Geosystems Research Institute and MSU’s Ag Extension Partner to Teach Piney Ridge Students About Unmanned Aerial Technology

September 14, 2020

Piney Woods School located in Piney Woods, Mississippi, has a rich history in agriculture education, spanning over a century. In recent years the agriculture program has been in decline. In 2020, the board of directors directed the school to bring back the AG program to a fully functional operation.

As part of the initiative, the latest technology trends in agriculture will be investigated and used at the school. The interest is high in Unmanned Aerial Technology and contacted MSU Extension to demonstrate the technology to the administration, teachers and students.

The demonstration was a complete success with students being able to fly the aircraft and see on the screen what their hard work in clearing and preparing the fields looks like from 100 feet in the air. The administration was also impressed. There are pressing forward in acquiring more grant monies to enhance the technology at Piney Woods so they can implement a pilot program and curriculum.

“We were impressed with the students’ decorum and intelligent questions. Our plant is to continue to support educational efforts at Piney Woods in applying the technology and it’s uses in agriculture to better prepare students for careers in agriculture,” Louis Wasson, with the GRI and Ag Extension Unmanned Aerials Systems research program said.

By Sean Meacham