Google Uses Drone Competition At RSU As Recruiting Opportunity

At Rogers State University, 150 students from around the state competed in a drone competition with a potential job as the prize.

It was sponsored by Google, and one of the representatives said you might see one of the students participating working for the company one day.

What goes up must come down was a lesson learned the hard way by middle and high school students competing in the Google Aero Games at Rogers State University.

“I think it could have gone better. We should have had a little more practice," said Reace Adams from Nowata High School.

All eyes were on them as they guided their handmade drones through a six-part obstacle course.

"It's really stressful out on the court because you know everyone's watching you," Nowata high school student EraLynn Cody said. "That was the most stressful part."

The pressure extended beyond Friday – Google’s Andrew Silvestri said they use events like these as a recruiting opportunity.

"They are local, we want to hire local, and so we want to work with them to make sure that these students are the future of Google Oklahoma," Silvestri said.

Drones are judged on speed, accuracy, even altitude, and the students in Friday’s competition were only allowed to spend $30 to build their drones.

There were highs and lows throughout the day, but, in the end, Silvestri said it's all about learning.

“We really see these students from middle school all the way up through high school as our future innovators," he said. "It's just exciting to see how excited they get. It's fun but they're still learning.”

If you're a middle school or high school student and you didn't get to compete this year, Silvestri said they will have the event again next year at Rogers State.