Bergen Community College became one of just three community colleges to get clearance from the Federal Aviation Administration to operate drones, allowing the college to start offering educational programs on drones. Watch video
PARAMUS -- Bergen Community College became one of just three community colleges to get clearance from the Federal Aviation Administration to operate drones, allowing the college to start offering educational programs on drones.
William Mullaney, vice president of academic affairs for the college, said in an announcment Tuesday that unmanned aerial revolutions are a "technological revolution."
"With the exemption granted by the FAA, Bergen is positioned at the forefront of this revolution, offering an opportunity for students, and the region as a whole, to study cutting-edge robotics that very few institutions of higher education currently possess," he said.
College officials petitioned the FAA in June for permission to use drones for photography and videography. The school plans to offer credit and non-credit coursework on drones, including training programs for law enforcement and news gathering agencies.
Prior to receiving the exemption, members of the STEM Student Union and the Bergen County Applied Technology High School worked with drones as hobbyists, but not as part of official coursework.
Programs for childrens and teens will run the first programs under the exemption this summer.
The college must follow an FAA-prescribed height limit and keep a buffer from pedestrians and buildings as part of the exemption, which must be renewed by Jan. 31, 2018.
The Emil Buehler Trust provided a $9,500 grant for consulting fees and application assistance in the college's petition to the FAA. The trust previously gave a $2 million grant to the college to establish an aviation program.
Myles Ma may be reached at mma@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MylesMaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.