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.
