Edge in the sky: University to lead conversation about the future of drones
The widespread availability and capability of drones has opened up exciting new opportunities in industries ranging from commercial photography to construction. It’s also transformed warfare and created new elements to account for in domestic security.
Virginia Tech is at the forefront of national conversation about the technological, regulatory, and security implications of unmanned aerial systems (UAS), commonly called drones. Led by the Virginia Tech National Security Institute and the Virginia Tech Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership, the university is using a recent $5 million award from the U.S. Army to augment capabilities at its Counter UAS Research and Testing Center.
On Thursday, Oct. 23, Virginia Tech will convene experts in unmanned aerial systems, national security, high-impact computing, innovation, and business development to discuss the many profound security implications of drones.
The free event, Edge in the Sky: UAS and the Future of Defense Technology, is the first in a Center of Next Speaker Series launched by the Virginia Tech Institute for Advanced Computing and the university’s Innovation and Partnerships team. The event is from 4-6 p.m. at Virginia Tech Academic Building One, 3625 Potomac Ave. in Alexandria. Attendees are asked to register in advance.
The event’s featured speakers are:
- Jason Bales, chief technology officer of CACI International, which provides expertise and technology for national security to U.S. government customers.
- Kirk Cameron, interim director of the Virginia Tech Institute for Advanced Computing.
- Tombo Jones, director of the Virginia Tech Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership.
- Eric Paterson, executive director of the Virginia Tech National Security Institute.
- Michael Robbins, president and CEO of the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International, the world’s largest trade association for uncrewed systems, robotics, and autonomous technologies.
- Brandy Salmon, Virginia Tech vice president for innovation and partnerships.
“Security is a critical component of our work to integrate unmanned aerial systems into society in ways that maximize benefits and minimize risk,” said Jones, whose organization is part of the university’s Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science and works with the Federal Aviation Administration, federal agencies, and leading companies on fundamental research and advanced testing of drones. “This Center of Next event is right in keeping with our work to bring a wide variety of stakeholders together to navigate a complicated and critical issue for Virginia and the nation at large.”
Paterson and Cameron both head institutes that are located at Academic Building One and collaborate on matters related to emerging technology’s implications for national security.
Cameron welcomed the event as a way to explore new ideas at the nexus of computing, aerial technology, innovation, and security.
“Advanced computing sits at the heart of technologies like drones, autonomous vehicles, and artificial intelligence,” Cameron said. “All of these developments are moving fast and raising both opportunities that should be seized and concerns that must be addressed. We are excited to partner in that process.”
