[289] MTSU Names Snyder Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operations Director

Release date: Feb. 2, 2011

News and Media Relations contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-5616 or jweiler@mtsu.edu
Aerospace contacts: Dr. Wayne Dornan, 615-898-2788 or wdornan@mtsu.edu
or Kyle Snyder, 615-904-8496 or ksnyder@mtsu.edu

MTSU Names Snyder Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operations Director


(MURFREESBORO) — Kyle Snyder has joined the MTSU Department of Aerospace as Unmanned Aircraft Systems operations director, university officials announced recently.

In this role, part of Snyder’s business-related responsibilities will be to bring in research through government grants or industry partnerships. His expertise also will be to build the UAS footprint for MTSU, developing a curriculum for students who eventually will begin working in this field.

“We are excited that Kyle is joining the aerospace department,” said Dr. Wayne Dornan, the department chair. “There is a virtual tsunami of unmanned aerial vehicles about to enter the national airspace system, and I am confident that with Kyle on board, the MTSU aerospace department will play a major role in developing concepts on how this integration will occur.”

“Unmanned aircraft systems are one of the most exciting and dynamic growth areas in aviation today,” said Snyder, who added, “The exploitation of these systems by the military, especially the U.S. Department of Defense, and the much-anticipated adoption into commercial and civilian markets is motivating the aerospace department to actively pursue this new arena.

“MTSU’s existing knowledge and reputation for pilot training, aircraft maintenance, aircraft operations and management and a state-of-the-art air traffic control simulator are expected to leverage new UAS industry partnerships, Dornan said, adding that these partnerships will provide additional research and internship opportunities for faculty and students.”

Snyder joins MTSU after serving two years as director of knowledge resources at the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International. AUVSI is the largest nonprofit organization in the world dedicated to promoting, advocating, educating and communicating about the unmanned systems industry, Snyder said.

The new director has dedicated his career to technology transfer and product development in the aerospace industry, working at NASA, Lockheed Martin, Applied Systems Intelligence Inc. and Georgia Tech.

With a master’s in mathematics from the University of Tennessee Space Institute and an aerospace MBA from UT-Knoxville, Snyder said he is excited to return to Tennessee to help bring these new technologies and regional opportunities together.

“It’s amazing when the stars line up,” Snyder said. “I consider myself incredibly fortunate to be selected to establish this position. The UAS industry is poised for a long future of growth. New commercial applications are being proposed and researched every day. The military is continuing to mature the technologies while pushing the edges of vehicle autonomy, data capture and human-machine interaction.

“MTSU has the forethought to begin developing a UAS Program to meet the needs of the growing industry by capitalizing on existing strengths and history. With a national and international reputation, the aerospace department will have a direct influence on FAA NextGen decisions through the SE2020 initiative.

“Indeed, we can play a major role in developing students for future jobs in the industry, while also performing research to shape that future. It is my job to work with the staff to set a course that brings in the resources and knowledge that allows MTSU to be recognized as a significant contributor in the UAS community.”

Aerospace department personnel associated with UAS operations, along with collaborators, anticipate conducting research to examine the role of UAS in law enforcement, agriculture, homeland security, pilot training, national airspace integration and environmental monitoring.

Through strategic partnerships, research contracts and grant opportunities, the MTSU aerospace department intends to expand into the emerging domain of unmanned aircraft.

Aerospace is one of nine departments in the College of Basic and Applied Sciences.

Snyder, his wife, Tiffani, and their 2-year-old son, Bodie, will be moving to Murfreesboro from Marietta, Ga.

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Note: A high-resolution jpeg photo of Kyle Snyder, the new Unmanned Air Systems operations director, is available. To obtain, contact Randy Weiler in MTSU News and Media Relations by calling 615-898-5616.

Founded in 1911, Middle Tennessee State University is a Tennessee Board of Regents institution located in Murfreesboro and is the state’s largest public undergraduate institution. MTSU now boasts one of the nation’s first master’s degree programs in horse science, and the Council of Graduate Schools in Washington, D.C., acclaims MTSU’s Master of Science in Professional Science degree — the only one in Tennessee — as a model program. MTSU recently unveiled three new doctoral degrees in the sciences.

For MTSU news and information, go online to mtsunews.com.