St. Mary’s new drone lab flies toward opening ceremony

Unmanned Aerial Systems will take flight at 3 p.m. Monday, March 22, marking the Drone Lab Opening Ceremony and Blessing at St. Mary’s University. 

“The Federal Aviation Administration predicts the U.S. registered commercial drone fleet to climb to between 442,000 and 1.6 million units in the next few years, which will, in turn, create a few hundred thousand jobs,” said Winston Erevelles, Ph.D., Dean of the School of Science, Engineering and Technology, as he highlighted how the new lab will help launch St. Mary’s graduates into a fast-growing industry. 

At 25 feet tall and 1,734 square feet, the Drone Lab — complete with a flight area, an observation area and workstations — will allow professors to incorporate drones into their curriculum and students to take on more drone-related research for industry partners.  

“Drone technology has…