Thanks to the Federal Aviation Administration, Warren County was the center of the unmanned aircraft systems world April 27-29 when Warren Community College’s Warren UAS program hosted the FAA’s Eastern Regional Conference over three days in April. The event, held April 27-29 on Warren’s campus, as well as with activities at Warren County Technical School on Saturday, drew attendees from as far away as Texas. Thursday’s schedule was primarily for educators, Friday focused on public safety training. An array of activities and demonstrations were included especially on Saturday when the Technical School offered kid-friendly “Area 57”.     

Representatives from the FAA, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and from Warren’s UAS program were on hand for a variety of informational sessions. Warren’s UAS department has grown dramatically in the last few years, and two new facilities have been developed on campus to house the program, including the new Dr. Joseph Warren Robotics Research Center at the College’s Phillipsburg Education Center. The latest new drone technology is being acquired continually by Warren – all of which visitors to the event had access to during the program. College officials designed the event to introduce the public to its offerings and provide a platform for information about the technology to be exchanged, including from FAA experts.