Ohio has a storied history in aviation and aerospace, and today remains a vibrant hub for this critical industry. Our last in-person event invited stakeholders spanning government, industry, and academia on Thursday February 27th, 2020 at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, to explore Ohio’s opportunity and role in advancing Urban Air Mobility.
The day-long symposium featured panels and speakers, addressing various elements of the complex Urban Air Mobility (UAM) ecosystem, including:
- Defining UAM and its specific use cases
- Vehicle design, enabling technologies, and certification
- Operational challenges: airspace integration, cyber-security, and traffic management
- Infrastructure: planning, zoning, and financing (with Public-Private Partnerships)
- Leveraging Ohio’s research, testing, manufacturing, and early use cases for UAM
Thank you for attending the Inaugural Urban Air Mobility Symposium! With over 194 attendees representing academia, government, and industry, the event was a major success and looks to be a catalyst for the future of aerial mobility in the State of Ohio. Please revisit the conversations and keynotes from the event with the YouTube playlist below!
815 am: Registration Opens, Blackwell Inn Conference Center Lobby
9:00 am: Welcoming Remarks
- Elizabeth K. Newton, Executive Director, OSU Battelle Center for Science, Engineering, and Public Policy
- George Valcarcel, Master of Ceremonies and Ohio UAM Symposium Lead Organizer, OSU Battelle Center for Science, Engineering and Public Policy
9:15 am: Call to Action – “Writing the Next Chapter of Ohio’s Aerospace and Aviation Legacy”
- Colonel Joseph E Zeis Jr., Senior Adviser to the Governor of Ohio on Aerospace and Defense
9:30 am: Panel Discussion #1 – Defining Urban Air Mobility (UAM) and the Opportunity for Ohio
Moderator: Brian Garrett-Glaser, Assistant Editor, Avionics International, The Skyport UAM Newsletter
- Fred Judson, Director, Ohio UAS Center (Ohio Department of Transportation – Drive Ohio)
- Jonathan Hartman, Disruptive Technologies Lead, Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin Company
- Alice Cummings, COO, VrtyX (Organ and Medical Supply Transport Platform)
- Kofi Asante, Head of Business Strategy & Business Development, Elroy Air (Air Cargo VTOL OEM)
- Edgar Valdez, Regulatory Strategy Lead, UPS Flight Forward
10:45 am: Panel Discussion #2 – Operational Challenges for UAM: Airspace Integration, Cyber-Security, and Data Privacy
Moderator: Dr. Jim Gregory, Professor of Aerospace Engineering and Director, OSU Aerospace Research Center
- Andrea Shestopalov, Product Manager, AiRXOS, Part of GE Aviation
- Sabrina Saunders-Hodge, Director of Research, FAA UAS Integration Office
- Ken Edge, VP of Cyber-Solutions, Radiance Technologies
- Dennis Hirsch, Director, Program on Data Privacy and Governance, OSU Moritz College of Law
1130 am: Lunch Buffet and Networking
1215 pm: Luncheon Remarks on Ohio DOT FlyOhio Initiative
- Fred Judson, Program Director, Ohio UAS Center FlyOhio (Ohio DOT)
- [Invited] Lt. Governor of the State of Ohio Jon Husted
12:30 pm: Keynote
- Dr. John S. Langford, Founder, Aurora Flight Sciences (now Boeing NeXt), President, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
1:00 pm: Networking Break
1:30 pm: Panel Discussion #3 – VTOL Vehicle Designs, Enabling Technologies, and Certification Process
Moderator: Jim Sherman, Director of Strategic Development, Vertical Flight Society (VFS)
- Brian German, Director of Center for Urban and Regional Air Mobility, Georgia Institute of Technology
- Ken Goodrich, Deputy Project Manager for Technology, NASA Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Project
- Hector Garcia, UAM Engineering Director, Honeywell Aerospace
- Daniel G. Goddard, Acting Deputy Director, Air Force Research Laboratory, Aerospace Systems Directorate
2:15 pm: Networking Break
2:30 pm: Panel Discussion #4 – Infrastructure Planning, Zoning, and Financing
Moderator: Dr. Amber Woodburn McNair, Assistant Professor, OSU City and Regional Planning and OSU Center for Aviation Studies
- Adrienne Lindgren, Service Area Manager and Consultant, Aviation Innovation at WSP USA
- Danielle J Rinsler, AICP, Head of Aviation Policy, Uber Elevate
- Rex Alexander, Infrastructure Advisor, Vertical Flight Society
- Justin Anderson, Senior Airport Planner, Columbus Regional Airport Authority
3:15 pm: Networking Break
3:30 pm: Panel Discussion #5 – Ohio’s Role to Play in Advancing and Integrating Air Mobility into Our Communities
Moderator: Glenn Richardson, Aerospace and Advanced Manufacturing Director, Jobs Ohio
- Bob Tanner, Executive Director, Ohio Federal Research Network (OFRN)
- Representative Adam Holmes, Chair, Ohio Aerospace and Aviation Technology Committee (OAATC)
- Dr. Jennifer Clark, Section Head and Professor, OSU City and Regional Planning Program
- Mark Zannoni, AICP, Principal and Smart Cities and Transportation Expert, Zannoni & Co.
- [Tentative] Ben Brooks, Policy, Wing (an Alphabet Company)
4:15 pm: Closing Remarks
- George Valcarcel, Master of Ceremonies and Ohio UAM Symposium Lead Organizer, OSU Battelle Center for Science, Engineering and Public Policy
4:30 pm: Networking and Departure