According to the REC Foundation, students who are involved in STEM activities during K-12 are much more likely to build careers in STEM. And 92 percent of students who participate in robotics are more likely to take advanced STEM courses in high school or college. To take this idea further, 83 percent of students involved in robotics activities report interest in taking additional engineering courses in college!

REC Foundation programs also provide many of the soft skills so valued by today’s employers: teamwork, collaboration, time management and communication. REC Foundation has built the Aerial Drone Competition to nurture skills that help prepare students for future challenges. Teams learn about drone mechanics, flight principles, programming, documentation, and communication skills, while expanding their understanding and building interest in drone-related career opportunities. Competitions are open to middle and high school students who compete in local and national REC Foundation events.

Interview with Louann Cormier, senior program manager – REC Foundation’s Aerial Drone Competition

Q. What are some of the top benefits to students participating in REC Foundation competitions?

A. Besides the obvious things like learning programming and mechanics, it is wonderful to witness how students come to understand the value of good communication skills. Each team is made up of students in different roles who need to work well together. We’ve heard many, many comments from students after a competition: “Wow! Now I really understand how important it is to have good communication skills!”

Another thing about working with drones not widely available in other student activities is experience operating a remote vehicle in a three-dimensional space, which is exciting and fun! It also builds great visual-spatial skills that benefit students in other areas, such as geometry. We have also discovered that gamers love flying drones. Skills like decision making, critical thinking under pressure and working with others are common in the gaming industry and all of those skills are needed when flying drones, especially at Aerial Drone Competitions. As a bonus, these students see a direct pathway to future careers as a drone pilot in their community.

Q. What careers are available to students who learn to operate drones?

A. There are so many different careers that value proficiency in drone competitions today, with new discoveries all the time. Our programs open student’s eyes to dozens of careers in drones, such as:

• Agriculture
• Construction
• Film and photography
• Fire prevention and suppression
• Law enforcement support
• Medical emergencies
• Security and surveillance
• Space exploration
• Telecommunications
• Weather forecasting

Many employers attend drone competitions because they realize that these students are building excellent preparatory skills. We partner with colleges to hold demonstrations that make these careers real to the students. I remember one student who did not know what he wanted to study in college. During a campus tour he saw something he liked while visiting a machine lab on campus and ended up on a pathway to a career.

Q. What do you recommend educators do to learn more about offering drone activities to their students?

A. Go to an event and see the competitors in action! There’s no substitute for experiencing a live drone competition. If you’re still unsure, invest in one to two drones and have your students do some beginning exercises – many are available online – and see what happens. We encourage all to reach out to us – we’re experienced in finding ways to make it work for your school within the boundaries of what you have available in terms of instruction, time, space, and budget.

Q. Is there anything else you would like to share?

A. Drone activities can reach students who have not participated in anything else at school. We often hear these types of comments from teachers: “I have a student who has never participated in anything but is now excited to come to school! Or “We had a student on the verge of flunking out who is now attending before-school tutoring in order to improve grades to allow participating in drone-building.”

Young adults will come into their own when they are ready. It’s our job to keep exposing them to different careers. Programs like ours and others within the defense consortium give them ideas for their future. Studying and building drones is fun! It’s exciting. It’s real! And it keeps students engaged longer.