A first year University of Iowa PhD candidate studying mechanical engineering has received a fellowship to support NASA-aligned research through the Iowa Space Grant Consortium Graduate Fellowship Program. 

Gage MacLin, of Waterloo, is exploring the integration of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) into traditional air traffic systems operating in proximity to airports. MacLin is advised by Venanzio Cichella, assistant professor of mechanical engineering.  

“The primary goal of urban air mobility is to ensure the safe and efficient operation of UAVs in complex urban airspace,” MacLin said in his statement of research. “We are developing a cooperative planning and control framework that will enable the safe integration of UAVs into traditional air traffic systems.” 

He notes the bulk of the work lies in quantifying the rules of the road of aerial navigation and to then design an optimal control framework that provides the UAVs with optimal, efficient, and guaranteed-safe trajectories to allow the integration of UAVs into the complex, safety-critical environment that is the airspace. 

The fellowship provides funding for the 2023-2024 school year for work to be conducted at the University of Iowa.