28 April 2025

Will Waters was doing cutting edge agricultural research at the University of Florida back in the 1970s but he probably could never envision what his grandson Andrew would be working on five decades later at Warren UAS, the pioneering drone training program at Warren County Community College.

Andrew Bieniek, who recently graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, has joined the growing staff at WarrenUAS as a specialist in the programming and maintenance of some 90 drone systems at Warren.

He’ll be monitoring and maintaining those systems and training WarrenUAS students to fill the huge gaps where those skills are needed in the drone industry. He’ll also be focused on the training and research Warren is doing in precision agriculture, the growing use of drones to monitor and improve farmland and vastly increase the efficiency of farmers.

“My grandfather was doing leading research on the growth of oranges and tomatoes and other crops. He was a huge influence on me, and I was always interested in the work he was doing. Now I have a chance to work with these cutting-edge tools that today can improve the efficiency and sustainability of farms,” he said.

Bieniek was a standout student at Embry-Riddle, the leading aeronautical program in the country, initially studying aerospace engineering because of a long-held love of flight. However, he has the dwarfism genetic condition achondroplasia, and he recognized that, while he dreamed of flying, his condition would make it challenging. At about the same time he found drones.

“He was always trying to learn more and explore new material” says Dr. Joseph Cerreta, an associate professor in the College of Aeronautics at Embry-Riddle, who was Bieniek’s professor in drone training courses and his mentor.

Cerreta points out that Bieniek sought out new learning opportunities, working with the college on drone inspection of tornado damage assessments and flooding in Oklahoma, for instance, or the latest campus research on 3-D printing for the equipment.

“But he not only participated in the newest work we were doing – he took on leadership roles with other students as a team leader. They knew he had a grasp of the information and they wanted to learn from him. Warren is lucky to have someone who can connect with their students and provide them with the latest knowledge about these systems, which he’ll keep gathering.”

Warren County Community College President Will Austin, who has been deeply involved in development of WarrenUAS at the school, echoed Cerreta’s praise.

“Andrew fills a gap here at the college and the way we can serve the drone industry,” he said. “He’s very well versed in unmanned systems but really knows how to design and maintain them. We need an expert like that on campus for our fleet – and we want our students to have an opportunity to acquire those skills.”

In a short time at Embry-Riddle and in the five years since his graduation, Bieniek has gained additional wide-ranging experience. He has worked with the biggest firms offering drone delivery services, helped lead search-and-rescue missions, investigated invasive species and helped establish drone use for utility systems and operations. He has logged more than 1,800 hours of flight time and in one position trained some 300 drone pilots.

“I’ve been fortunate to have some great learning experiences at Embry-Riddle and in the industry since, but I’m looking forward to the opportunity to work with students and teach, which I really enjoy most,” he said. “This position will allow me to keep up with the latest about drone systems and an opportunity to work with students, so they have the latest knowledge.

He is now working on development of a class covering the design, programming and maintenance of unmanned systems, potentially offered to WarrenUAS students this fall.

WarrenUAS began operation at Warren County Community College five years ago and has grown to be one of the leading training programs for unmanned systems in the nation. Housed in two new facilities on campus, it offers its growing number of students access to some $5 million in equipment and a faculty comprised of leading experts in the field.

It has expanded its offerings and the certifications it can provide for safe flight and now provides students with more specific training in precision agriculture, which has become one of Austin’s priorities.

“There are so many areas where our students can find great careers with these skills operating unmanned systems,” he said. “Andrew will add another dimension to our program as an expert in the fundamental ways these systems operate and are built and maintained. And his wide-ranging skills and knowledge will be an asset for us beyond that.”

Bieniek, who began his work at Warren in early February, says he’s already found that the position suits him well – and believes he can even further boost the program’s reputation as a leading academic site for drone training.

“It is such an exciting time to be involved in this field and Warren is a great place to explore the growing capability of this technology and train students to learn about them and grow careers in the field,” he said.