Embry-Riddle Selected as Part of FAA'S Center of Excellence in Unmanned Aircraft Systems

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Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

May 12, 2015, 05:00 ET

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., May 12, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and the ASSURE Coalition have been selected by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as the nation's new Center of Excellence in Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS).

As a co-founder of ASSURE (Alliance for System Safety of UAS through Research Excellence), Embry-Riddle will be the technical lead in UAS airport ground operations, UAS pilot and crew training and co-lead in command and communication. Embry-Riddle will provide research support in the areas of detect-and-avoid, human factors, air traffic control interoperability and management, low-altitude operations, wake separation and noise reduction.

ASSURE's mission is to provide the FAA with the research it needs to safely and efficiently integrate UAS into the National Airspace System with minimal changes to the current system. The ASSURE alliance will be managed by Mississippi State University.

"Embry-Riddle helped develop ASSURE to create a partnership between academia and industry to support research in UAS," said Dr. Richard Stansbury, Associate Professor of Computer Engineering and Computer Science at Embry-Riddle's Daytona Beach Campus. "We are eager to begin working with the FAA to solve these technical challenges."

"Our students will be involved in research and training that directly leads to integrating UAS into the national airspace," said Dr. Michael Hickey, University Dean of Research & Graduate Studies. "They will not only help define that integration, but will have the opportunity to assume leadership roles within the UAS industry after graduating from Embry-Riddle."

Embry-Riddle is one of the first schools in the nation to offer a degree in UAS. Its Daytona Beach Campus offers a Bachelor of Science in Unmanned Aircraft Systems Science and a Master of Science in Unmanned and Autonomous Systems Engineering. The university's Worldwide Campus offers a Master of Science in Unmanned Systems and Master of Aeronautical Science with UAS Specialization. Both campuses along with the Prescott, Ariz., campus offer a minor in Unmanned Aircraft Systems.

In addition to Embry-Riddle and Mississippi State University, ASSURE members include Drexel University, Kansas State University, Louisiana Tech University, Montana State University, New Mexico State University, North Carolina State University, Oregon State University, University of Alabama-Huntsville, University of Alaska-Fairbanks, University of Kansas, University of North Dakota, Ohio State University, University of California- Davis and Wichita State University. Associate members include Auburn University, Concordia University, Indiana State University, Tuskegee University and University of Southampton.