An open platform drone with a customizable central processing unit is the goal of Shengli Fu, associate professor and chair of electrical engineering.

The National Science Foundation awarded him a $250,000 grant to research and develop the drone, which researchers in computer and information sciences and engineering could tailor to fit their needs.

The three-year grant is part of $1 million that has been divided among UNT, the University of Texas at Arlington, Texas A&M University- Corpus Christi and the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez.

Applications range from emergency response to agriculture monitoring and environmental testing.