, professor of geography and the environment in the , was among the presenters offering perspectives on advanced air mobility technologies at a White House summit in Washington, D.C., last week.
, associate provost for faculty affairs and founding director and now senior research associate of the听University鈥檚 , participated on the panel, 鈥淧romoting American Global Leadership and Competitiveness into the 21st-Century.鈥� The discussion was part of an all-day examination of a variety of issues surrounding advanced air mobility hosted by the . Winders was asked to speak as an expert in the field of autonomous systems policy.
Jamie Winders
Alondra Nelson, deputy assistant to the president in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy,听introduced the session saying the country has an imperative 鈥渢o be intentional about developing new systems as well as building strategies for responsible and equitable use of advanced air mobility technology. 鈥淚t鈥檚 within our power, therefore within our responsibility to give this shape and structure to create a national strategy to keep aviation innovation within the United States,鈥� she said.
The term advanced air mobility听refers to new aircraft vehicles that rely on automated or autonomous technologies and have the potential to provide air transportation for both people and cargo. Advanced air mobility includes a spectrum of vehicle types, including 鈥渁ir-taxi鈥� concepts such as piloted and unpiloted electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles, conventional piloted take-off and landing vehicles and small unmanned aircraft systems (drones).
The University鈥檚 Autonomous Systems Policy Institute is an interdisciplinary effort to advance knowledge and teaching in the field of autonomous systems. It explores frontiers in the technology, governance and societal impacts associated with autonomous systems. The institute takes a broad perspective in assessing how autonomous systems impact the world and what kinds of design, policies and practices can best shape their ethical and fair use.
Jamie Winders leads a panel discussion for the Autonomous Systems Policy Institute.
Winders says the conference provided the opportunity for a valuable mix of manufacturing, government, technology and academic interests to collectively scope out ways the United States can elevate its leadership in advanced air mobility systems.
Her panel addressed the ins and outs of the industry supply chain and what it would mean for the United States to have leadership in the manufacture of advanced air mobility systems. Since currently 70 percent of drones in use in the United States are manufactured in China, Winders notes, 鈥渨e have not done the heavy lift of providing industry support or making the same investments in manufacturing and infrastructure that China has.鈥�
For the U.S. to become an industry leader, beyond focusing on designing and building flying vehicles, the government and manufacturers will need to think about forming policies and regulatory frameworks for their use and examining the impacts of the technology on society, Winders says. 鈥淲hen we think about what it takes to remain competitive, we need to manufacture at home, but we also need to think about where these vehicles might fly, whose communities are served, who鈥檚 asked to innovate and who isn鈥檛 at that table.鈥�
Another imperative is providing appropriate education and skills training that will equip people to work in the emerging industry, Winders says. 鈥淲e need to start now investing in the next generation. It has to start early, when kids are little, and it should be available to all children鈥攖hose from wealthy schools and those from schools that are underfunded. All children should be introduced to the technology to make sure the good jobs that come out of these developments are equitably available to all workers.鈥�
Producing the next generation of advanced air mobility thought leaders will require creating more partnerships and 鈥減laying the long game,鈥� investing now to yield results longer-term, Winders says. 鈥淚f you think of a cradle-to-career model, you need to pique the interest of young kids and determine how to future-proof the skills you鈥檙e providing them. We need to make sure the skills they learn are transferable and we should consider what investments we should make to attract the 7- and 8-year-olds to this industry. They are the students who will be going to college to study these topics.鈥�
Following her presentation, Winders said she was 鈥渆xcited and honored鈥� to be invited to the summit.
鈥淭he audience was important, and this is a critical moment in the emergence of advanced air mobility. As a faculty member, it鈥檚 a great feeling to be at the table when the agenda is being mapped out for how we as a country are going to embrace these new technologies.鈥� she says.
