The fossil fuel industry, even coal, is seeing some improvement in 2022. No economy grows without affordable energy, and as the economy struggles to rebound from the COVID pandemic, energy demand grows.

This is good news, but let’s not forget that it’s never a good idea to put all your eggs in one basket. State revenues, which rely heavily on extraction industries, crumbled precipitously in the past few years. The downturns renewed a needed commitment to diversifying the state’s economy.

One of the biggest challenges to attracting other industries to Wyoming is the lack of a workforce with the skills industries need. Companies won’t relocate or start up where they won’t find skilled employees, and graduates won’t stay where they can’t find jobs. It’s a bit of a cycle that isn’t helping Wyoming grow. A key component to the state’s future is education.

Last weekend, a group of educators from the University of Wyoming, Park County School District 1, and Northwest College held a drone expo right here in Powell. The event was part of the university’s STEAM initiative (science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics). It was open to K-12 and college students and featured a range of challenges involving the evolving field of unmanned aerial systems (UAS), known colloquially as drones.

These challenges included obstacle courses in which students maneuvered drones through and around loops, knocked balls off posts and landed precisely on small platforms. There was a drone video competition — putting the “art” in STEAM — in which students showed off their video making skills. There were also coding competitions and Federal Aviation Administration knowledge tests, which followed the Part 107 licensing requirements for commercial drone operations.

In addition to the student challenges, the event featured speakers currently working in the drone industry. Ron Nettie, of Ron Nettie Photography, discussed the photography and video techniques he uses in his business, such as capturing vibrant views of properties for clients in the booming Wyoming real estate market.

Thomas Rullman discussed how GT Aeronautics, which is headquartered at the Powell Municipal Airport, designs, builds and flies drones for operations in search and rescue, as well as weed and pest. He also showed how the company got its start developing unmanned aerial systems in California for military applications.

The expo also included a presentation on how drones are used in journalism. 

It was a well-rounded expo showing a lot of potential for this growing industry. The expo was just the first in a series of similar events that the university and its education partners are holding across the state, aided by generous support from local businesses. The schedule includes a statewide competition, to be held in Buffalo in June.

The events not only showcase the potential of the UAS industry, but also how dedicated educators in Wyoming are to equipping students with the skills they need for tomorrow’s economy.

As Wyoming produces more high school and college graduates with skill sets for these growing industries, more companies will see Wyoming as a great place to do business. And that will mean more young people staying here in Wyoming when they’re done with their education.