Preparing Aerospace Engineering Students for Career in UAV Technologies

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have potential of reducing human casualty and cost for many dull, dirty, and dangerous missions. UAVs are one of the fastest growing sectors of Aerospace Industry. However, there is a lack of professionals entering the workforce. There is also a lack of students pursuing studies for graduate degrees in the UAV related areas. This paper talks about innovative projects and teaching practices designed to increase students’ interest and involvement in UAV related projects. Many aspects of UAV technologies are not or cannot usually be taught in classroom settings. Student and/or research projects are effective ways of exposing students to the state-of-the-art in UAV technologies. These projects provide students opportunity to learn new skills and apply their knowledge to the real-world problems in an environment that includes students from multiple departments. The students get ample opportunity to develop theoretical understanding, by means of hands-on learning, and apply the knowledge to designing, building, performing system integration, modeling, simulation, and flight testing of UAVs. The students also get opportunities for data collection and data analysis. An assessment of the learning outcomes showed that these projects were helpful in well preparing the students for careers in UAV technologies. These projects have also been found to be effective in encouraging students to pursue their studies for graduate degrees in the area of UAV technologies. Involvement in these projects motivates students to effectively engage in learning and develop new understanding, knowledge, and skills. The paper also describes the strategies to recruit and train lower level students for the continued involvement of students in these projects.