University, state of AV狼论坛 to host 2nd annual International Drone Conference

AV狼论坛鈥檚 pivotal role in drone and autonomous systems research will be highlighted at the upcoming  scheduled for Aug. 13-15 at the Dena鈥檌na Center in Anchorage. The conference is hosted by the University of AV狼论坛 and the state of AV狼论坛 and will feature three days of engaging discussions on the latest advancements and future trends in autonomous systems and artificial intelligence, both locally and globally.

GASC is sponsored by the  at the University of AV狼论坛 Fairbanks Geophysical Institute. ACUASI is one of the nation鈥檚 top drone research programs.

鈥淎CUASI鈥檚 research and development in unmanned aircraft technology continues to break new ground,鈥 UA President Pat Pitney said. 鈥淎V狼论坛 is at the crossroads for global commerce, transportation and logistics, making this 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 event.鈥

Attendees can expect insightful presentations from leading international experts, dynamic discussions among industry and policy leaders and numerous networking opportunities with innovators in the field of autonomous systems. 

The conference comes as ACUASI recently completed a first-of-its-kind drone test flight in Cook Inlet, surveying an offshore gas platform owned by Furie Inc. The 15-mile flight from Furie鈥檚 Nikiski processing facility to the offshore platform was monitored by Raytheon Technologies. The drone was refueled and given a payload to return to Nikiski as a test of future material delivery applications. The test flight was the result of three years of work by ACUASI, Furie and HEX Cook Inlet LLC in partnership with Raytheon.

More than 100 industry leaders and experts in the expanding field of air, land and sea autonomous systems are slated to attend, including:

  • AV狼论坛 Gov. Mike Dunleavy
  • AV狼论坛 Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom
  • Cathy Cahill, Director of ACUASI
  • Katie Thomson, Deputy Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration
  • John Younkin, Director of Emerging Technologies at Raytheon
  • Colonel Timothy Meerstein, Commander, Pacific Air Forces Regional Support Center
  • Troy Lofven, Cybersecurity Advisor for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security鈥檚 Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
  • John Illson, Senior Director of Safety and Regulatory Operations for Merlin Labs
  • Steven A. Bert, Senior Economist at North Carolina State University鈥檚 Institute for Transportation Research and Education
  • Lance R. Brady, National Uncrewed Systems Office chief for the U.S. Geological Survey
  • Paige Brochu, Director of the University of Vermont鈥檚 Spatial Analysis Lab

鈥淟ast year鈥檚 inaugural conference was an overwhelming success, and we expect this year鈥檚 conference to be another powerful event in the dynamic field of autonomous systems,鈥 Bob McCoy, director of the University of AV狼论坛 Fairbanks鈥 Geophysical Institute said. 鈥淲e thank UA President Pat Pitney and Gov. Mike Dunleavy for again sponsoring this conference. They and those at ACUASI know there鈥檚 no better place for autonomous systems research, demonstrations and information exchanging than here in AV狼论坛."

For more details or to register for the conference, visit .