Sinclair Becomes 1st Community College to Join FAA UAS Center of Excellence

On Thursday, January 28, Sinclair College announced its membership in ASSURE, the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Center of Excellence. Sinclair is the only community college in the nation to be accepted to the center, and joins The Ohio State University as the only institutions from the state to be granted membership. 

"Joining this organization will provide Sinclair with the opportunity to share our expertise and collaborate with some of the leaders in the UAS field who are doing some truly groundbreaking work to advance the industry," said Deb Norris, Senior Vice President for Sinclair Workforce Development. "We are extremely proud to have this opportunity to begin leveraging the capabilities we have at Sinclair to support the FAA." 

The Alliance for System Safety of UAS through Research Excellence (ASSURE) is comprised of twenty-two of the world's leading research institutions and more than a hundred leading industry and government partners. Charged with developing regulations regarding the commercial use of UAS, the FAA will be utilizing the center to cover a broad range of research areas, including a focus on safety integration which will examine the potential for damage to manned aircraft from unmanned vehicles. Additional topics of research will cover pilot training and certification, control and communications, and traffic management. 

Sinclair College is recognized as a national leader in UAS, supported by world-class partnerships, cutting-edge technology, and custom training programs designed to drive the expansion of the UAS industry. Sinclair's curriculum focuses on real-world applications of emerging UAS and sensor technologies through classroom and online instruction, simulation and hands-on vehicle operations. For more information on Sinclair's UAS program and capabilities, visit uas.sinclair.edu.