By Shelby Ruud ’18 | Photos by Levi Sim

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The pace of technological change affects nearly every corner of the modern workforce, and many of the tools professionals rely on today would have been unimaginable a decade ago.

From drones — the smallest unmanned aerial systems — to the largest commercial jets, Utah State University is incorporating professional-grade technology into its curriculum and leaning into that shift. The Aviation Technology program is putting cutting-edge equipment directly in the hands of students and preparing them to fill critical, in-demand jobs.

“We’re training students with equipment that mimics exactly what they’ll see in the real world,” says aviation instructor Aaron Whittle. “The movements are real. The scenarios are real. So, when something happens out there, they can say, ‘I’ve been here. I’ve seen this. I know what to do.’”

Safer Skies

Air traffic controllers are responsible for one of the toughest, high-stakes jobs in the world — keeping aircraft safely separated in crowded skies. Their work requires intense concentration, rapid decision-making, and constant communication.

To build those skills, USU’s aviation faculty designed an air traffic control (ATC) minor program centered on realistic, high-pressure practice. The heart of that program is the university’s immersive ATC   simulator — a multi-screen, panoramic setup that replicates a control tower environment. Students can adjust weather and traffic patterns, simulate emergencies, and practice managing dozens of aircraft at once.

“You can read about air traffic control all day,” says Whittle, who leads the program. “But when you’re sitting in front of planes moving on a screen, hearing the chatter and making decisions in real time, that’s when it really clicks. You can’t replicate that kind of real-time experience on paper.”

After graduation, aspiring controllers must pass a series of rigorous tests before training at the Federal Aviation Administration facility in Oklahoma City. The pass rate is low as only around 5% advance.

“No book can prepare you for it,” says Chase Armstrong, a recent graduate now training with the FAA. “I had a head start because of my time at USU. I don’t think there’s a way to overstate how much these classes helped me. I wouldn’t have passed the FAA test without my time at USU.”

Not all students enrolled in the ATC minor want to be controllers. Some are future pilots who want a deeper understanding of how controllers manage traffic. And understanding their perspective helps the pilots have more confidence in the air.

“Pilots and controllers are a team,” Whittle explains. “The better they understand each other, the safer the airspace becomes.”

Inside the Cockpit

While the ATC simulator teaches students how to direct aircraft, USU’s new jet simulators show them what happens inside the cockpit.

The aviation program recently installed two 737 jet simulators built from the cockpits of retired commercial aircraft. With functioning avionics, and fully operational flight decks, the simulators deliver an experience about as close to flying a real jet as one can get — one even features a 220-degree wraparound display.

“We can simulate any weather, any runway, anywhere in the world,” says Captain Parry “Pee Wee” Winder, director and chief flight instructor for the USU 737 jet training program. “Students get a real sense of how the job feels. You sit in that seat, and it looks like you’re sitting in Salt Lake on the runway. You can’t get much more real than that.”

The goal, Winder says, is for students to be overprepared.

“I want future employers to say, ‘Utah State pilots come ready,’” he proclaims. “That reputation will open doors for these students.”

And the students understand the importance of the training. Not only for opening those doors, but for ensuring the proper training they need to hold others’ lives in their hands.

“I want to come home to my family after every flight,” explains recent graduate Andrew Hofer. “That’s why this kind of training matters. Good pilots and safe pilots never stop learning.”

Agriculture from Above

While pilots and controllers use simulators to keep the airspace safe, another group at Utah State is using airborne technology for a different purpose — understanding the land below

Drones have become essential tools in agriculture, and USU researchers are at the forefront of demonstrating why.

Brent Black, a professor in the Plants, Soils and Climate Department, leads a project studying tart cherry trees. His team uses drones to tackle challenges such as drought stress, nutrient deficiencies, pests, and yield variability.

One focus of the project is gathering data efficiently, and that’s where the drones come in. By hand, it can take days to evaluate a few hundred trees. Drones can assess thousands of trees in minutes.

“We can look at the orchard in ways we simply couldn’t before,” Black says. “With the drones, we can capture variability across the entire block and see things you’d never notice walking the rows. Then we create maps to help us understand which trees are struggling and why, and that lets us make better decisions on irrigation, nutrition, and pruning.”

Students on Black’s research team embrace the chance to get hands-on experience with cutting-edge drone technology.

“When I joined the project, they gave me the reins to use the drones,” says Kurt Wedegaertner, a doctoral student working under Black. “The availability of the drones and the drone software here have been invaluable. My time at USU has prepared me to use this type of technology.”

And that preparation is important, because the uses for drones in agriculture are almost limitless. Drones can assess plant and soil health, detect animals in heat, efficiently distribute fertilizers, herd livestock, spray pesticides, observe water pathways and erosion, monitor snow runoff, track drought strain, detect disease outbreaks, and even create 3D orchard models.

“If you’re interested in agriculture, and you really like computers and engineering and gadgets, there’s a huge opportunity to merge those two interests and bring technology to the farm,” Black exhorts.

Mapping Ecosystems Efficiently

The drone precision that helps growers manage orchards is equally powerful in natural resource work, where researchers monitor entire ecosystems from above.

Justin Allred is a doctoral student who went from zero drone experience to being part of a research project that primarily utilizes drone technology.

Working with Grant Cardon, interim dean of the S.J. and Jessie E. Quinney College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and the Bingham Research Center on a drone-based project, Allred examines how landscapes recover after wildfire and how invasive plants reshape those ecosystems.

The goal is to help land managers understand which species, native plants or invaders, are returning. Similar research was done by Utah State on the Green River last year.

Previously, satellite imagery was used in this role, but the resolution was rough and the detail was lacking. With drones, they can get details down to the centimeter.

The possibilities for drones in natural resource fields are almost endless. They can also track wildlife movement, monitor water quality, measure elevation changes, and create detailed 3D maps, amongst various other functions.

“Aerial imagery is truly going to be the face of the future,” Allred says. “Drones are definitely here to stay.”

However, flying the drone is only the first step. The ability to understand and interpret the data gathered by the drones is the truly important skill.

Training for Tomorrow

Recognizing that gap, USU is pivoting to help students stay competitive and employable.

Thanks to the new Drones for Natural Resource and Environmental Management certificate, Aggies in fields like forestry, wildlife science, environmental management, and rangeland ecology are getting hands-on drone training along with the skills to interpret the data they gather.

“It has now become the expectation that students have some experience with drones,” explains Claudia Radel, professor and head of the Department of Environment and Society. “It’s becoming ingrained in the field. But there’s a difference between being able to fly a drone and knowing what to do with the data. This certificate closes that gap.”

With support from the aviation program, faculty built a curriculum that combines drone flight training, FAA licensure preparation, mission planning, and advanced geospatial coursework. Students learn how to collect imagery and process it to map vegetation, assess wildfire risk, monitor water flows, or track animals across landscapes.

The goal is to equip students with both piloting skills and analytical expertise to use drones as professional tools.

“Drones are not replacing, but rather aiding a lot of the ground measurements,” says Dr. Aish Chandrasekaran, a lecturer in the Department of Environment and Society. “Drones are becoming a huge deal because they help to make timely decisions faster.”

Changes like the new certificate reflect a growing need across the workforce. Employers increasingly want graduates who can hit the ground running when they arrive on the job. Utah State is preparing them for that.

As technology continues to evolve, industries demand professionals who can adapt. USU is meeting that need with programs built for long-term relevance by ensuring students gain guided practice with professional tools and the expertise to use those tools effectively.

“Organizations don’t just want someone who can throw a drone in the air,” says Shalyn Drake, a lecturer and unmanned aerial systems certificate lead. “They want someone with an aviation mindset. Someone trained in mission planning, checklists, and rigorous safety inspections. That mindset makes missions successful.”