{
  "id": 16941591,
  "title": "NASA University Challenge Ignites Trajectory of Drone Entrepreneur",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/28/nasa-university-challenge-ignites-trajectory-of-drone-entrepreneur-16941591",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-10-28T18:00:28.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "NASA",
    "slug": "nasa",
    "url": "https://www.nasa.gov/aeronautics/nasa-challenge-drone-entrepreneur/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "NASA’s University Student Research Challenge (USRC) has provided a launchpad for the entrepreneurial journey of Gavin Gardner and his team at AG3 Labs. The program, which provides grants to college students working on aeronautical research, not only helps students develop technical skills but also teaches them how to promote their work and sell their products. Gardner, who participated in USRC while a Michigan State University engineering student, credits the challenge with providing him the foundation for starting his own company. His NASA experience, combined with his entrepreneurial skills, led to the founding of AG3 Labs in 2024, a company specializing in drones for military training exercises.",
  "summary": "Five years ago, Gavin Gardner was a Michigan State University engineering student researching next-generation drone technology as part of a NASA grant. Garder expected the research to be demanding – but he was surprised that navigating the financial side of the work presented an even greater challenge. Although Gardner was used to leading fellow students […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}