By Abigail W. Adams
A Lumenier QAV250 Mini FPV Quadcopter, the “hobby drone” which will be constructed by Wiscasset Middle High School students as part of the new UAV Academy course. After the Wiscasset Board of Selectmen denied a funding request, the Wiscasset School Committee authorized the use of another fund to purchase the drone kits. (Photo courtesy GetFPV.com) |
The UAV Academy, a course where students will learn to build their own drones and utilize them in science projects, will once again be offered to Wiscasset Middle High School students in grades nine through 12. The course will be the first of its kind in Maine, school officials said.
In a special school committee meeting Wednesday, Aug. 12, committee members voted unanimously to authorize Principle Cheri Towle to utilize up to $4,750 from the Seth J. Wingren fund to purchase supplies and equipment for the course.
The Seth J. Wingren fund is one of three funds established to support education in Wiscasset and the only fund under the authority of the school committee. The fund has an approximate balance of $21,893, school committee Chair Steve Smith said.
The other two funds, the Larrabee fund and the Mary E. Bailey fund, are town funds, and their use requires the approval of the select board.
School officials previously believed they would have to cancel the UAV Academy course, one of the most popular new courses at Wiscasset Middle High School with 28 students signed up, due to Wiscasset selectmen’s Aug. 4 denial of the school committee’s request to use the Mary E. Bailey fund to purchase equipment for the course.
Selectmen voted down the request in a split 2-2 vote, largely due to concerns with and objections to unmanned aerial vehicles, a technology first introduced with a military use and utilized in controversial military operations.
The normalization and commercialization of UAV technology has sparked debate throughout the country with concerns about privacy infringement and safety concerns.
In a unanimous vote with no discussion, the school committee ensured the course would continue through use of the Seth J. Wingren fund. “I’m happy we’re going to be able to offer a new technology course,” Smith said.
The semester-long course will be offered twice during the 2015-2016 school year and will be able to serve up to 60 students, Smith said. The drone kits purchased with the funds will be reused in future school years with nominal costs for replacement of parts. “It’s going to be a great value,” Smith said.
The idea for the course stemmed from Wiscasset High School and University of Maine alumnus Jesse Hinman’s capstone project, which was focused on bringing UAV technology into high schools.
The $4,750 request will enable the Wiscasset Middle High School to purchase parts to construct approximately 5 QAV 250 quadcopter drones, a small, lightweight “hobby drone” in line with model aircraft used for recreational purposes, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Students will work in groups to construct the drones and use them in research projects. The course will be co-taught be Hinman and Towle.
The Federal Aviation Administration is struggling to develop guidelines to integrate the use of unmanned aerial vehicles into national airspace, an effort that will become a part of the curriculum for the course, school personnel said.
According to the FAA, hobby drones used for recreational purposes do not require government approval, however, individuals flying hobby drones are encouraged to follow a set of safety guidelines developed by the administration.
Flying the drones below 400 feet, keeping the UAV within the operator’s line of sight, remaining clear of other aircraft, not flying within 5 miles of an airport, and not flying near stadiums or people are all recommendations of the FAA.
The Wiscasset Middle High School is within 5 miles of the Wiscasset Municipal Airport. Hinman, however, has already been in touch with personnel at the airport who said the school was not within the flight path of the airport and flying drones at the school would not be an issue.
“I’m very pleased and very excited students will have the opportunity to engage in this new technology and expand their learning in an exciting way,” Towle said.
According to Hinman, Wiscasset Middle High School will be the first school in Maine to offer a course on UAVs.
