Randal W. Beard received the Karl G. Maeser Research and Creative Arts Award for outstanding research and creative accomplishments. Dr. Beard has made pioneering contributions to his field. Widely considered an international expert in the area of coordinated control of small unmanned aerial vehicles, his work is documented in journal articles and book chapters, conference articles, and a book, with many of these publications invited or highly cited contributions. His research has allowed him to mentor 27 graduate students, many undergraduates and other faculty members. He is the past recipient of the BYU Young Scholar and Technology Transfer awards.