UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State’s Unmanned Aircraft Operations Team will celebrate National Drone Safety Awareness Week on Sept. 13–17. A series of fun and educational events will be offered throughout the week.
Virtual presentations will be offered by Penn State and outside speakers on Monday and Thursday respectively. Members of the University community may also learn more about practicing flight skills and connecting with the drone community.
Registration is required for the virtual presentations.
- Women in Aviation
On Sept. 13 from 3-4 p.m., Rachel Axten, an National Science Foundation graduate research fellow with the Pennsylvania UAV Research Laboratory and aerospace engineering graduate student, will be offering an uplifting session around her experience in aviation and the importance of women in STEM fields.
- Aviation Safety and Trust
On Sept. 16 from 3-4 p.m., Matt Scassero, director of the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Test Site at the University of Maryland, will share his experiences with the first-ever unmanned aircraft delivery of a viable organ to a waiting patient, hurricane recovery flight support and other research projects, with a focus on applying safety and trust to those operations. This interactive session will include a Q&A session so participants can learn about the strategy behind the thinking, testing, and execution of the overall mission.
To learn more about suggested ways to practice flight skills and to connect with a drone community, visit the UA Operations Blog. As a reminder, all flights on University property or for a University-affiliated activity require an approved flight request. All drone pilots are reminded to familiarize themselves with regulations from the University and the Federal Aviation Administration.
The Unmanned Aircraft Operations team can be reached directly at uas-orp@psu.edu or at 814-865-1775 or visit the Unmanned Aircraft Operations website.