The UAV Academy course available to Wiscasset High School students was the first of its kind in Maine and is now being emulated by other schools across the state, alumnus Jesse Hinman told the Wiscasset School Committee at its Thursday, Nov. 19 meeting. The course teaches students the history, regulations, applications, and science behind unmanned aerial vehicles, all while students build their own “hobby drones.”
Four students led the presentation of the course to the school committee. Bryan Dunning, Chris Loyola, Joe McGrath, and Avery Thomas, alongside Hinman and science teacher Dawn Jones, presented an overview of lessons learned from the UAV Academy course and video footage students took with their self-built drones while visiting the Chewonki Foundation.
“Thank you for believing in this class and for enhancing (science, technology, engineering, and math) education,” Hinman said.
The course was initiated by Hinman, a recent University of Maine graduate who returned to Wiscasset High School with the proposal for the course. The school’s administration latched on to the idea and offered it in the 2015 to 2016 school year as an effort to create innovative and engaging courses for students.
The course, however, was in danger of being canceled when the Wiscasset Board of Selectmen denied a funding request from the school committee in August to use a town account, established for education, to fund the purchase of drone kits necessary for the course.
In a special meeting, the school committee authorized the use of school funds to purchase the drone kits, which would allow groups of students to work together to construct a Lumenier QAV250 Mini FPV Quadcopter, a type of hobby drone.
While soldering together the pieces to construct the drones, students learned about the development of UAV technology, class participants said.
The technology would not have been possible if it had not been for developments in computer engineering, students said. Safety issues involving drones and theFederal Aviation Administration’s efforts to regulate the use of hobby drones are also a focus of the class, students said.
The class has worked closely with the Wiscasset Municipal Airport to learn about Federal Aviation Administration guidelines for drones and is following current events, students said.
They have also studied the commercial and military applications of UAV technology, how it is used in military operations, and how it is being used by real estate agents to sell property. While simultaneously studying the historical development and social implications of UAV technology, students have used the technology to understand scientific principles and enhance their engineering skills.
“There’s a lot of problem-solving in this course,” Thomas said when discussing some problems encountered in piecing together the drone’s electrical components.
Technology coordinator and student adviser Deb Pooler praised Hinman for returning to Wiscasset with an idea that grew into an educational opportunity for students. “I’m so appreciative of Jesse Hinman. He came back and said, ‘I have something I want to share,'” Pooler said. “Look what it evolved into.”
