National experts on Advanced Air Mobility to speak at UC

The University of Cincinnati will play host to a two-day virtual conference exploring the emerging uses of drones and other platforms to respond to emergencies.

The conference from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 26 and 27 will feature guest speakers from UC’s Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics who are developing cutting-edge navigation and autonomous controls for a variety of unmanned aerial systems. The conference will bring together experts from government, industry and academia to highlight the exciting future of these new technologies. 

The conference also includes speakers from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and national experts in the fields of advanced air mobility and emergency management in both the private and public sectors.

Jason Kirkpatrick, the aviation program manager for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, will give the keynote address. The opening day Jan. 26 will kickoff with presentations on advanced air mobility, UC’s Artificial Intelligence Institute and the U.S. Army’s Engineering Research and Development Center.

A panel discussion on the use of drones will follow, moderated by UC senior research associate and drone expert Bryan Brown. The panelists include adjunct instructor Kirk McKinzie in UC’s Department of Fire Science and Emergency Management, Woodlawn (Ohio) Fire Chief Amos Johnson and the aviation instructor and director of aviation for Hinds Community College in Raymond, Mississippi, Brad McCullouch. 

The second day on Jan. 27 features introductions by Kelly Cohen, interim head of UC’s Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics.

Morning sessions will touch on academic research and priorities for emergency management and advanced air mobility and technical challenges of implementing these new tools. A panel of experts will discuss NASA’s vision for Advanced Air Mobility to safely develop an air transportation system that moves people and cargo using revolutionary new aircraft. NASA is also conducting work on Urban Air Mobility, which will provide substantial benefit to U.S. industry and the public. Joey Mercer of NASA and Fred Judson of the Ohio Department of Transportation are part of an intriguing panel led by Tom Davis, vice president of Crown Consulting of Arlington, Virginia, to explore the possibilities.

The afternoon sessions will feature talks about air mobility in wildfire response and the operational use of drones by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Experts from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Geological Survey will lead a panel discussion on operations and emergency management integration.

Participants are welcome to submit questions for panelists to research@uc.edu.

Panelists for the Advanced Air Mobility conference include:

Jason Kirkpatrick, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Kirkpatrick has been the USACE Aviation and Remote Systems Program Manager since October 2017. Prior to joining USACE, Kirkpatrick was the system safety manager for the Army’s Project Management Office, Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). He helped manage the safety case and material release of multiple systems including the Shadow Tactical UAS, the Gray Eagle, Hunter, Raven, Puma and a variety of test or limited development assets. While at PM UAS, he also participated in the development and implementation of a casualty expectation modeling standard to facilitate the risk management associated with domestic tactical UAS flights. Kirkpatrick also has 23 years of experience in the Army and Air Force Reserve as both a helicopter instructor and maintenance test pilot and as an aircraft commander. He has two children: Will, a sailor in the Nuclear Navy (submarine service), and Sara, a second-year student at the University of Minnesota Law School. Kirkpatrick lives in Huntsville, Alabama, with his wife, Sharon.

Fred Judson, Ohio Department of Transportation

Judson has more than 26 years experience at the Ohio Department of Transportation’s DriveOhio, specializing in UAS and geospatial technologies. He has spent the last six years in the research and implementation of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) technologies for the State of Ohio. During this time Judson has led several efforts pushing technological advances in UAS/AAM including Ohio’s FlyOhio initiative. Through his leadership, Judson has coordinated several activities with local, state and federal resources with supporting advanced aviation activities. Judson is a standing member in several committees including Access Ohio 2045, Ohio DOT Statewide Planning and Research Review Committee, Ohio Federal Research Network’s Technical Advisory Committee and the Government Advocacy Subcommittee for the Ohio Aerospace and Aviation Technology Committee, Standing Committee on Emerging Technology Law, Standing Committee on New Users of Shared Airspace and continues to participate in governmental and industry standards committees for AAM technologies.

Joey Mercer, NASA

Mercer is a research engineer working in the Airspace Operations Laboratory within the Human-Systems Integration Division at NASA's Ames Research Center. He has received degrees in experimental psychology and human factors from the University of Idaho and San Jose State University. He has been investigating human-factors issues related to advanced air traffic management concepts for the past several years. He recently led the “Operator Interfaces and Procedures Design” task group under NASA’s UAS Traffic Management project and is now the principal investigator for the Scalable Traffic Management for Emergency Response Operations sub-project.

John Stock, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)

Stock founded and runs the USGS National Innovation Center. The center’s goal is to identify national scientific challenges and to pursue them with technology partners using scarce federal dollars to best serve the public. The center partners with industry, nongovernmental organizations, other federal agencies and academia to improve the nation’s ability to map, monitor and forecast its resources and hazards. Stock holds degrees from University of California, Santa Cruz, the University of Washington and University of California, Berkeley. The center is located at the U.S. Geological Survey in Moffett Field, California.

Tom Davis, Crown Consulting

Davis has guided Crown’s Science and Research Program since 2016 following a 36-year career at the NASA Ames Research Center. Davis is a recognized expert in aviation automation, including AAM and airspace systems. He directed NASA’s Urban Air Mobility Market Study, as well as numerous other advanced concept developments and analyses. He serves as lead technical adviser to North Carolina’s UAS Integration Pilot Program, playing a central part in North Carolina becoming the first state with Federal Aviation Administration-approved UAS medical package delivery services. Davis pioneered development of air traffic decision support tools as a researcher and project manager throughout his career. As the NASA Ames chief of the Aviation Systems Division, he directed NASA’s largest advanced AAM research organization that included integration of UAS into the National Air Space, unmanned traffic management concept development and advanced air traffic management automation initiatives. He was awarded NASA’s Exceptional Engineering Achievement Medal, Exceptional Service Medal, Outstanding Leadership Medal and NASA’s Software of the Year award, among other recognitions. Davis holds a Master of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford University and a Bachelor of Science in aerospace engineering from University of Cincinnati.

Kelly Cohen, UC College of Engineering and Applied Science

Cohen, the Brian H. Rowe Endowed Chair in aerospace engineering, has been a faculty member at UC's College of Engineering and Applied Science for more than 10 years and currently serves as interim head of the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics. His career is marked by achievement in the field of aerospace engineering and education, and his honors include the UC Dolly Cohen Award for Excellence in Teaching, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Outstanding Technical Contribution Application Award, the UC College of Engineering and Applied Science Distinguished Researcher Award and the Greater Cincinnati Consortium of Colleges and Universities Excellence in Teaching Award, among many others.