Research Experience for Undergraduates in UAV Technologies

Cal Poly Pomona Foundation, Inc., Pomona CA

Investigators

Abstract

This Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (CPP) continues to increase undergraduate students’ participation in research projects on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) technologies. Undergraduate students from 2-and 4-year institutions with limited or no research opportunities will continue to be involved in UAV research projects in a multidisciplinary environment. UAVs have potential to replace manned aircraft for many dull, dirty, and dangerous missions such as surveillance of disaster-hit areas, search and rescue, package delivery, traffic monitoring, remote sensing, precision agriculture, crop dusting, border patrol, battlefield damage assessment, and supply missions. UAVs are cheaper than manned aircraft and pose no risk to human operators. The UAV industry is one of the fastest growing sectors of aerospace industries. However, there is a lack of students entering the workforce or graduate schools in this area. The proposed REU Program is designed to increase students’ interest in UAV technologies by means of first-hand experience on UAV research with direct mentorship by faculty advisors. This will be helpful in preparing a strong workforce for future needs of the aerospace industry, which is facing an aging workforce. This will also be helpful encouraging them to pursue their studies for graduate degrees. This is important as the interest among students for graduate degrees is declining. The strong workforce that this REU Site will prepare will help mature the UAV technologies for mass adoption of UAVs for various applications. This REU Site offers undergraduates opportunities to conduct research during a 10-week summer program on cutting edge topics in UAV flight dynamics and control, increased UAV autonomy, collision detection and avoidance, computer vision, artificial intelligence, and aerospace robotics. Students will also get opportunities to learn about Federal regulations pertaining to the operation of UAVs. In addition to their research, students will participate in weekly research seminars, research meetings, and professional development seminars that are designed to prepare a strong workforce for the needs of industry and academia. The seminars will include topics such as literature review, writing a scientific paper, improving written and oral communication skills, technical presentations, applications to graduate schools, opportunities for research/teaching assistantships and fellowships, career paths, resume building, team building, and ethics in science and engineering. The participants will also engage in outreach activities and give presentations on UAV technologies to K-12 students at local schools. This will enhance students' communication skills, allow them to see the broader implications of their research, and see how they can positively impact society through research. This site is supported by the Department of Defense in partnership with the NSF REU 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.