Guest Speaker Talks STEM, Technology Literacy and Drones

In May, Isaac Piper, instructor of technology experiences, Applied Information Management Institute (AIM), Omaha, Nebraska, spent time with the chapter, sharing his role within the Omaha community to improve STEM. Piper talked about his job at AIM where he's responsible for fostering youth and technology programs throughout Omaha. Through coordination with area schools, he brings in various experiences with technologies to help inspire students to seek careers in technology. His objective is to build technology literacy skills with kids who might have limited opportunities to interact with technology. Piper discussed some of the tech initiatives he's been involved with, such as the University of Nebraska at Omaha's College in Engineering Computational Thinking Bins, which necessitates hands-on learning and is much more effective than the instructors only talking about what they do. Piper has earned the Federal Aviation Administration Remote Pilot Certificate (Part 107) required to be a commercial drone pilot for small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS), which are drones less than 55 pounds. Piper commented on his extensive background with the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) where he started as a cadet and eventually became a unit commander. He later became the Nebraska Wing sUAS director. One other tidbit Piper shared is making the rank of "Mitchell" is the equivalent of making "Eagle Scout." He also pointed out the CAP has a noncombatant role focused on three missions: emergency services; aerospace education; and cadet programs. Piper touched on the necessity of having rules minimizing the challenges caused by unmanned aerial systems. He also talked about some of the different careers that can be pursued as a Part 107 drone pilot. Piper concluded by providing some do's and don'ts of flying drones outdoors; in addition, he provided a summary of the rules to earn a Part 107 pilot's license.

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