COSAM News Articles 2023 June SCORE Summer Spotlight: Students take flight and operate drones through obstacle courses

SCORE Summer Spotlight: Students take flight and operate drones through obstacle courses

Published: 06/20/2023

Entering fifth and sixth grade students had a chance to build objects that fly in the summer camp It’s a bird, It’s a plane… It’s a DRONE hosted by the Southeastern Center of Robotics Education, or SCORE.

“We are going to discuss everything that flies this week,” said Hunter Herrick, a teacher from Ogletree Elementary School. “We are going to help these young learners understand the concepts of flight behind really cool stuff.”

The students had an opportunity to learn about the objects in the classroom and then were able to build their own models. Students made catapults and tested them outside. They made balsa wood airplanes and helicopters. The camp participants even created boomerangs. The excitement of the week grew as they began to learn how to maneuver a drone.

The young pilots worked together in teams to earn points carefully operating drones through obstacle courses.

The students received 3D printed drone trophies designed by Joseph Ammons, a SCORE graduate student employee.

Students in drone camp gained hands-on experience learning how to fly drones. These skills not only inspired these young learners to go beyond the basics of flight, but to pursue future careers in rewarding STEM fields.