what they learned and then put it to use by involving students learning about the drone applications.

One staff member had this to say about the training and curriculum, “Flying robots was the first thing that came to mind when I heard the word “Drone”. That all changed when I attended the Drone training.  We learned all about the new innovations and careers  in the drone training. It made me eager to learn more about the vast possibilities these flying wonders are creating.  The training gave me more then enough information to feel comfortable teaching a Drone class to staff and students at the ZAP afterschool program. Flying and researching drones have proven to be amusing to all ages, genders, and ethnicity. Enrollment for this club filled up quicker then any Club we have offered in my eight-months at ZAP.”

Collective for Youth aims to help our community partners explore the use of drones within their program and gather information about the career industries related to drones.  Program Director Gwyn Williams said “It is necessary to teach STEM in a hands-on way. Drones are the best way to do this. Drones are popular right now. This is the perfect opportunity to get students excited about drones, and then build the opportunity for students who want to go deeper into the science and engineering behind drones. “