The Drone STEM program is an initiative to improve the science and mathematic area of teaching and learning. The traditional teaching methods are not catering sufficiently for the outcomes that are expected from various school and higher education levels, especially in the context of the rapid advances in digital era technology. This is an initiative by a Lecturer in Education (Mathematics) Dr Farha Sattar and won a $48,000 grant from Charles Darwin University Institute of Advanced Studies, Rainmaker Readiness Grant.

Dr Sattar said Australian policy-makers needed to develop a long-term strategy for the STEM sector, rather than focus on a short-term reliance on a small number of talented graduates. To that end the Rainmaker Readiness grant is being used to advance a project which Dr Sattar, who is also a certified drone pilot and radio operator, uses airborne drones to stimulate interest in STEM education.