Drone days of summer
Stamford students witness high-flying demonstration
“I really enjoyed the demonstration. It was very educational and I got to learn a lot from professionals in the industry.” Shreyans Daga, incoming Stamford High School freshman
STAMFORD — Soon-to-be Stamford High School freshman Shreyans Daga wants to study mechanical engineering and computer science, so watching a live drone demonstration was just about the perfect way to spend a Thursday morning. Daga was one of roughly 50 Stamford students about to begin high school next semester who attended the demonstration as part of a summer program designed for recent middle school graduates interested in science, technology, engineering and mathe
matics.
“I really enjoyed the demonstration,” Daga said. “It was very educational and I got to learn a lot from professionals in the industry.”
The Beyond Limits Academic Program, run by nonprofit Stamford Peace Youth Foundation, started five years ago. Andrew Sklover is the co-founder of the program, and he was the one who first came up with the idea of inviting drone operators to show off their technology to students.
“I get super excited about this stuff,” Sklover said. “If I was their age, this is what I would want to be doing.”
About five months ago, he reached out to representatives from Hartfordbased Aquiline Drones.
On Thursday, the company showed off some of their hardware, flying a $30,000 drone at Mill River
Park for students in the Beyond Limits program.
A large monitor was installed so the students could see the images being captured by the camera on the drone. And students got to control the camera
onboard the flying device.
Sklover said the hourlong demonstration was a success.
“I wanted something that would really excite (students) and be a memorable experience,” Sklover
said.
At the end of the demonstration, students got to pose questions to Aquiline engineers.
One of Daga’s questions to the team was why the drone was made out of
reinforced carbon fiber, and not a less expensive material such as graphene.
Daga learned that graphene was studied as a potential material in 2010, but discarded because it was deemed too unstable. But the engineers said the material is being studied again.
For Daga, getting to see a $30,000 drone was a thrill. He said he’s flown drones in the past, but only of the $100 variety.
The difference between the two is night and day, he said.
The drone he witnessed Thursday morning can go higher and faster than the budget ones he’s interacted with, and also comes mounted with a sophisticated camera that captures images in 4K resolution.
Beyond Limit’s summer program is targeted toward students enrolled in Stamford High’s Early College Studies program, a
partnership with Norwalk Community College. Students can simultaneously earn a high school diploma and associate’s degree in computer science in four to six years through the partnership.
Thursday was the final day of the four-day Beyond Limit program.
“Any time there is an opportunity for students to develop their personal skill sets while also establishing connections with peers through team building, project-based learning and STEM activities, you start school on the right path,” said Stamford High principal Matt Forker, in a press release.
During the week, students took in various activities, including coding, 3-D modeling and a “Shark Tank”-inspired challenge to create a solution to real-world problems.