Feature Story/Video

June 16, 2022

The sky is the limit for JROTC cadets with drone training at SC State STEM Camp

The inaugural JROTC science, technology, engineering and math camp continues at South Carolina State University.

JROTC Cadet Roberto Mendez-Garcia, a rising senior at Blythewood High School, (second from left) practices his drone flying skills at Bulldog STEM Camp on the SC State University campus as other cadets look on.

ORANGEBURG, S.C. – Flying a drone was nothing new to JROTC Cadet Joseph Soto, but practicing his skills Thursday on the South Carolina State University campus got him thinking about how the technology works.

“I was the kid who always took things apart, especially electronics,” said Soto, a rising senior at Andrew Jackson High School in Kershaw, South Carolina. “I used to buy typewriters and stuff at yards sales until my parents said no, because I always had so much junk built up in my room.

“So I want to go into college for computer hardware engineering,” he said.

Soto’s curiosity about the mechanics behind drone technology is precisely what the inaugural Bulldog JROTC STEM Camp at SC State is all about. The weeklong event is teaching cadets about the links between science, technology, engineering and mathematics and practical applications.

Cadets from 46 high schools in North Carolina and South Carolina are immersed in the STEM areas of mechanical engineering, chemistry, nuclear engineering/physics, cyber security, electrical engineering, and computer science. Cadets are focused on one area of their  choosing under the tutelage of an SC State professor.

JROTC Cadet Joseph Soto (right) of Kershaw, South Carolina, practices landing a drone on the SC State University campus in Orangeburg with guidance from Retired Lt. Col. David Roberts, senior Army instructor for the Junior ROTC Battalion at Aynor High School in Horry County, South Carolina.

Alongside STEM instruction, the cadets are developing group projects using related technology in the university’s labs, taking fieldtrips to such STEM-related locations as the North Charleston Sewer District’s water treatment plant and learning archery, water safety and drone navigation.

Retired Lt. Col. David Roberts, senior Army instructor for the Junior ROTC Battalion at Aynor High School in Horry County, South Carolina, said the drone exercises were intended to show students what a commercial-level drone can do in a variety of vocations.

“These drones have the capability of communicating with a satellite, so it knows exactly where it is within about 3 feet anywhere on the planet, so it makes it easier to control it,” Roberts said. “This is something they could use to make money if they choose to do so.

“This being a STEM camp, we want them to see not only the theory side of the science, but also the practical application of it. That’s really what these drones are. It’s taking that theory and moving to the practical sphere of science,” he said.

And the U.S. military uses more advanced drones for numerous purposes in national defense – applications that are likely to grow as the technology progresses.

“We use them in everything from surveillance – intelligence collection – to actually doing drone strikes,” Roberts said, noting that he told cadets about the Ukrainian military’s use of drones as diversions to sidetrack the enemy in the war with Russia.

As for Soto, he may get a chance to put his goals in computer engineering to use in the military. He plans to continue military training at the collegiate level – perhaps at The Citadel in Charleston after having visited the school Wednesday as part of Bulldog STEM Camp.

“I intend to make it a career for a good while, but I intend on going back to civilian life at some point,” Soto said. “If I enjoy it, though, I’m just going to stay in it the whole time.”

His experience at SC State have been positive, as well. He said the university’s instructors have communicated the STEM theories and applications at a level the cadets can comprehend.

“Anybody can understand it -- even like a 5-year-old,” Soto said. “They are putting it in a way that it’s understood easily. I took a lot from it, especially how to set up for college. I’ve been trying to take it to heart and use it in my real life.”

Bulldog STEM Camp is a joint project of SC State’s Division of Academic Affairs, the 4^th JROTC Brigade, the U.S. Army, the SC State Bulldog ROTC Battalion, South Carolina Army National Guard and the Army Reserve.

The camp continues Friday with project presentations and wraps up Saturday with a graduation ceremony.

JROTC cadets try to locate a drone flying 400 feet above their heads Thursday, June 16, during Bulldog STEM Camp at SC State University.

Media Contact

Sam Watson

Public Information Officer

South Carolina State University

swatson2@scsu.edu

803-747-1223 (Cell)

About South Carolina State University

Founded in 1896 as a land grant institution with a mission of providing service to the citizens of the state, South Carolina State University has evolved from a small teachers’ college into a major University center of learning and research. Located in Orangeburg, S.C., South Carolina State offers more than 50 different fields of study at the undergraduate and graduate levels. South Carolina State University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and is a member of the Council of Graduate Schools.