This Week in Drones: The Next Generation of Drone Pilots

Commercial UAV Expo Americas was honored to host the Women in Drones Panel Discussion and Breakout Sessions at our 5th Annual even back in October 2019. During the event, a panel of prominent women working in the drone industry, moderated by Sharon Rossmark, CEO of Women and Drones, worked with participants to identify paths to success and available resources.

One of the key points that was made during the discussions was that, in order to get more female drone pilots, there would also need to be more women involved in the STEM related fields that utilize them, and this meant integrating drones into STEM curriculum starting from grade school and going into college. Building the next generation of drone pilots and drone professionals continues to be one of the primary focuses for Rossmark.

In a recent video interview, Commercial UAV News was able to catch up with Rossmark, Brenda Wilson, President of DieHard RC, and Susan Bickford, CEO of New England UAV to talk about their latest program, 1,000 Drones for 1,000 Girls. This program was developed to inspire middle-school girls to learn about STEM applications through drones. It is an exciting new venture that is among a number of efforts worldwide to encourage students to look at drones as an important STEM tool rather than just a fun toy. You can watch this interview here, and if you are interested in learning more, you can also check out our recent coverage of other similar programs:

The Challenger Learning Center Gives Students Insights into the Commercial Drone Market

“Drones in the Classroom Drone Training” from M3 Aerial set to Change Perceptions and Empower a Workforce

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Danielle Gagne

Danielle Gagne was the Editorial Analyst for Commercial UAV News. She continues to be dedicated to providing commercial drone professionals with exclusive insights and content from experts in the field, keeping the industry informed and up to date on everything related to drones.

Danielle originally came to Commercial UAV News from an editorial background in higher education publishing where she edited books on every topic from financial risk management to nanotechnology and morphing wing technology. During that time, she reported and conveyed the business needs and expectations between all points of her organization and the technology team, working closely with IT development. She found these aspects of her previous career invaluable to understanding and conveying the convergence of technology, business, public perception, and regulation in the drone industry as editorial analyst.