College students test drones for campus safety improvements

University of Arkansas students are tackling a project for DroneUp, the company that launched drone deliveries for Northwest Arkansas Walmart locations last year.

What's happening: A team of five students at the McMillon Innovation Studio is using the company's existing equipment in NWA to see how drones might be used to improve campus safety, Ilya Tlumach, DroneUp's vice president of learning and development, told Axios.

The intrigue: The group is one of 17 studio design teams that are trying to solve problems for companies.

• Other teams are working with Nabholz Construction to attract young people into the field and Highlands Oncology to improve patient experiences.

Details: The McMillon Innovation Studio offers extracurricular activities for UofA students interested in entrepreneurship. About 70 students take part, Justin Urso, director of the studio, told Axios.

• The partnership started after Tlumach sat in on a past demo day and learned about the studio.

What to watch: They'll present their findings at a demo day May 3 and those who show the most commercialization potential go on to produce their innovation, Urso said.