2022 Monterey Bay DART Symposium - November 30 - December 1

Event: 2022 Monterey Bay Drone Automation and Robotics Technology (DART) Symposium: “Innovation Workforce: Ready to Fly!” 

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Engage with public, private and philanthropic leaders to explore exciting economic and workforce developments in drone, aviation and robotics technologies at the 3rd Annual Monterey DART Symposium.

Monterey Bay Drone Automation and Robotics Technology (DART) will hold a symposium at the University Center of California State University’s Monterey Bay (CSUMB) campus, Nov 30 – Dec 1, 2022. Attendees will enjoy two days of compelling panel discussions, workshops, and networking opportunities.

This year’s theme, “Innovation Workforce: Ready to Fly!”, focuses on the economic development opportunities and challenges of expanding the DART innovation ecosystem with lessons learned from the Central Coast. Speakers will discuss advanced air mobility innovations, university connected innovation ecosystems, workforce opportunities, and inclusive economic development, with an emphasis on workforce upskilling and high-road jobs. 

Keynotes for the 2-day symposium include: Dean Donovan, Managing Director, Diamond Stream Partners, a leading aviation investment firm; Tony Tavares, Director, California Department of Transportation (CalTrans), the agency responsible for transportation system management and oversight in California; Bonny Simi, Head of Air Operations and People, Joby Aviation, a cutting edge electric aircraft company; and Don Howard, CEO, James Irvine Foundation, a foundation making catalytic economic empowerment investments supporting growth in this sector. 

While networking with these industry, agency and philanthropic leaders, attendees will participate in panel sessions and discussions with experts, entrepreneurs, educators, and policymakers regarding the latest developments in mobility, airspace management, carbon-neutral power, and other current sustainable infrastructure topics.

Space is limited so RSVP now to attend the 2022 DART Symposium. Attendees receive access to Early Bird discounted tickets by purchasing tickets by Oct 30. Attendees can also join our DART community as a member at a discounted rate with symposium registration.

“We’re on the cusp of a workforce transformation – and Monterey Bay, industry, governments and academia have joined forces to chart a path for drones and robotics to automate work while strengthening community.”, said Monterey DART Executive Director and Cofounder Josh Metz. “This symposium is a great opportunity for anyone interested in the industry, in economic or workforce development and for those looking for truly collaborative partnership models.”

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The Monterey Bay Drone Automation and Robotics Technology (DART) initiative is a regional coordination and advancement forum, founded in 2018, bringing together industry, government and, academia, to align resources and benefit economic and workforce development. Monterey Bay DART seeks to inspire entrepreneurial minds, increase employment opportunities and stimulate economic growth to develop a diverse and inclusive tech community in the Monterey Bay area.

For more information, please visit the Monterey Bay DART website at https://montereybaydart.org/. ‪

Event

2022 Monterey Bay Drone Automation and Robotics Technology (DART) Symposium: “Innovation Workforce: Ready to Fly!” 

Contact Information:

Jen Simon

info@montereybaydart.org

Joby Aircraft

James Irvine Foundation Grant Funding

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 30, 2022

Media Contact: Josh Metz, Executive Director
Email: josh@montereybaydart.org
Phone: ‪(831) 264-8299

Monterey Bay Drone, Automation & Robotics Technology (DART) Initiative Receives $1.5M Research & Development Grant from James Irvine Foundation to support on-going work advancing new pathways to high road jobs in the Monterey Bay/Salinas Valley region.

Marina, CA. The Monterey Bay Drone, Automation and Robotics Technology (DART) Initiative, working in partnership with the CSUMB Institute for Innovation and Economic Development (iiED) and Joby Aviation, was awarded a $1.5M Research and Development Grant from the James Irvine Foundation to support the Foundation’s on-going Priority Communities Initiative in the Salinas Valley. The grant will provide for increased capacity curating an emerging technologies cluster in the Monterey Bay region orienting industry, academia and governments towards these future growth sectors; fund a workforce training cohort program focused on advanced manufacturing and aircraft mechanics; and support completion of an advanced manufacturing workforce training facility feasibility study.

“We are grateful for the support of the James Irvine Foundation enabling Monterey Bay DART to expand our programs supporting this exciting emerging technology sector, and for the active partnership of CSU Monterey Bay and Joby Aviation. Not only is Joby pioneering an entirely new air transportation system with zero operating emissions, they continue to expand their footprint here in the Monterey region, providing an incredible opportunity for our communities. We hope this work can yield broad industry and community benefit,” said Monterey Bay DART Executive Director Josh Metz.

As part of the $1.5M commitment, Joby Aviation will receive $400,000 to develop training and apprentice programs focused on manufacturing and quality.

“The Central Coast of California is Joby’s home, and we are committed to making meaningful career opportunities available here,” said Bonny Simi, Head of Air Operations and People at Joby. “This grant from the James Irvine Foundation is a tremendous vote of confidence in the local workforce, allowing us to develop and offer meaningful training and apprentice opportunities that provide career onramps to the diverse population of our region.”

“This partnership is a perfect example of CSU Monterey Bay supporting continued economic development in our region. Working with Monterey Bay DART and Joby Aviation is inspirational for our students and faculty, and contributes to our goal of supporting Joby’s and the DART emerging technology cluster success in our region. We are grateful for the support of the James Irvine Foundation” said University Corporation Executive Director, Lawrence Samuels.

“To achieve our vision of an economy that works for all residents, the Priority Communities initiative supports local efforts to create good jobs and more equitable economies. We are excited to support this growing regional partnership focused on innovation, job creation, and equitable access to opportunity in the region. The deepening partnership between Monterey Bay DART, Joby Aviation and California State University Monterey Bay represents the robust regional coordination, alignment, and partnership across academia, industry, and government needed to leverage existing opportunities create new quality jobs in the region,” said The James Irvine Foundation Priority Communities Initiative Director, Jessica Kaczmarek.

Monterey Bay Drone, Automation & Robotics Technology (DART) Initiative. Monterey Bay DART is a 501 c3 organization working to align industry, academia, and governments towards these growth sectors for new venture formation, jobs growth and community vitality. More information can be found online at www.MontereyBayDART.org

Joby Aviation. Joby Aviation, Inc. (NYSE:JOBY) is a California-based transportation company developing an all-electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft which it intends to operate as part of a fast, quiet, and convenient service in cities around the world. To learn more, visit www.jobyaviation.com.

CSUMB Institute for Innovation & Economic Development (iiED). The iiED supports the founding, funding, and growth of new ventures in the Monterey Bay Region. iiED is an institute of the College of Business at CSU Monterey Bay. To learn more, visit www.csumb.edu/iied/.

James Irvine Foundation. The James Irvine Foundation is a private, nonprofit grantmaking foundation dedicated to expanding opportunity for the people of California. The Foundation’s grantmaking is committed to a California where all low-income workers have the power to advance economically. Since 1937 the Foundation has provided more than $1.98 billion in grants to nonprofit organizations throughout California. With about $2.5 billion in assets, the Foundation made grants of $105 million in 2019. To learn more, visit www.irvine.org.

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UAS Workforce Opportunities in Forestry

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The fields of drones (Uncrewed Aerial Systems, UAS), automated systems, and robotics technologies (DART) have rapidly advanced over the past decade yielding new tools for environmental management and a broad array of other applications. These technological innovations are the result of both public and private research & development investment, and represent emerging markets for future workforce engagement. Over this same time period we have experienced increasingly frequent occurrences of climate driven catastrophes such as wildfire, drought and floods. As a result, there is real urgency to conceive of novel solutions to these environmental challenges. The hope is that drones and related technologies of remote sensing and spatial analysis can be part of those solutions, while providing value through generating future workforce opportunities.

Data collected by drones can be applied to a variety of environmental management fields including agriculture, environmental conservation, timber management, watershed management, climate change monitoring, disturbance mitigation, wildland management, fire management, and urban-wildland interface management among many others.  Imagery data captured by drones for the purposes of land management and ecosystem monitoring can be used to evaluate ecosystem health under stress (Daly 2019), track and monitor wildlife (Prosekov et al 2020), pest outbreaks and disease spread (Filho et al 2020), ecosystem regeneration after disturbance, shifts in ecosystem after disturbance (Jiménez et al 2019), and monitor fires (Aydin et al 2019, Afghah et al 2019) among many other applications.  

As drones become indispensable tools for land management, with the capabilities of drones to collect high frequency, high resolution data on a variety of spatial and temporal scales.  We recognize that a critical priority for California is to have a workforce ready and able to support the innovation, manufacturing, and application of drones across a wide variety of industries.

With an eye towards informing workforce developers, educators and policy-makers focused on meeting the urgent need for a future focused forest management workforce, this paper provides:

  • an overview of drone-related investment trends and technology education opportunities in California;
  • an analysis of drone and forestry-related wage and hiring trends to paint a picture of recent market demand for drone and drone-related skills;
  • Calls out the imperative to design and build a modern workforce that takes advantage of the inherent strength of our States rich cultural diversity; and
  • contemplates a characterization of drone and forestry related career pathways.

Recognizing the inherent limitations of projecting emerging technology skill demands based on backward looking datasets, this paper also highlights innovative companies pushing the envelope towards next generation drone-based forest land management applications. Finally, we characterize the current state of diversity, equity and inclusion in the STEM workforce, and present the case for explicit action to ensure the emerging drone and forestry related hiring makes room for a workforce reflective of the rich, cultural diversity of the State of California.