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Virginia Tech to host drones in America panel discussion

L_111914-research-droneOn May 19, Sen. Mark Warner, D-VA, will offer the opening remarks for Drones in America, a panel discussion by Virginia Tech and industry experts about developing public policy on unmanned aircraft systems, congressional oversight, and Federal Aviation Administration rulemaking on research and development, safety, and privacy.

Former congressman and current Virginia Tech faculty member Jim Moran will serve as moderator.

The discussion will take place from 3:30 to 5 p.m. at 485 Russell Senate Office Building, 2 Constitution Avenue NE, in Washington, D.C. The event is open to the public but space is limited, so an RSVP is required to [email protected] by Monday, May 16.

In recent months, drones, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles or unmanned aircraft systems, have appeared in international headlines for reasons ranging from their innovative commercial uses to significant privacy and safety concerns. The market research firm Tactica recently released a forecast that “drone-enabled” services will grow from $170 million today to $8.7 billion by 2025. With continual advances in technology and their increasingly widespread use, high-level discussions of drones and the issues surrounding them are important.

The panelists for Drones in Aviation are the following:

  • Marke “Hoot” Gibson, senior advisor on unmanned aircraft systems for the Federal Aviation Administration
  • Rose Mooney, executive director of the Virginia Tech Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership
  • Bruce Walker, vice president, homeland security, civil, regulatory and international affairs, Northrop Grumman Corporation
  • David Ransom, partner, McDermott Will & Emery LLP
  • Patrick Roberts, associate professor of public administration and policy, School of Public and International Affairs, Virginia Tech

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