Event Sponsored By The Agency's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate

NASA officials will meet with aeronautics industry, academia and government leaders Feb. 21-22 for the second in a series of roundtable discussions about future directions for aeronautics research and technology. The Aeronautics Research and Technology Roundtable is sponsored by NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate in Washington and organized by the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Engineering.

The 25-member panel includes a broad range of executives, entrepreneurs and experts representing airframe and engine manufacturers, general aviation companies, academia, industry associations and other federal agencies. Its purpose is to facilitate candid dialogue among participants, to foster greater partnership among the NASA-related aeronautics community, and, where appropriate, carry awareness of issues to the wider public.

"We are grateful to the National Research Council for helping us expand our communication with our colleagues in industry," said Jaiwon Shin, NASA's associate administrator for aeronautics research. "The Aeronautics Research and Technology Roundtable has provided an excellent forum for us to exchange ideas, explore research concepts, and discuss more vigorous public-private collaboration outside the competitive arena."

The two-day meeting will be conducted by the National Research Council's Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board and will be held at the National Academies' Keck Building in Washington. On the first day, roundtable members will participate in separate discussions on issues of interest to four aviation sectors. General aviation and commercial aviation will be the subjects of concurrent sessions from 0830-1230 EST. Vertical lift and unmanned aircraft systems will be featured in concurrent sessions from 1330-1730. On the second day, roundtable members will gather from 0830-1700 EST for a plenary session featuring reports from the previous day's discussions.

Discussion topics were identified at the first roundtable meeting in August 2011. Four teleconferences, organized by sector, were conducted in December 2011. A third roundtable meeting is anticipated later this year.

FMI: http://sites.nationalacademies.org/DEPS/ASEB/DEPS_061276, www.aeronautics.nasa.gov