2024 SOAR Into STEM Spring Session 4: Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles

By Carmelo Turdo

SOAR Into STEM Spring Session 4 was held at Wings of Hope on Saturday. This week's theme was Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), especially in their application to humanitarian aviation service. The students were introduced to commercial uses for UAVs and flew camera-equipped quadcopters through an obstacle course using an app. Leading the final regular session in this series was Lee Ann Nolte, Education Programs Manager for Wings of Hope, with help from a host of volunteer mentors.

Student teams learned to operate the Tello app-based, camera-equipped quadcopters that were used demonstrate the flight characteristics of most small UAVs. Once internet communication with the UAVs was established, a buzzing swarm took to the air. After a little practice, most of the students were landing the quadcopters on their pads and maneuvering through the hoops of an obstacle course.

A special guest speaker, Dr. Srikanth Gururajan, St. Louis University Associate Professor of Aerospace Engineering, captured the attention of the students with his presentation on the UAV projects under development at the university's Unmanned Aerial Systems laboratory. The program's goal is to improve aviation safety through testing engineering applications using UAVs, artificial intelligence and virtual reality technologies. In the future, UAVs (and possibly crewed aircraft) will be able to update their own mission profiles in flight, fly in swarms controlled by single operators and change their shape to navigate through obstructions without becoming unstable. These and other applications are currently under development by undergraduate and graduate students pursuing Aerospace Engineering degrees.

Spring Session 4 concludes the formal Spring SOAR Into STEM Program, though there is more in store for this class. Next Saturday, a career fair is scheduled, and Young Eagle Flights will be provided by EAA Chapter 1675. The Aero Experience thanks everyone involved with the SOAR Into STEM Program, and we will continue to support this and other STEM programs throughout the coming year.