On Tuesday, November 19, the Ketner School of Business was visited by NextGen Air Transportation Program Director and Catawba College alumni, Kyle Snyder. His presentation discussed his work with NextGen (NGAT for short), a group sponsored by the Institute of Transportation Research and Education (ITRE) and the advancements the company is making to increase availability and access of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to the public. Making their home on the campus of North Carolina State University, NGAT looks to find every day applications for their product.
Snyder received his BA in Mathematics and Computer Science during his time at Catawba and went on to obtain his MS in Mathematics from the University of Tennessee Space Institute in Tullahoma, and his MBA in in Aerospace from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. His experience and education led to his joining NGAT in 2012, which had re-launched the with a UAS focus. Some notable highlights mentioned of the unmanned aircrafts were satellite based navigation, digital data exchange, air traffic control, as well as a reduced environmental footprint.
The UAS is equipped with pilot (via control stations), observer and cameras, aircraft, stations on the ground and equipment, and communication devices for safety and location purposes. Along with information about the product, Snyder discussed the many potential uses for the aircraft such as emergency response, mapping, homeland security, agriculture, mining, forestry, anti-terrorism, and even screwing in a light bulb on gymnasium ceiling.
Snyder encouraged students interested in a job with NextGen to look at the different areas in which they can gain experience to be an asset to the research and development of the unmanned systems. Included on the list was engineering, applied sciences (such as agricultural and Geographical information systems) and fundamental sciences (math, earth, and physics), politics, business, social sciences, business, and manufacturing.
NGAT has much involvement with various schools and universities to train the future leaders in aerospace technology. Not only does Mr. Snyder want to see more students get interested in the field but he also wants to make the accessibility of such technology easy for the public.
“I want to see aviation as an everyday thing,” he said with a smile.
He is also helping to get more schools on board with the program to help future engineers be prepared for their careers. On his own preparation at Catawba, Snyder said that going to a liberal arts school allowed him to take classes he would not have normally taken such as history courses with Dr. McAllister, whom he still credits for helping him along his career path. He says the “network of support” enables him to come back to a place of familiarity and friendship where his connections to faculty and staff still play an integral role in his life.
