Partnership Between Clark State Community College And Selecttech Geospatial Grows In Ohio

Clark State Community College in Ohio and SelectTech Geospatial LLC partnership to advance collaborative research reached a new milestone with the delivery of two new Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) aircraft and launch system for Clark State’s Precision Agriculture Program.

Clark State and SelectTech used a $200,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Higher Education to support the development and purchase of the Ohio developed, sourced, and manufactured technology. SelectTech provide fixed wing and vertical take-off aircraft and associated ground support equipment to allow Clark State to expand their program. “Hands-on experience forms the foundation of Clark State’s Precision Agriculture Program, and it is vital we have the tools used in the field today,” said Aimee Belanger-Haas, dean of business and applied technologies at Clark State. “The aircraft from SelectTech will give our students the tools they need to explore their chosen field and graduate with the skills the industry demands.”

The state-of-the-art equipment from SelectTech Geospatial Services, Headwall and USA/UAS continues a partnership between the college and SelectTech that dates back to the inception of the Precision Agriculture program. “Students need access to the technology they will use every day after graduation to develop the skills and experience necessary to work in this field,” said Frank Beafore, executive director of SelectTech. SelectTech Geospatial Advanced Manufacturing Facility concentrates on custom designing and building small unmanned aircraft vehicles (UAV) for targeted applications.

Beafore said adding specialized sensors will allow students to measure an assortment of variables associated with precision agriculture. The sensors are attached to the UAS and will transmit data to ground stations where the data is recorded for analysis. The ground systems are a series of transceivers that will control the aircraft, the payload and receive information on the ground.

“We continue to look for ambitious trained technical people to fill our ranks, and I know other industries do also,” said Beafore. “That is our major objective--to work with schools to help grow talent for the future.”

In addition to the aircraft, the funding will help defray costs of training staff, faculty and students on how to interface with the Ground Based Sense and Avoid (GBSAA) system and the costs of using pilots within the system. The remainder of the funding will be spent on precision agriculture research throughout the network system.

All Clark State Agriculture program students spend time flying and processing imagery in their introductory course with more in-depth exposure in subsequent courses. The capstone course provides the students the opportunity to create their own projects and prescription maps with imagery collected in class. Additionally, Geospatial students will learn about UAS in their introductory course.

Additional Clark State precision agriculture partners include Skyward LTD and 3D Aerial, both consultants from the Dayton area.

(Source: Clark State Community College news release)

FMI: www.clarkstate.edu