Eastern Shore Community College, in partnership with the Wallops Research Park, hosted the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Technical Interchange on October 2.  Participants examined the exciting potential this emerging UAS industry has for our community.  With the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) recent selection of the Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership (MAAP) to establish UAS test flight corridors, Wallops Island is expected to play a key part in the expansion of UAS development and implementation in the national air space.  Research universities and military and aerospace organizations in Virginia, New Jersey and Maryland, sent representatives to speak.  Attendees explored how the breakthrough UAS industry will impact economic development on Virginia’s Eastern Shore as well as DelMarVa and the rest of Virginia.  Panel discussion were led by UAS operations experts, technology leaders, and industry leaders.

Copies of the presentations include:

University of Maryland UAS Test Site Update by Matt Scassero

UAS Integration Office by Jim Williams

NASA’s Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentinal by Bruce Underwood

UAS in Precision Agriculture: Opportunities for the Eastern Shore by Abhlijit Nagchaudhuri and Chris Hartman

The Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnerships by Rose Mooney

The event was sponsored by UAV Solutions of Jessup, Maryland; Bosh Group of Newport News; ASRC Federal of Beltsville, Maryland; LTJ and Associates of Columbia, Maryland; the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS); the Virginia Economic Development Partnership and the Virginia Community College System.