The Pennsylvania Drone Association selected Indiana University of Pennsylvania for its 2024 Ellie Education Award, recognizing IUP as “an educational institution that has helped to elevate the drone industry in our commonwealth in a meaningful and significant way. “
John Benhart, professor of regional planning in IUP’s Department of Anthropology, Geospatial and Earth Sciences and director of IUP’s Geospatial Intelligence undergraduate and graduate certificate programs and Unmanned Aerial Systems Certificate program, accepted the award at a ceremony December 12 in Harrisburg.
John Benhart offers remarks after accepting the Ellie Education Award from the Pennsylvania Drone Association
The presentation recognized Benhart, his colleagues, and the university for “educating and advancing the next generation of drone operators and innovators through the university’s GIS program.”
“More than just training their students to successfully complete the FAA Part 107 remote exam, IUP is demonstrating the real-world applications that drones are capable of now and challenging their students to consider the expanding roles unmanned aviation can play towards improving the quality of life throughout Pennsylvania,” Pennsylvania Drone Association President John G. Duesler Jr. said. “Unlocking the power of successful collaborations with the PA Drone Association, AERIUM, Indiana County, and other aviation leaders, IUP is leading their students into a future that is not only exciting and ‘cool,’ but that helps solve the growing challenges of sustainability, workforce development, and economic viability for towns and communities throughout Pennsylvania.”
“This award highlights the impact of IUP’s drone training program in preparing the next generation of skilled uncrewed aircraft operators,” IUP John J. and Char Kopchick College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics Dean Steve Hovan said. “Dr. Benhart offers courses that integrate real-world applications and fosters collaborations with local industry to meet future workforce demand and economic growth across Pennsylvania.”
IUP is the only university in Pennsylvania recognized by the Federal Aviation Administration as an FAA Collegiate Training Institution. Benhart is a GISCI-certified GIS professional (GISP) and an FAA-certified remote sUAS (drone) pilot.
In addition to the distinction by the FAA as a Collegiate Training Institution, IUP has received funding from the federal Build Back Better Regional Challenge grant to purchase and test a WingtraOne Gen II hybrid drone for IUP’s Geospatial Intelligence and Unmanned Aircraft Systems certificate programs.
IUP has offered an Unmanned Aerial Systems Science and Applications Certificate since 2019. IUP’s Uncrewed Aircraft Systems certificates are designed to prepare students to become FAA-certified remote pilots of small-unmanned aircraft (sUAS, commonly referred to as drones), which are defined by the FAA as aircraft weighing less than 55 pounds.
The FAA’s UAS-CTI program recognizes institutions that prepare students for careers in unmanned aircraft systems. In order to qualify for the initiative, schools must offer a bachelor’s or associate’s degree in UAS or a degree with a minor, concentration, or certificate in UAS. Schools must provide a curriculum covering various aspects of UAS training, including hands-on flight practice, maintenance, uses, applications, privacy concerns, safety, and federal policies concerning UAS.
Benhart, along with department faculty member Christopher Schaney, developed IUP’s UAS program based on their research interests in high-accuracy mapping and spatial analysis of human-environment interaction.
To date, about 40 students, mostly from IUP, have completed IUP’s UAS program, which includes 12 credit hours of study.
“The Pennsylvania Drone Association has been an excellent resource for our IUP Uncrewed Aircraft Systems programs, as well as aviation educators and the entire drone community throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” Benhart said. “It is an honor and very gratifying for our programs to be recognized by the Association’s leaders and experts in uncrewed aviation.”
In June, Benhart presented a workshop at IUP on uncrewed aircraft (drones) for teachers in eight area high schools who are teaching the aviation curriculum in their schools. The workshop focused on how teachers can integrate drone education into the curriculum. Teachers represented districts in Allegheny, Clearfield, Indiana, and Westmoreland counties. The workshop was cosponsored by IUP and Aerium, based in Johnstown. Aerium is a nonprofit organization formed to cultivate the pipeline between students, educational institutions, and the aviation industry.
Aerium’s development has roots in a multi-year collaboration between Larry Nulton of Nulton Aviation Services, Saint Francis University, the John Murtha Johnstown-Cambria County Airport, local defense leaders, and area elected officials. Benhart serves on the Aerium board of directors. Aerium’s support for the workshop included providing a drone for each participating teacher to take back to their schools at the conclusion of the workshop.
In May, Benhart was an invited panelist for the second annual Aerium Summit at Johnstown’s John Murtha Johnstown-Cambria County Airport. He was also a panelist for a program at the thirty-third annual Showcase for Commerce in Johnstown, where IUP was represented as an exhibitor, providing information on IUP’s Uncrewed Aircraft Systems programs as well as other science programs in the Kopchick College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.
Benhart is the recipient of awards for research and scholarship, service, and mentoring from the Pennsylvania Geographical Society. He has been a faculty member at IUP for 30 years.
IUP’s Geospatial Intelligence Certificate program has accreditation from the United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation under its Collegiate Accreditation Program, one of only 17 accredited programs in the world.