16 MOMENTUM • VIRGINIA TECH MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
ACCREDITED
DRONE CURRICULUM
COMES TO MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
Kevin Kochersberger led a Virginia Tech team to Malawi in 2017 to demonstrate a novel drone design for medical delivery and diagnostics , flying a Malawi-built EcoSoar at the UNICEF test corridor in Kasungu . What happened next was unexpected : UNICEF wanted to use the aircraft in a drone curriculum that Virginia Tech would develop that covers drone technology , but also prepares students to earn a remote pilot license .
The African Drone and Data Academy has graduated 160 students enrolled in in-person and online programs , and now the coursework has made its way to Blacksburg .