UAH in pilot AUVSI program to establish student clubs

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Dr. Virginia “Suzy” Young, the director of UAH’s Office of Proposal Development and a national AUVSI board member, leads the overall AUVSI club effort.

The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) is among six universities involved in a pilot program to establish student clubs for the Association of Unmanned/Vehicles Systems International (AUVSI).

Dr. Virginia "Suzy" Young, the director of UAH's Office of Proposal Development and a national AUVSI board member, is leading the pilot effort. With over 7,500 members, AUVSI is the world's largest organization devoted exclusively to advancing the unmanned systems and robotics community.

Besides UAH, pilot programs are underway at Purdue University and in Michigan at Oakland University. In Florida, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, the University of Central Florida and the University of Florida are combining to form one student club.

"These pilot programs will establish best practices, and lay the foundation of how we can offer benefits to students and keep them involved," says Dr. Young.

Dave Arterburn, director of the Rotorcraft Systems Engineering and Simulation Center (RSESC), is leading UAH's club effort.

"The UAH student chapter compliments the curriculum areas at UAH by providing the students with additional hands-on experience and interaction with practicing engineers and companies working on unmanned aerial systems," says Arterburn. "We are excited by this opportunity provided by AUVSI and the Pathfinder Chapter."

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Dave Arterburn, director of the Rotorcraft Systems Engineering and Simulation Center (RSESC), leads UAH’s club.

Student AUVSI club members will have scholarship opportunities; increase their visibility to the unmanned systems community; be eligible for sponsorship of projects: interact with industry and government in the area; be able to attend at conferences and symposiums; get help with career planning and resumes; will have co-op, internship and job postings opportunities; and will have opportunities to present their work by speaking at meetings and conferences or at poster sessions, among other membership benefits.

An AUVSI student club will benefit UAH because of the university's long-term exposure in the area of unmanned systems for both ground and air as a partner of the Army and NASA, Dr. Young says.

Populating the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) pipeline with students that have the required knowledge, hands-on skill sets and established relationships with industry and government means those students can step into these jobs upon graduation with an advantage over other university students," she says.

"We hope to kick off our efforts at the upcoming March 18-19 at the local Pathfinder Chapter of the AUVSI symposium," Dr. Young says. The event is free and open to the public.