On or Coming to your Campus Soon: Drones

Abstract

What do I know about drones? Very little, but I am curious about their current and future use. The official name, as I understand, is “unmanned aerial vehicles” (UAVs). Why not call them “unwomanned” aerial vehicles? I guess it is an example of the holdover of terms like “manpower” instead of “workforce” for labor analyses. Even the automatic spell checker does not recognize unwomanned. I digress, but language matters and words influence our thinking and are used to share our thoughts. The most extensive use to-date of drones has been by the military for combat and surveillance. A primary advantage is the ability to perform high level, high-risk tasks by remote control, either via distant operators or pre-programming. Daily, national, and international news stories feature stories of governmental and military use, a topic I will avoid. Rather, I am interested in the reports of academic and civilian uses (or potential uses) for these high-tech devices. In 2011 and 2012, journalism programs at the University of Nebraska and the University of Missouri were tapping into the adaptability of drones for civilian uses; and the institutions were designing courses to prepare students to use drones in reporting on natural disasters and other events. Imagine how this technology could be used to cover marathons, hurricanes, traffic patterns, and large outdoor events. In 2013, the FAA sent cease and desist letters to the aforementioned institutions saying that they must apply as a public entity for a certificate of authorization (COA). Evidently, the programs had operated under the regulations for model aircraft, which require staying below 400 feet, using a sight line, along with other guidelines. So, both journalism programs were put on hold in order to pursue COA certificates from the FAA to incorporate drones into their reporting programs. See . The FAA regulations are too complicated to review here, but the development of regulations and plans for integration of non-governmental drones into public airspace continues (see Federal Aviation Administration website). In 2014, the FAA picked six test sites for UAVs including three universities – Texas A&M at Corpus Christi, Virginia Tech, and the University of Alaska. Each claim a large number of additional partners, and all are excited about the pipeline to federal research dollars and associated economic development for their regions. Innov High Educ (2015) 40:187–188 DOI 10.1007/s10755-015-9323-x