Developing UAS Curriculum in Appalachia

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Marshall University recently partnered with Dayton, OH-based Sinclair Community College to assist in developing Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) curriculum and workforce development for the Bill Noe Flight School in Marshall University Aviation.

The announcement follows an Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) roundtable hosted by Marshall University, the Bill Noe Flight School, and Vertx Partners in February. Representatives from MIT Lincoln Labs, University of Texas – Austin, Purdue, and others were in attendance preparing for an $8 million NASA project based in Appalachia.

Work between Marshall University Aviation and Sinclair will begin in the coming months as part of another NASA grant worth $2.9 million takes shape in Mingo County. The grant will fund the Mingo County Redevelopment Authority, allowing them to jumpstart the Mingo County Advanced Air Mobility Education Program. Officials believe the program will create a “workforce pipeline” of students trained early in UAS operation, design, and development, as well as airspace management and Command & Control (C2) operations – essentially an ecosystem of AAM jobs.

To stay up to date on the latest AAM developments in Appalachia, visit vertxpartners.org.