Drones are revolutionizing industries by providing efficient, cost-effective, and innovative solutions to real-world challenges. In agriculture, drones equipped with multispectral cameras and sensors help farmers monitor crop health, optimize irrigation, and detect pests or diseases early, leading to higher yields and reduced resource waste. In disaster response, drones are deployed to assess damage, locate survivors, and deliver essential supplies in areas that may be unsafe or inaccessible for human responders. Their ability to quickly capture aerial data and operate in hazardous conditions makes them invaluable for improving safety and decision-making.

Beyond emergency response and agriculture, drones are transforming industries such as infrastructure inspection, environmental monitoring, and logistics. Utility companies use drones to inspect power lines, pipelines, and bridges, reducing the need for risky manual inspections. Conservationists deploy drones to track wildlife populations, prevent poaching, and monitor deforestation in remote areas. In logistics, major companies are testing drone deliveries to improve last-mile shipping efficiency, particularly in rural and hard-to-reach locations. As drone technology continues to evolve, its applications will expand, offering new ways to enhance productivity, safety, and sustainability across multiple sectors.

The growing demand for a STEM-educated workforce is undeniable, but both Kentucky and the broader U.S. are grappling with significant challenges in student performance and engagement in these fields. This situation has led to a shortage of skilled talent in areas critical to economic growth and innovation. To address this, our programs, events, and outreach efforts are designed to ignite interest in STEM subjects among local youth, helping to close the gap between academic performance and real-world demand for STEM skills.

By introducing students to exciting, hands-on learning experiences and providing access to industry experts and resources, we not only inspire curiosity and passion for science, technology, engineering, and math but also create a direct pipeline for future talent. This talent pool is essential for the continued success and growth of businesses, especially in Kentucky, where STEM-related industries play a vital role in the local economy.

Our deep-rooted history of collaboration with STEM employers and educators allows us to effectively guide and support students as they explore career paths. These partnerships enable us to offer mentorship, internships, and other opportunities that connect classroom learning to practical, real-world applications. As a result, we are uniquely positioned to shape the next generation of critical thinkers, problem-solvers, and innovators who will drive technological advancements and meet the future workforce needs of businesses across the region.

Ultimately, by fostering a culture of innovation and ensuring that students are equipped with the skills they need to succeed in STEM careers, we are contributing to the long-term economic stability and global competitiveness of Kentucky.

Mission

To promote STEM excellence in our K-12 schools.

Vision

Inspiring the future of a STEM ready workforce.

Priorities

1. Provide a greater understanding of STEM Forward purposes to stakeholders and increase utilization of resources.

2. Develop more partnerships and relationships that add value for STEM Forward stakeholders.

3. Deliver value by creating opportunities and promoting experiences that connect stakeholders with resources to engage students in STEM education.

Why STEM?

America’s national innovation base depends more than ever on a strong, cross-sector collaboration around common STEM education interests and goals—a STEM ecosystem—that can provide all Americans with access to high-quality STEM education throughout their lifetimes. Establishing a path to basic STEM literacy for everyone is vital to preparing a diverse workforce needed for the United States to lead and prosper in an increasingly competitive world driven by advanced technology.

STEM education has been evolving from a convenient clustering of four overlapping disciplines toward a more cohesive knowledge base and skill set critical for the economy of the 21st century. The best STEM education provides an interdisciplinary approach to learning, where rigorous academic concepts are coupled with real-world applications and students use STEM in contexts that make connections between school, community, work, and the wider world. Leaders in STEM education continue to broaden and deepen its scope and further transcend the fields of study beyond just a combination of the four disciplines to include the arts and humanities. Modern STEM education imparts not only skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, higher order thinking, design, and inference, but also behavioral competencies such as perseverance, adaptability, cooperation, organization, and responsibility.

https://www.stemforward.org/

What Jobs Are in the STEM field?

Each STEM field offers many different specializations. For example, students interested in science can pursue programs in biology and chemistry, while aspiring engineers can explore fields like electrical engineering and mechanical engineering.

Each specialization offers unique challenges and areas of expertise, which can help students determine their career path. Students interested in theoretical physics, for example, may be better served focusing on mathematics rather than engineering.

STEM Career Outlook

The outlook for careers with a STEM degree differs depending on each worker's education and location. Readers should always research specific careers to learn more about their job outlook and potential salary.

For example, life, physical, and social sciences professionals can expect to earn median annual salaries that range from $41,970 for agricultural and food science technicians to $128,950 for physicists and astronomers. Additionally, median annual salaries for computer and information technology professions range from $55,510 for computer support specialists to $126,830 for computer and information research scientists.

Meanwhile, median annual salaries for architecture and engineering professionals range from $46,200 for surveying and mapping technicians to $137,330 for petroleum engineers.

Note that lower-paying jobs tend to only require an associate degree, whereas more lucrative opportunities often require a graduate degree.

The future of drones presents an exciting array of job opportunities across various industries. As drone technology continues to advance, there will be a significant demand for skilled drone operators and pilots. These professionals will be needed not only for recreational flying but for more complex operations like aerial inspections, delivery services, and mapping. As regulations evolve, certified drone pilots will be crucial in industries such as agriculture, real estate, and construction, where aerial data collection can dramatically improve efficiency and decision-making processes. With the rise of autonomous drones, the role of the drone operator may shift from direct piloting to monitoring and managing fleets of drones from remote locations.

Another promising field will be drone maintenance and repair. As drones become more integral to sectors such as logistics, healthcare, and public safety, ensuring that drones are properly maintained and serviced will be critical. Technicians who specialize in drone hardware and software, including battery systems, sensors, and navigation systems, will be in high demand. These roles will require expertise in both mechanical engineering and electronics, as well as the ability to troubleshoot software issues. There will likely also be a growing need for specialized repair services, particularly as drones become more advanced and integrated into daily operations.

In addition to hands-on drone operation and maintenance, there will be roles in drone data analysis. Drones are increasingly being used to collect vast amounts of data, from aerial imagery to environmental measurements. As a result, data scientists and analysts who can interpret this information will be essential. For instance, in agriculture, drones can collect data on crop health, soil conditions, and irrigation levels, while in environmental monitoring, they can assess deforestation and wildlife populations. Data analysts will help transform this raw data into actionable insights, improving decision-making across industries. They will likely work closely with AI and machine learning technologies to automate and enhance data interpretation.

Finally, drone regulation and policy development will create opportunities in the legal and regulatory fields. As drones become more prevalent, governments and organizations will need experts to navigate the evolving legal landscape around airspace management, privacy, and safety standards. Professionals with a background in law, public policy, and aviation will play a crucial role in developing frameworks that balance innovation with public safety. These roles will not only involve creating new regulations but also working with companies to ensure compliance, developing best practices, and addressing public concerns about the use of drones in both private and commercial settings.

The global commercial drone market size was estimated at USD 19.89 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.9% from 2023 to 2030. The market growth is attributed to the increasing enterprise application of drones across various industry verticals. Several drone manufacturers are continually testing, inventing, and upgrading solutions for diverse markets. Besides, the integration of modern technologies in commercial drones to deliver enhanced solutions is opening new growth opportunities for the commercial drone industry. The business use cases of commercial drones have expanded significantly over the past few years.

Drones are increasingly adopted in the construction and real estate sectors due to their ability to survey a property, offer constant and exact project alerts, increase safety, and prevent harmful accidents on construction sites. Moreover, their conventional applications, such as monitoring, surveillance, and security, have boosted the product demand for search and rescue operations, identifying unstable roofs in dangerous and inaccessible positions, and inspecting elevated infrastructure that might damage equipment such as electrical cables.

The commercial drone market growth is further driven by technological advances in electronics, such as modern computing, microcontrollers, processors, mobile hardware, and cameras. For instance, in September 2022, AeroVironment Inc. launched Vapor 55MX, a next-generation VAPOR Helicopter that caters to customers from the defense, commercial, and industrial sectors.

Technological advancements allow companies to design and construct measurement and annotation tools for estimating area, volume, and distance. As a result, organizations are constantly adopting Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) solutions to retrieve accurate findings from large volumes of data. Integration of these modern technologies provides the industry with ample opportunities as they facilitate real-time, data-driven decision-making through high-speed data capture, processing, and transfer. AI-powered drones also allow users to interact and observe footage captured by other drones in real-time and track their flight paths.