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With the help of Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) engineers, teams of Eastern North Carolina high school students geared up for the 2024 Ultimate Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UUAV) Competition April 13 in Newport.

FRCEs STEM Outreach Team joined forces with Craven Community College and North Carolina State University to host the third UUAV Competition at the Crystal Coast Radio Control Club, where teams of high school students entered their unmanned aerial vehicles in hopes of winning.

According to FRCE Executive Director Mark Meno, the UUAV competition aids in the inspiration of the next generation of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) professionals.

Our goal for these events is to educate and inspire. Supporting events like this not only reinforces our commitment to STEM education, but also strengthens the depots commitment to the community, said Meno. By inspiring local students to explore STEM-based career paths, were not just shaping the next generation of engineers and aviation professionals; were fostering a more innovative future workforce for Eastern North Carolina.

Teams of students representing seven high schools Croatan, West Carteret, Gramercy Christian, Early College of Eastern Applied Science and Technology (EAST), Havelock, New Bern and Pamlico participated in the competition. Fifteen engineers from FRCE volunteered to coach the seven teams throughout the process, said Carli Starnes, a mechanical engineer with the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) C-130 Long Term Readiness Structures Fleet Support Team (FST) at FRCE.

The students have been preparing for the competition for quite some time, said Starnes. We held an informational workshop for the students and teachers in November of 2023 and officially kicked off the event in January. After the kickoff event, our engineers visited each high school once a week to guide the students through the process of building their UAV.

The annual competition offers local high school students the opportunity to learn more about engineering and aerodynamics from a STEM professional, according to De Aundria Scott, a mechanical engineer on the Unmanned Aerial Systems FST who served as a mentor for the team representing Pamlico High School.

This really gives the students a taste of what engineering looks like and the types of things they can do within engineering, said Scott. The teams learn quite a lot about teamwork while they go through the engineering design and building process, which includes brainstorming solutions, listing pros and cons, building, testing and, if needed, rebuilding.

Many students emphasized how beneficial the competition has been for them, including Blake Randolph from Gramercy Christian School in Newport.

I want to go into aerospace engineering, and this was a great opportunity for me to start working on these kinds of things, said Randolph. This whole process has been very informational and offered us a good learning experience.

Sophia Mendolia from Croatan High School said participating in this competition was not only fun, but will also help the students stand out in competitive educational settings.

This event gives us a head start, said Mendolia. It gives us the opportunity to get our feet wet by starting to learn about engineering principles and building an aircraft. And we get to take what we have learned in our aerospace classes at school and apply it to the aircraft we just made. Its a great way to get hands-on experience and learn more.

Each team was graded based on four different categories: maneuverability, speed, safety checklist and overall presentation, as evaluated by a panel of leaders from FRCE and Craven Community College. Croatan High School took first place in the competition for the second year running, followed by Pamlico High School and New Bern High School. West Carteret High Schools team earned the title of best in show for creating the most visually striking UAV design and was presented with a plaque for this achievement.

According to Elton Fairless, Unmanned Aerial Systems FST team lead, each group of students was given a list of guidelines to help them throughout the process.

We gave them a list of requirements for the project back in January, said Fairless. This project isnt just about building a model aircraft or drone. We teach the students the engineering process by going through a list of requirements for their UAV and having them make a presentation that explains their thought processes, design features and concepts.

Though the students are given a list of requirements for their UAV project, Fairless said they are encouraged to use creativity and innovation in their design process.

The UAVs are predominantly made of foam board, but the students are allowed to add other parts to their aircraft, Fairless continued. Many schools are using more 3D printed parts, whether it be structural reinforcements or aerodynamic enhancements. I am always very impressed with what they come up with.

The FRCE FABLAB, a mobile makerspace used by the depots STEM Outreach Team to bring STEM concepts and equipment directly to students, was present at the event to assist the students with any adjustments or repairs.

Each team is given a toolkit for their aircraft, but the toolkit only has so much, said Scott. Since the aircraft are made of lightweight and fragile materials, its common for them to need repairs between flights, especially as we are seeing them travel over 60 miles per hour today. The FABLAB offers the students a one-stop-shop for those repairs whether its last-minute 3-D printing or simply needing a different drill bit.

STEM Outreach Team Lead Randall Lewis noted how mentorship is an important facet of the UUAV competition.

This competition is great in terms of mentorship as it allows us to engage directly with the high school students, said Lewis. Our engineers work one-on-one with the students for many weeks, expanding their knowledge of aviation and engineering concepts and even career opportunities.

This program really helps us on our education pipeline, Lewis continued. And hopefully it will get the kids excited to pursue the internship opportunities, Department of Defense Science, Mathematics and Research for Transformation Scholarships, or any of the other opportunities we offer at FRC East.

The annual UUAV Competition is just one of the many outreach events supported by FRCE, all with the goal of giving students the tools they need for their future career, according to Abigail Digsby, a mechanical engineer with the depots STEM Outreach Team.

Events and learning experiences like this are invaluable when you get into the workforce, said Digsby. A lot of what these students do in high school and college is lesson-based, but this sort of hands-on stuff is helpful for the students. It also helps spark new interests among the students, specifically in STEM. The depot needs as many smart, dedicated engineers.

Additional support for the event was provided by the Eastern North Carolina Tech Bridge, the Office of Naval Researchs Naval STEM program, and NASAs North Carolina Space Grant. The ENC Tech Bridge operates in conjunction with a partnership between FRCE and Craven County, and works to build an ecosystem of innovation to support the Navy and Marine Corps with a focus on several areas of consideration, including manufacturing and repair technologies; advanced manufacturing; big data, data analytics and visualization; technical insertion; augmented and mixed reality; automation and robotics; and soft and wicked problem solving.

FRCE is North Carolinas largest maintenance, repair, overhaul and technical services provider, with more than 4,000 civilian, military and contract workers. Its annual revenue exceeds $1 billion. The depot provides service to the fleet while functioning as an integral part of the greater U.S. Navy; NAVAIR; and Commander, Fleet Readiness Centers.

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Engineering the future: FRCE engineers help high schoolers compete in unmanned aerial vehicle competition - New Bern Sun Journal