When you see a list of municipalities and institutions that are applying for FAA Drone Licenses, you expect to see the Marine Corps, the Navy, etc. Even the DOJ isn't shocking. Creepy, maybe, but not surprising. Now that the President has decided he can summarily order the drone-strike execution of U.S. citizens without trial, every federal agency is going to want one.
What might be a little more unexpected is the number of Universities that are requesting drone approval.
All of the following schools were culled from a newly released list of 81 FAA Drone license applicants.
Cornell University
Indiana State University
Kansas State University
Middle Georgia College
Lorain Community College
Middle Tennessee State University
Mississippi State University
New Mexico State University - Physical Science Lab
Nicholls State University
Northwestern Michigan College
Ohio University
Oregon State University
Pennsylvania State University
Sinclair Community College
Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi
Texas A&M University - Engineering Experiment Station
Texas State University
University of Alaska, Fairbanks
University of Arizona
University of California, Davis
University of California, Merced
University of Colorado, Boulder
University of Connecticut
University of Florida
University of Michigan
University of North Dakota
University of Oklahoma
University of Wisconsin
Utah State University
Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University
West Virginia University
So, remember, when you're choosing a taxpayer-subsidized public university, make sure to enquire about whether they have a federally authorized drone program. You wouldn't want to wind up at some second rate "learnstitute" that doesn't have one.
After receiving a four-year degree in "drone studies" you'll be probably be able to get a job as a government remote-control assassin in no time.
For the full list, which was made available thanks to the Freedom of Information Act, click here.
....and yes, we know there are legitimate reasons for schools to want this tech. However, if the proliferation of these machines doesn't concern you - particularly in light of the Obama administration's eagerness to use them - you really should start paying more attention.
