Aerial Drone Competition kicks off at Fairmont State

FAIRMONT, W.Va. (WBOY) — Aerial Drone Competition teams from several states have gathered to compete in the “Aerial Drone Competition Northeast Regional Championships: Dragonfly” at Fairmont State University this weekend.

During the competition, youth teams will participate in skills matches that will test their ability to pilot a drone precisely as well as their communication skills and ability to work as a team.

The event is being hosted by the West Virginia Robotics Alliance , which is managed by the Education Resource Center team at the NASA Katherine Johnson IV&V Facility. The competition is one of five national championships across the United States, and on top of a chance at winning, students also get a chance to learn about career connections.

“Here in West Virginia, and all across our country, careers are evolving and so what students are training for today we don’t even know what jobs they’ll have in the future, but one thing we do know is that whatever they’ll do will involve science, technology, engineering, mathematics. By providing opportunities for students to compete in these events, we are giving them the chance to learn valuable skills while having a lot of fun,” NASA Education Resource Center Program Manager Todd Ensign said.

The competition is being held on Friday and Saturday at the Fairmont State University Falcon Center and is open to the public. The drone matches will take place anytime between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.

A full list of events can be found on the WV Robotics Alliance website .

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