Gavin Gardner, a former student at Michigan State University, participated in the NASA University Student Research Challenge (USRC) twice. The program provides grants to college teams for aeronautical research and emphasizes both engineering and entrepreneurship skills.
In 2021, Gardner and his team received a USRC grant for the Aerial Intra-city Delivery Electric Drones project. They developed a concept for a cargo drone that docks on public transport to charge, though they did not pursue it commercially due to regulatory concerns.
The team secured a second USRC award in 2023 for the Laser Energized Aerial Drone System, which involved laser-based power transfer to drones in flight. This project helped Gardner establish professional connections with NASA personnel at the Glenn Research Center.
In 2024, Gardner co-founded AG3 Labs with his brother and other USRC alumni. The company specializes in manufacturing drones for military training exercises. Following an initial contract from the U.S. Army, the firm has expanded its production capacity to thousands of units per month.
