Will Waters was doing leading edge agricultural analysis on the College of Florida again within the Seventies however he in all probability might by no means envision what his grandson Andrew could be engaged on 5 a long time later at Warren UAS, the pioneering drone coaching program at Warren County Group School.
Andrew Bieniek, who lately graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical College, has joined the rising employees at WarrenUAS as a specialist within the programming and upkeep of some 90 drone methods at Warren.
He’ll be monitoring and sustaining these methods and coaching WarrenUAS college students to fill the massive gaps the place these abilities are wanted within the drone trade. He’ll even be targeted on the coaching and analysis Warren is doing in precision agriculture, the rising use of drones to observe and enhance farmland and vastly improve the effectivity of farmers.
“My grandfather was doing main analysis on the expansion of oranges and tomatoes and different crops. He was an enormous affect on me, and I used to be all the time within the work he was doing. Now I’ve an opportunity to work with these cutting-edge instruments that right this moment can enhance the effectivity and sustainability of farms,” he mentioned.
Bieniek was a standout scholar at Embry-Riddle, the main aeronautical program within the nation, initially finding out aerospace engineering due to a long-held love of flight. Nevertheless, he has the dwarfism genetic situation achondroplasia, and he acknowledged that, whereas he dreamed of flying, his situation would make it difficult. At about the identical time he discovered drones.
“He was all the time attempting to be taught extra and discover new materials” says Dr. Joseph Cerreta, an affiliate professor within the School of Aeronautics at Embry-Riddle, who was Bieniek’s professor in drone coaching programs and his mentor.
Cerreta factors out that Bieniek sought out new studying alternatives, working with the faculty on drone inspection of twister harm assessments and flooding in Oklahoma, as an illustration, or the most recent campus analysis on 3-D printing for the tools.
“However he not solely participated within the latest work we had been doing – he took on management roles with different college students as a crew chief. They knew he had a grasp of the data they usually needed to be taught from him. Warren is fortunate to have somebody who can join with their college students and supply them with the most recent data about these methods, which he’ll hold gathering.”
Warren County Group School President Will Austin, who has been deeply concerned in improvement of WarrenUAS on the faculty, echoed Cerreta’s reward.
“Andrew fills a spot right here on the school and the best way we will serve the drone trade,” he mentioned. “He’s very nicely versed in unmanned methods however actually is aware of the best way to design and preserve them. We want an skilled like that on campus for our fleet – and we would like our college students to have a possibility to amass these abilities.”
In a short while at Embry-Riddle and within the 5 years since his commencement, Bieniek has gained extra wide-ranging expertise. He has labored with the most important companies providing drone supply companies, helped lead search-and-rescue missions, investigated invasive species and helped set up drone use for utility methods and operations. He has logged greater than 1,800 hours of flight time and in a single place
skilled some 300 drone pilots.
“I’ve been lucky to have some nice studying experiences at Embry-Riddle and within the trade since, however I’m wanting ahead to the chance to work with college students and educate, which I actually take pleasure in most,” he mentioned. “This place will permit me to maintain up with the most recent about drone methods and a possibility to work with college students, so that they have the most recent data.
He’s now engaged on improvement of a category masking the design, programming and upkeep of unmanned methods, doubtlessly provided to WarrenUAS college students this fall.
WarrenUAS started operation at Warren County Group School 5 years in the past and has grown to be one of many main coaching applications for unmanned methods within the nation. Housed in two new amenities on campus, it affords its rising variety of college students entry to some $5 million in tools and a school comprised of main specialists within the subject.
It has expanded its choices and the certifications it might probably present for secure flight and now offers college students with extra particular coaching in precision agriculture, which has develop into one among Austin’s priorities.
“There are such a lot of areas the place our college students can discover nice careers with these abilities working unmanned methods,” he mentioned. “Andrew will add one other dimension to our program as an skilled within the elementary methods these methods function and are constructed and maintained. And his wide-ranging abilities and data shall be an asset for us past that.”
Bieniek, who started his work at Warren in early February, says he’s already discovered that the place fits him nicely – and believes he may even additional increase this system’s status as a number one tutorial website for drone coaching.
“It’s such an thrilling time to be concerned on this subject and Warren is a good place to discover the rising functionality of this know-how and prepare college students to find out about them and develop careers within the subject,” he mentioned.
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