Bryn Athyn College Alumni Magazine Spring/Summer 2018 | Page 14
CAMPUS LIFE
Eugene Potapov teaches his students to fly drones.
about the class was not the
drones themselves, but the en-
trepreneurial dimension of the
course. He says, “As technol-
ogy continues to improve by
the day, more and more drone-
related business opportuni-
ties and concepts arise.” Nikita
also appreciated the course’s
design, from the hands-on ap-
proach, to having two teachers.
He says, “Through weekly labs,
I have learned specifics of flying
drones and using them to their
full potential. With two instruc-
tors from different fields of aca-
demia, we have access to a large
wealth of knowledge providing
for a great learning environ-
ment.”
Russell says that one of his
goals going into the class was
to learn more about FAA regu-
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lations. He quickly found that
vast opportunities exist related
to the various types of data gath-
ering and inspections one can
do with a drone. He described
the actual operation of drones
as “relatively easy,” and says that
he thinks the real key to being a
successful drone pilot lies in the
“soft skills” required to make a
business flourish.
Aside from spending morn-
ings in the fields of North Cam-
pus to hone their drone-flying
skills, the students also went to
the nearby Northeast Philadel-
phia Airport where they toured
the facility and spoke with avia-
tion professionals. Alex Hyatt
(BA ’18) says, “I was surprised
that we got to visit an actual air-
port and go up into the air traf-
fic control tower! It was a lot of
fun and the workers got me in-
terested in learning more about
that type of job.”
Both the students and the
instructors appreciated the col-
laborative spirit and entrepre-
neurial energy of the class. Pro-
fessor Ethan King says, “From
this course there have been some
developing plans related to busi-
ness and community outreach,
as well as search and rescue. Stu-
dents from this younger genera-
tion approach problem solving
in very refreshing and creative
ways. They work well in teams
and complement each other
nicely.” There is strong interest
for a section of this course in the
coming year, and it will be fasci-
nating to see what types of ideas
and projects come from this
highly innovative area of study.