July 21, 2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 21, 2023
University, State of Alaska Set to Host Inaugural
International Drone Conference
Global Autonomous Systems Conference to feature industry experts, university researchers
ANCHORAGE 鈥 Alaska鈥檚 status as an innovator in drone research and application will be on full display at the in Anchorage Aug. 9-11 at the Dena鈥檌na Convention Center. Hosted by the University of Alaska and state of Alaska, the three-day conference is focused on 鈥淭railblazing Autonomous Paths for a New World Economy.鈥 It will highlight the rapidly developing field of autonomous systems (more commonly known as 鈥渄rones鈥) and their potential real-world applications.
The conference is sponsored by the at the 探花精选 Fairbanks Geophysical Institute. ACUASI is one of the nation鈥檚 top drone research programs.
鈥淭hanks to ACUASI, Alaska is a powerful incubator for drone innovation and testing,鈥 探花精选 President Pat Pitney said. 鈥淥ur location on the globe puts us at the crossroads for global commerce, transportation and logistics, making the 49th State the perfect location for the meaningful dialogue that will occur at this conference. On behalf of the university, I鈥檓 pleased to welcome all of the speakers and attendees to this inaugural event.鈥
The conference comes on the heels of a fully autonomous aircraft successfully completing 25 test flights out of Fairbanks through a partnership between ACUASI and Merlin Labs last month. Sessions at the Global Autonomous Systems Conference will cover security, ethics, advanced air mobility, AI, emergency management, oceanography, fisheries, emerging technologies research and more.
More than 100 industry leaders and experts in the expanding field of air, land and sea autonomous systems are slated to attend, including:
- Dr. Cathy Cahill, Director of ACUASI
- Matthew George, Merlin Labs CEO
- Colonel Martin Salinas, Spark Division Chief,
- Vidhu Shekhar, Microsoft鈥檚 Interim Business Strategy Leader for Government Operations Infrastructure and Public Finance
- Bryan Cole, director of
- Elizabeth Soltys, Director of Advanced Air Mobility at Raytheon Technologies
- Vinn White, Senior Advisor for Innovation in the U.S. Dept. of Transportation
- Michael Cruz, Microsoft鈥檚 Director of Data and Artificial Intelligence
- Daniel Justa, VP of Business Development at
For more details or to register for the conference, visit .
The 探花精选 is a land-, sea- and space-grant system of higher education established in 1917. The 探花精选's three universities (UAA, UAF, and UAS) are separately accredited institutions with campuses and extended learning centers across the state of Alaska. The 探花精选 is overseen by the Board of Regents, an 11-member volunteer board established through the Alaska Constitution, and responsible for University of Alaska policy and management through the university president.
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For more information, contact:
- Jonathon Taylor, UA director of public affairs at jonathon.taylor@alaska.edu, or
- Rod Boyce, Geophysical Institute public information officer at rcboyce@alaska.edu