Educating Entrepreneurial Technicians for Unmanned Aerial Systems

无人机系统（UAS）行业持续快速增长，创造了新的就业机会和经济机会。因此，对具有无人机系统技术、操作和规则知识，以及有效沟通技巧、业务知识和安全有效地将技术应用于商业目的的技能的技术人员的需求非常强烈。美国广泛的商业无人机活动已经增加了劳动力需求，不仅在无人机公司，而且在使用无人机的广泛行业。为学生提供在现有公司工作、发展自己的业务或利用无人机系统技术创造自己的发明的技能，正变得越来越重要。为了满足这一需求，辛克莱社区学院及其行业合作伙伴将开发一项教育计划，为无人机系统领域所需的创业技术人员做好准备。通过这种方式，该项目将寻求增加高素质无人机技术人员的数量，从而支持国家工业无人机解决方案的持续增长和整合。该项目的目标是培养一种新型的创业技术人员，他们具备在动态、快速发展的无人机行业取得成功所需的技术和其他技能。项目合作伙伴将开发一个基于能力的课程，最终获得为期一年的UAS创业证书。该课程将包括专注于创业原则的新课程，以及对专注于无人机系统应用和技术的现有课程进行修改。增强功能将包括动手和交互式基于项目的学习体验，通过这些体验，学生可以掌握无人机系统的知识和技能。课程的一个创新方面将是UAS创业启动比赛。这种风险投资风格的竞赛将吸引学生运用课程内容来创造新的想法或与现有知识产权建立新的联系。比赛将培养学生的创业能力，为他们提供技术和商业专家的指导，以及接触尖端的无人机技术。项目团队还将为高中教师和学生开发有关无人机技术和创业应用的课程模块。这些材料将用于与高中的外联和专业发展活动，以促进对这一技术领域的职业兴趣。项目材料和成果将在伙伴组织的网站、出版物、网络研讨会以及在区域和国家场所的演讲中广泛分享和传播。该项目由先进技术教育计划资助，该计划侧重于为推动国家经济的先进技术领域培养技术人员。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) industry continues to grow at a rapid rate, creating new jobs and economic opportunities. As a result, there is a strong demand for technicians with knowledge about the technology, operation, and rules of UAS, as well as effective communication skills, business know-how, and the skills to safely and effectively apply the technologies for commercial purposes. Widespread commercial UAS activities in the United States have already increased workforce demands, not just in UAS companies but also across a broad range of industries that use UAS. Offering ways for students to obtain the skill sets to work in existing companies, develop their own businesses, or create their own inventions with UAS technologies is becoming increasingly important. To help address this need, Sinclair Community College and their industry partners will develop an education program that prepares the entrepreneurial technicians needed in the UAS field. In this way, the project will seek to enhance the number of well-qualified UAS technicians, thus supporting the continued growth and integration of UAS solutions for the nation's industries.The goal of this project is to educate a new type of entrepreneurial technician who is equipped with the technical and other skills required for success in the dynamic, quickly evolving UAS industry. The project partners will develop a competency-based curriculum that results in a one-year UAS Entrepreneurship Certificate. This curriculum will include new courses that focus on entrepreneurial principles and modified existing courses that focus on UAS applications and technologies. Enhancements will include hands-on and interactive project-based learning experiences through which students can master UAS knowledge and skills. An innovative aspect of the curriculum will be a UAS entrepreneurship kick-starter competition. This venture capital style competition will engage students in applying course content to create new ideas or new connections to available intellectual property. The competition will cultivate students' entrepreneurship abilities by providing them with access to mentoring from technical and business experts, as well as access to cutting-edge UAS technologies. The project team will also develop course modules on UAS technologies and entrepreneurial applications for high school teachers and students. These materials will be used in outreach and professional development activities with high schools to promote career interest in this technology field. Project materials and results will be widely shared and disseminated on websites of partnering organizations, in publications, through webinars, and presentations at regional and national venues. This project is funded by the Advanced Technological Education program that focuses on the education of technicians for the advanced-technology fields that drive the nation's economy.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.