2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Since 2014, engineering students of all ranks at Colorado State University Pueblo (CSUP) were involved in a multiyear research/design project dealing with electrical vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Supported by three external educational grants and internal departmental funds, the project involved undergraduate and MS graduate student researchers spanning a period of about ten years. Students worked with their faculty mentors to investigate new UAV applications as well as to create new UAVs. Students’ work resulted in a number of internal posters and PowerPoint presentations at university-wide STEM research symposia, four senior project reports with posters and presentations, and one MS thesis. Students’ designs involving a novel octocopter with overlapping propellers were also used in writing an external grant application. Furthermore, all students engaged in this vertically integrated project (VIP) were retained or graduated. In addition, 20% of the students obtained MS degrees. It is hoped that this work will add to the VIP body of knowledge and will inspire readers to implement similar projects in their own institutions.