Murray State University offers a program that you may not have heard of. The unmanned aerial system (UAS) or drones program is a opportunity for students to learn a new hands-on skill.
Blake Kennedy has been involved since the beginning. He started his journey as a student in the second class offered. Kennedy made his way to an internship, where he worked with the Hutson School of Agriculture, operating a spray drone to fertilize the research fields. Kennedy continued to work with the program while obtaining his master’s degree. Shortly after graduation, he entered into his full-time position as the UAS coordinator.
“The drone program was a very grassroots type of thing,” Kennedy said.
The first class was offered in 2018, and had only 12 students. Over the years, more classes have been added like Introduction to Unmanned Aerial Systems Applications, Unmanned Aerial Systems Sensors and Data Display and Experiential Learning in Unmanned Aerial Systems Technology.
“Our mission here is to train students hands-on to prepare them for their careers and jobs they’re going to enter into.” Kennedy said.
Drones can be used in a variety of industries including agriculture, engineering, and construction. With technology always changing Kennedy says keeping his students at the front is important. One new advancement is the use of artificial intelligence (AI). The agriculture students have used the technology to count weeds in crop fields, identify plants, and more.
Austin Randolph is a current student in the UAS program. He plans to use this knowledge in his career in seed sales, which will require him to scout fields.
“Being able to utilize a drone is going to make me be able to be a lot more efficient and a lot more effective,” Randolph said.
Flying a drone is not the only thing taught in the class. Drones have rules like they are only allowed to fly to 400 feet and many areas need permits and licenses. Through the UAS program, Murray State students are able to get assistance in obtaining their license for flying.
