University of Denver Spring 2026

ALUMNI STORIES

Special Delivery DU engineering alumnus Ryan Patterson helped create the world’s largest autonomous delivery network, using drones to drop medical supplies to remote places that need them the most. By Connor Mokrzycki

In a rural clinic in eastern Rwanda, a child arrives critically ill with malaria. The disease can turn deadly in hours if untreated, yet lifesaving medicine is often miles away over rough roads that can take hours, even days, to traverse. Instead of sending a driver to a distant warehouse, a nurse simply places an order on a computer. In less than a half hour, a small battery-powered aircraft appears in the sky, and a parachute drops a package containing the medication needed to stabilize the patient. Scenes like this are becoming increasingly common across rural Africa thanks to Zipline, an autonomous drone logistics company that delivers blood, vaccines, and critical medicines to remote communities. Behind the systems that make those deliveries possible are engineers like Ryan Patterson (MS ’09), who spends his days designing the electronics and software that power the company’s aircraft. “For me, it’s the perfect combination,” Patterson says. “As an engineer, it’s fun to have a good technical challenge—to go and build something interesting. And as a human, there’s nothing that beats helping other people, making their lives easier or more survivable.” An electrical engineer from day one Growing up in Grand Junction, Colorado, Patterson was fascinated—perhaps obsessed—with electronics as

Ryan Patterson today, and posing with his favorite extension cord at 4 years old.

far back as he can remember. While other preschoolers carried around their favorite toys, Patterson often toted his favorite extension cord. In third grade, a teacher recognized his boredom in class and arranged a mentorship with John McConnell, a local retired physicist. Every Saturday for nearly a decade, the duo explored electronics, physics, and engineering—ordering books, tinkering in McConnell’s shop, and experimenting with robotics.

A Zipline drone seen just after launch in Africa.