Christopher Newport College Goals to Improve Drone Alternatives for College students
July 16, 2025
Initially based as Christopher Newport School in 1960, the general public college in Newport Information, Virginia, is now often known as Christopher Newport College (CNU). With a scholar physique of round 4,500, CNU embraces a small-school tradition. Nonetheless, because of the continued enlargement of its amenities, applications, and golf equipment, CNU is starting to suit extra into the medium-sized class. Whereas tuition charges at CNU are comparatively aggressive, the varsity presents many monetary support alternatives and has been test-optional for greater than a decade, making it an accessible selection for college kids.
Lately, CNU has launched a number of alternatives centered across the drone trade, a rising subject throughout universities worldwide. Though the varsity doesn’t but provide a devoted drone diploma program, it incorporates drones and unmanned aerial methods (UAS) into current programs in science and engineering. CNU can also be dwelling to a well-liked student-led group, the Unmanned Aerial Methods crew.
When Ethan Steider enrolled at CNU’s Faculty of Engineering and Computing within the fall of 2022, he joined the UAS crew. Fascinated by the world of drones, it was a pure match. Now coming into his senior 12 months whereas finishing his diploma in electrical engineering, Ethan serves as captain of the UAS crew. Over the previous a number of months, he has led his crew in making ready for a global drone competitors.
The distinguished Pupil Unmanned Aerial Methods (SUAS) Competitors was hosted by RoboNation and the Naval Air Warfare Middle Plane Division. Held at St. Mary’s County Regional Airport in California, Maryland, the occasion introduced collectively greater than 50 collegiate and superior highschool groups from around the globe to tackle a collection of complicated autonomous flight challenges.
Groups had been required to show technical expertise in waypoint navigation, impediment avoidance, object detection, and precision payload supply, all with out handbook management. With a prize pool exceeding $20,000, the SUAS Competitors serves as a proving floor for future aerospace and robotics innovators, providing college students a sensible alternative to use engineering ideas in a real-world, high-stakes setting.
The highest prize of $3,000 was awarded to Workforce Arrow from the Institute of Know-how, Nirma College in India. Whereas CNU didn’t place, Ethan emphasised that profitable was by no means the first objective. “Crucial half is that it’s a enjoyable studying course of,” he mentioned. “We’re capable of apply ideas from lessons to actual life.” Ethan, his teammates, and school advisor Dr. Anton Riedl, Affiliate Professor and Head of the Faculty of Engineering and Computing, are significantly excited concerning the new drone lab beneath building at CNU.
Presently, the UAS crew operates out of a lab in Luter Corridor and makes use of out of doors areas for flight observe. In 2023, CNU started an bold enlargement undertaking to create a state-of-the-art facility referred to as the Science and Engineering Analysis Middle (SERC), an addition to Luter Corridor. The 74,275 sq ft addition will embody a 100-seat demonstration classroom for physics, chemistry, and engineering, kinesiology labs, biomechanics amenities, maker areas, and a wide range of school rooms and analysis labs to help STEM disciplines. Moreover, SERC will function a two-story drone lab geared up with “cutting-edge know-how and is designed to be a hub of innovation and progress, for each college students and the group to develop and check UAS and different robotics,” in line with the college.
SERC is slated for completion within the spring of 2026, simply earlier than Ethan graduates. Though he can have solely a short while to make use of the brand new drone lab, he has already gained an amazing quantity of expertise via his involvement with the UAS crew. He hopes future CNU college students can have much more alternatives to pursue careers in a subject he finds deeply rewarding. Each Ethan and Dr. Riedl share a perception within the worth of the UAS crew and the alternatives the brand new drone lab will present.
“The UAS crew is a good instance of how hands-on expertise and interdisciplinary teamwork can put together college students for fulfillment in quickly evolving fields,” Dr. Riedl mentioned. “The brand new drone lab won’t solely improve the scholars’ technical expertise however can even present an area to innovate, experiment, and push the boundaries of what’s attainable in unmanned aerial methods.” As CNU continues to spend money on cutting-edge amenities and experiential studying, college students like Ethan are serving to to form a future the place schooling, innovation, and fervour for know-how take flight.
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