The Drone Racing League (DRL) announced that they have partnered with Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, who will assist their DRL Academy STEM program in creating an interactive “Science of Drone Racing” curriculum for middle school students in 2022. Drone solutions company, Draganfly, and Robitfy, a virtual coding platform for students, will also join in on the project with Wozniak’s “Woz Ed,” a K-12 science and STEM curriculum provider.
“The Drone Racing League has a tremendous influence on young sports fans and future tech innovators, and we’re excited to team up to create a drone racing curriculum that ensures learners are job-ready for the most in-demand tech sector openings,” said Wozniak.
The program will see students build, code, and fly drones using physical kits. They’ll also compete in esports-style programming competitions and gain exclusive access to DRL season viewing events to watch the league’s pilots compete. The league hopes to use this initiative to attract students to the burgeoning drone industry in the U.S., which the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International predicts will need to fill 100,000 jobs by 2025.
Fueling the demand for these STEM-based jobs has been the focus of Woz ED, an initiative by Wozniak that delivers personalized learning programs and pathways for K-12 students to encourage job-readiness, especially around the most in-demand tech sector jobs. Its drone curriculum has various lessons and challenges for drone building.
Meanwhile, the DRL has expanded its influence across many sectors, from betting to blockchain adoption, and now to education. This comes on the heels of accreditation and partnership with the FAA geared towards large-scale drone operators helping the FAA facilitate the full integration of UAS into the national airspace system.
(All information was provided by Flying Magazine)
0 comments on “Steve Wozniak Partners With Drone Racing League To Launch Middle School Program”