Collaborative Research: RET Site: Quadcopter Research Experiences for Tulsa-Area STEM Teachers

过去15年的技术进步使无人驾驶航空系统(包括无人机和无人驾驶飞机)在民用和军事领域发挥关键作用。工业、军事和学术界的科学家和工程师希望利用UAS来支持和推动农业生产率的提高，监测森林和海洋的健康，灾难后搜救工作的成功，机器人运送，以及保护国家公民。随着市场和应用范围的持续增长，对STEM职业感兴趣的学生可能会在学校和工作中遇到或使用使用UAS的系统。UAS还提供了一种潜在的有趣和创造性的方式来处理、学习和处理几个关键STEM学科的概念和设计方面，包括数学、机械和电气工程、物理和计算机科学。教师研究体验(RET)网站计划旨在为教师提供与UAS相关的研究经验，特别是商业上可用的四轴飞行器(4旋翼无人机)及其应用，并帮助教师开发将数学、科学和技术课程的主题与实际应用相联系的课程材料。该项目将把教师与大学研究人员、教育专业人员和行业工程师联系起来，探索无人机的工作原理，控制无人机所涉及的数学和科学，以及建造无人机以携带有效载荷、在坠机中幸存下来并忽略来自手机、无线电控制车辆、蜂窝发射塔和其他射频源的干扰。通过研究经验为教师提供STEM科目培训，并协助开发基于UAS的课程元素，将使教师能够将材料与现实问题联系起来，更好地吸引学生，并帮助教师将解决问题的技能传授给学生。这反过来又使学生更好地为21世纪的商业和技术环境做好准备，21世纪的商业和技术环境强烈重视有效和高效地解决问题的能力，并培养了一支具有STEM意识和能力的劳动力队伍。塔尔萨大学(TU)将与塔尔萨地区STEM联盟(TRSA)合作，开展一个基于四轴飞行器UAS操作和应用的RET站点，涉及电气工程、机械工程和计算机科学等主要领域。该网站将每年邀请10名塔尔萨地区的高中教师，为期两年，在夏季的几个月里在塔尔萨大学进行为期六周的研究和课程开发活动。该计划还将与塔尔萨技术中心(TTC)合作，为教师提供培训和后续活动。TU和TRSA将合作传播活动结果，包括课程模块、后续四轴飞行器STEM夏令营活动、地方和国家项目评估。州和地方行业将受益于接受过问题解决和STEM学科培训的学生，并为完成高技能、高薪工作做好更好的准备。参与该项目的TU学生将发展专业和技术技能，以提高他们的竞争力，并可能吸引他们接受STEM教育，无论是专业上的还是通过为社区和学校服务的方式。调查人员将让当地行业与该网站合作，并将运营和范围扩大到该计划的最初两年以外。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Technological advancements over the past 15 years are positioning unmanned aerial systems (UASs) (including drones and unmanned aircraft ) to play a pivotal role in both civilian and military domains. Industry, military, and academic scientists and engineers look to employ UASs to support and advance increases in agricultural productivity, monitoring the health of forests and oceans, the success of search and rescue efforts after disasters, robotic deliveries, and defending the nation's citizens. Students interested in STEM careers will likely encounter or work with systems that utilize UASs, both in school and in their work, as the market and range of applications continue to grow. UASs also provide a potentially fun and creative way to approach, learn, and work with concepts and design aspects of several critical STEM subjects including math, mechanical and electrical engineering, physics, and computer science. This Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) Site program aims to provide teachers with research experiences related to UASs, particularly commercially available quadcopters (4-rotor drones) and their applications, and to assist the teachers in developing curricular materials that connect topics in math, science, and technology classes to real applications. The project will connect teachers with university researchers, education professionals, and industry engineers to explore how drones work, the math and science involved in controlling a drone, and constructing a drone to carry payloads, survive crashes, and ignore interference from cell phones, radio-controlled vehicles, cell towers and other radio frequency sources. Providing teachers with training in STEM subjects through research experiences and assistance with the development of UAS-based curriculum elements will allow teachers to connect material to realistic problems to better engage students and help the teachers pass along problem solving skills to their students. This, in turn, better prepares students for the 21st century business and technology environment which strongly values the ability to solve problems effectively and efficiently, and achieves a STEM aware and capable workforce.The University of Tulsa (TU), in partnership with Tulsa Regional STEM Alliance (TRSA), will conduct an RET Site based on the operation and application of quadcopter UASs, addressing the major fields of electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and computer science. The Site will invite 10 Tulsa-area high school teachers each year for a period of two years to conduct research and curriculum development activities at TU for six weeks during the summer months. The program will also engage Tulsa Technology Center (TTC) for teachers and for follow-up activities. TU and TRSA will partner to disseminate the results of activities, including curriculum modules, activities for follow-on quadcopter-based STEM camps, program evaluations, both locally and nationally. State and local industry will benefit from students trained in problem solving and STEM disciplines and better prepared to fulfill high-skill, higher paying jobs. TU students involved in the project will develop professional and technical skills that increase their competitiveness and potentially attract them to STEM education, either professionally or through service to communities and schools. The investigators will engage local industry to partner with the Site and extend operation and scope beyond the initial two years of the program.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.