Hawaiʻi Community College awarded $920,000 National Science Foundation grant for drone sensors program

Hawaiʻi Community College has secured a new $920,238 National Science Foundation grant to expand education using tools such as drone-mounted sensors to collect data across the state.

The three-year project builds on the success of the college’s drone certification program and aims to meet workforce demand or stackable credentials for use in utilities, civil engineering, agriculture and environmental hazard mitigation.

“Expanding the Impact of Geospatial Remote Sensing in Hawaiʻi” leverages Hawaiʻi Community College’s existing drone education credentials. By introducing advanced two- and three-dimensional surveying, lidar technology (a remote sensing technology that measures distances using laser pulses) and powerful computational tools, the program will train students not only to fly unmanned aerial vehicles but also to process and analyze complex data.

Students will conduct local projects in several courses in engineering technology, forestry management and surveying, which will lead to a certificate in geospatial remote sensing.

“This new award represents a massive leap forward for our local students,” said Principal Investigator Orlo Steele, an associate professor of agroforestry. “We are integrating cutting-edge technologies directly into our forestry, engineering and surveying courses. Furthermore, by introducing mapping training at our Pālamanui campus in West Hawaiʻi, we are opening doors for students across the island and partnering with other Pacific Islands to build a truly regional tech workforce.”

The project also aims to expand access to high-tech career pathways for all students and increase their qualifications to be competitive in the rapidly growing drone economy. Strengthening pathways from high school to community college to four-year institutions, while also providing upskilling opportunities for incumbent workers in utilities, agriculture, public safety and natural resource management is also a goal of the project. 

“We are focusing deeply on student outcomes and workforce readiness,” explained Co-Principal Investigator Donna Pacheco, an associate professor of engineering technology. “We want to ensure our graduates understand how to apply their skills in the field, making them highly competitive for high-paying positions within private, state and federal engineering and environmental agencies.”