The proposed planning activity seeks to undertake planning of the establishment of a new Industry/University Cooperative Research Center (I/UCRC) site at Drexel University of the existing Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-UAS). The center currently involves Brigham Young University (BYU) and the University of Colorado Boulder (CU), and industry and government partners in the UAS field. The Drexel site intends to augment the centers current capabilities with additional capabilities to investigate and develop heath monitor, architectures, and operational procedures for unmanned aircraft systems.
The planned site, in combination with the existing center plans to support the US in maintaining its dominance in UAS through cooperative research bringing together all sectors military, commercial and civil. Impact is expected to extend to civil and commercial applications that include infrastructure inspection and monitoring, law enforcement, border patrol, and disaster recovery. The site plans to have a significant impact on UAS curriculum through course design, textbooks, new laboratory exercises, and senior design experiences. The center intends to give students the opportunity to define and work on research that is directly relevant to industry and government labs.
Drexel University received a planning grant to establish and mature a National Science Foundation (NSF), Industry/University Cooperative Research Center (I/UCRC) for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) site in the Mid-Atlantic region. The C-UAS currently involves Brigham Young University (BYU) and the University of Colorado at Boulder (CU). The rationale behind Drexel University becoming an I/UCRC for UAS (C-UAS) site was to augment the centers current capabilities for Unmanned Aircraft Systems and to establish an UAS research center sponsored by the NSF in the Mid-Atlantic region. Drexel University is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with easy transportaton around the region. Drexel University met with numerous potential industry site members during the planning grant and found that it could meet the minimal membership requirement to become a NFS I/UCRC site. As part of the grant Drexel University hosted a successful industry C-UAS site planning grant meeting on November 13, 2012. On February 7, 2013 Drexel University attended the annual C-UAS Board Meeting to gain acceptance from the Board to become a C-UAS site. Unfortunately the Board elected not to accept Drexel University as a site in the C-UAS at that time and as a result Drexel University was unable to maintain the commitment from its potential members.
