Alabama A&M to work with U.S. Army on unmanned aircraft systems program

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama — Alabama A&M University announced today it has reached a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. Army Project Office for Unmanned Aircraft Systems.

The agreement will benefit both Alabama A&M and the Army, according to the school announcement.

“The Army gets access to some of higher learning’s top engineering talent and the independent research needed to advance unmanned aerial vehicle technology and usage,” the press release said. “And, according to Dr. Chance Glenn, Sr., AAMU’s new dean of the College of Engineering, Technology and Physical Sciences, students will benefit in the areas of hands-on student projects, collaborative research and future employment possibilities.

The agreement will be formally signed during a ceremony on Oct. 9 at Alabama A&M.

“Several collaborative research projects could stem from the ability to utilize the UAS along with its sensors. For example, traffic patterns could be analyzed by our civil engineering students by taking advantage of the UAS’s imaging capabilities,” Glenn said.

Glenn further noted that access to the UAS and the support for it would prepare students with the specific skillsets needed to be valuable employees within organizations supporting the burgeoning field.

Other universities partnering with Alabama A&M are Auburn, Middle Tennessee State and Mississippi State.

AAMU will join Middle Tennessee State University, as well as future partners Mississippi State University and Auburn University, as the UAS Project Office aims to refocus its perspective on defense and the way it has traditionally operated by adding more civil applications for UAS.

“The MOUs at the participating universities will allow the schools to boost their research capabilities and retool their curricula, allowing them to research and study UAVs’ use in the national airspace,” said Lt. Col. Robb Walker, UAS director of external programs.