In line with recent Federal Aviation Administration regulations governing the use of commercial and personal drones, the College of Engineering will be hosting an expert panel as part of its ongoing Distinguished Lecture Series.
Speakers at the event will discuss the future of technology and what impacts it may have on the daily lives of civilians.
“The Age of Drones and New Societal Concerns” will take place at The Pointe Event and Conference Center at the Walter Pyramid on Thursday.
Michael Uhlenkamp, the California State University, Long Beach media director, said that the series provides an informational service to the campus.
“With more and more applications of drones, other than just military uses, there are a lot of questions from the public concerning this technology,” Uhlenkamp said. “Hopefully the panel will be able to shed some light on their use and clear up some misconceptions.”
Jay Hall, a senior environmental studies and geography major, said he was recently on a fishing trip when an unidentified drone flew next to his boat.
“It was an uneasy feeling,” Hall said.
He said he thinks drones generally have a negative connotation and that the public should be well informed about them because they bring up ethical questions.
Dean for the College of Engineering Forouzan Golshani said that, from an engineer’s point-of-view, drones are a useful technology that will provide solutions to countless societal problems such as search and rescue operations.
Golshani said that drones will become ubiquitous “as soon as the safety and privacy issues associated with drones can be worked out.”
Panelists will include Kevin Hull, manager at the Federal Aviation Administration’s L.A. Aircraft Certification Office; Chris Hernandez, vice president of Advanced Systems and Business and Advanced Systems Development at Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems; and Michael E. Drobac, executive director at Small UAV Coalition and senior policy advisor at Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer and Feld LLP.
Matt Petrime, the group vice president at Applied Medical, will be moderating the panel.
Registration for the event will take place from 5:00-5:15 p.m. The panelists will speak and take questions from 5:15-7:00 p.m.