NASA, Sinclair College UAS Partnership to Study Clean Water Threats
Sinclair and the NASA Glenn Research Center will conduct a series of UAS sensor integration tests and flight operations designed to study the effects of harmful algae blooms that are threatening water resources in Ohio.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sinclair Community College Workforce Development
Ryan.honeyman@sinclair.edu - 937.512.5743
NASA Glenn Research Center, Sinclair Sign "Space Act Agreement" for UAS and to Protect Ohios Water Supply
Dayton, OH - The signing of a new Space Act Agreement between the NASA Glenn Research Center and the Sinclair College National UAS Training and Certification Center will pave the way for collaborations on new applications related to advancing the unmanned aerial systems (UAS) industry, beginning with a study of harmful algae blooms on Lake Erie that have threatened water supplies over the past few years.
Through the agreement, Sinclair and the NASA Glenn Research Center will conduct a series of UAS sensor integration tests and flight operations designed to study the effects of harmful algae blooms that are threatening water resources in Ohio. Research flights planned for this summer utilizing aircraft from Sinclairs UAS fleet integrated with NASA-designed hyperspectral sensors are expected to provide valuable data on the effects of the toxic blooms off Ohios Lake Erie coastline. Previous algae blooms rendered drinking water supplies unusable for multiple days for nearly 500,000 people in Northern Ohio and Michigan in 2014.
"We are extremely excited to be a part of this partnership, which is the first to bring together NASA Glenn Research Center and the National UAS Training and Certification Center," said Deb Norris, Senior Vice President for Sinclair Workforce Development. "We are building on the strengths of two leading institutions in Ohio and leveraging capabilities that will advance UAS on a national level, starting with our collaboration to study the dangerous effects of the algae blooms on Lake Erie."
Sinclair and NASA will collaborate through the National Aeronautics and Space Act, which authorizes NASA to engage with partners to advance mission and program objectives.
"As a leading federal research and development organization, NASA strives to create opportunities and partnerships with other innovative institutions that advance technologies," said Tim McCartney, acting director for Venture and Partnerships at Glenn. "As a nationally recognized provider of training and applied research and development support for the UAS industry, NASA looks forward to the collaboration with Sinclair and advancing our understanding of the effects of the toxic blooms off Ohios Lake Erie coastline."
Sinclair Colleges National UAS Training and Certification Center sits at the forefront of UAS innovation, creating partnerships, developing leading curriculum, and investing significantly to establish a nationally prominent program dedicated to meeting the workforce needs of the growing UAS industry. Sinclairs UAS program supports research, development, and training on vehicles and components through advanced unmanned and manned simulation, sensors, avionics, maintenance, advanced manufacturing and rapid prototyping, data analytics, and wind tunnel labs.
###
Featured Product
3D Vision: Ensenso B now also available as a mono version!
This compact 3D camera series combines a very short working distance, a large field of view and a high depth of field - perfect for bin picking applications. With its ability to capture multiple objects over a large area, it can help robots empty containers more efficiently. Now available from IDS Imaging Development Systems. In the color version of the Ensenso B, the stereo system is equipped with two RGB image sensors. This saves additional sensors and reduces installation space and hardware costs. Now, you can also choose your model to be equipped with two 5 MP mono sensors, achieving impressively high spatial precision. With enhanced sharpness and accuracy, you can tackle applications where absolute precision is essential. The great strength of the Ensenso B lies in the very precise detection of objects at close range. It offers a wide field of view and an impressively high depth of field. This means that the area in which an object is in focus is unusually large. At a distance of 30 centimetres between the camera and the object, the Z-accuracy is approx. 0.1 millimetres. The maximum working distance is 2 meters. This 3D camera series complies with protection class IP65/67 and is ideal for use in industrial environments.
