About NYSD
Drone Discovery was developed by Cornell University Cooperative Extension. It’s a hands-on engineering design challenge that explores the science behind drones and how they are being used to solve real world problems. Youth will learn everything from flight dynamics and aircraft types, to safety and regulations, to remote sensing and flight control.
Challenge kits, which include everything you need to complete Drone Discovery, are available at the 4‑H Mall.
Materials for the Drone Discovery Challenge, including the youth and facilitator guides, are available for download.
Check out the 4‑H NYSD 2016 photos!
Order the 4‑H NYSD Kit4‑H NYSD 2016 - Drone Discovery
See this year’s 4‑H National Youth Science Day design challenge in action – Drone Discovery!
USA Today - Drones attract students to math, science classes
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US News & World Report - Students Experiment With Drones for 4‑H National Youth Science Day
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Washingtonian - These Kids Got to Fly Drones in DC
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NPR - Youth Discover Drones in Engineering Design Challenge
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Featured Partner - HughesNet
HughesNet partners with 4‑H to promote STEM education and is a 4‑H NYSD sponsor for the fourth year in row. “Our passion towards STEM education is the core driver of our initiatives with 4‑H. As the nation’s premier youth development organization, 4‑H has a long history of leading innovative programs, and we are proud to support the work they are doing,” Peter Gulla, senior vice president of marketing at Hughes.
How-To Videos
It's time to decide how your drone will be used. This video will instruct you on how to work with your engineering team to choose your own adventure.
With your engineering team, build a model drone that can help solve the challenge you created. This video will teach you how to fly your drone, and capture and review data.
Translate your code into the Scratch programming language.
Toolkit and Resources
A supplemental guide of tips and must-have's for facilitators.
Use the MIT Scratch website to complete the Code Copter activity. Be sure to click on the "See Inside" button to get started.
Cornell University Cooperative Extension has provided a list of online activities and resources to further explore drones in your community.
Education through Aviation is proudly brought to you by The Academy of Model Aeronautics. The FPG-9 glider that is used in Drone Discovery was developed by The Academy of Model Aeronautics and is being used with their permission.
Academy of Model Aeronautics
NYSD 2016 Event Map
On October 5, 2016, thousands of youth from 4‑H clubs, groups, and school programs across the country participated in Drone Discovery, the 4‑H NYSD 2016 Engineering Design Challenge. Each pinpoint on the map represents a 2016 Drone Discovery event.
Check out the 4‑H NYSD 2016 photos!
4‑H NYSD on Social Media
Share photos of your NYSD Event!
Past Experiments
4‑H National Youth Science Day is the premier national rallying event for year-round 4‑H Science programming, bringing together youth, volunteers and educators from all over the country to simultaneously complete the National Science Experiment.
Click2Science
For this year’s National Youth Science Day experiment, Click2Science has partnered with National 4‑H to offer new resources to deepen the learning experience of Drone Discovery.
One of those resources is a training webinar for facilitators and volunteers who will be working with youth to conduct the experiment. The webinar will be held on August 24, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. ET. The goal is to provide facilitators and volunteers with the resources they need to more confidently guide youth in this year’s experiment. This webinar will go beyond how to do the experiment, and help create a deeper and more impactful learning experience for youth when facilitating the NYSD experiment.
About Click2Science
The Click2Science webinar was held on August 24, 2016 - view the recording.
4‑H NYSD: Drone Discovery
View this recorded webinar to learn all about this year's engineering challenge, Drone Discovery. The webinar will also feature innovative professional development training from Click2Science and all the information you'll need to successfully market 4‑H NYSD in your local community.
4‑H NYSD Drone Discovery and Click2Science Webinar
Click2Science Trainer Guide for 4‑H NYSD Drone Discovery
Drone Safety & Regulations FAQ
Q: Does this NYSD challenge or kit involve the use of real drones?
A: No. Drone Discovery simulates the experience of working with a real drone by providing a hands-on educational challenge that teaches youth about the basics of flight, remote sensing and real-world uses of drones.
Q: Do any federal or local drone laws and regulations apply to the contents of the science kit?
A: No. The science kit contains unpowered foam gliders and plastic propcopters that simulate a drone experience. Everything in this kit can be safely operated indoors or outdoors.
Q: Will students have the opportunity to learn about drone safety and regulations during this science challenge?
A: Yes. Students and facilitators will learn about safety and regulation issues associated with drones throughout the course of the challenge. They can also visit the FAA guidelines links on page 10 of the youth guide, and noted below, so that they can learn about the regulations when flying a real drone.
www.KnowBeforeYouFly.org
www.faa.gov/uas/model_aircraft
National Partners
National Sponsor
University & Government Partners