Middle school camp studies unmanned aerial vehicles

ANCHORAGE — Fourteen Mat-Su Borough middle school students from Palmer and Wasilla attended a five-day residential STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics – learning session offered through the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program STEM Career Explorations component at the University of Alaska Anchorage campus.

At the five-day residential camp, students studied the unmanned aerial vehicle career field by participating in several hands-on activities, including ANSEP’s newest learning project: building and testing unmanned aircrafts.

Led by unmanned aerial vehicle industry professionals, students divided into groups of three and constructed a model aircraft. At the end of the week, students tested the drones with a competition that required them to operate the drone through an indoor course, pick up an object and bring it back to the starting location.

Valley students participating included Erich Foster, Levi Farris, Lucas Morton and Trevor Kroening, of Palmer; and Alliyah Nay, Azadeh Azimi-Tabrizi, Benjamin Howard, Gavynn Carle, Grace Straughn, Jakob Murray, Julie Bernier, Justine DeBuse, Shania Sommer and Tia Richard, of Wasilla.