FAA taps Drexel to help shape US drone regulations

Drexel researchers are going to help shape the future of drones in the U.S.

The school was chosen as one of 13 universities to help the Federal Aviation Administration develop regulations around drones. Mississippi State University will lead the five-year, $5 million research consortium, called the National Center of Excellence for Unmanned Aircraft Systems.

Drexel’s research, out of its School of Biomedical Engineering, Science, and Health Systems and College of Computing & Informatics, will focus on solving problems that the people behind drones face, like operators, air traffic controllers and pilots.

“Being included in this national center helps ensure Drexel’s participation in the fastest growing sector of the aerospace industry,” Kurtulus Izzetoglu, a Drexel professor and one of the program’s research leads, said in a statement. “This establishes our university as part of a pipeline for industry to partner with research institutions.”

It’s not the first nod that Drexel as gotten from the federal government in recent months. In February, Drexel became one of six cybersecurity training centers for the U.S. Army Reserve.