Next week, Kent State’s College of Aeronautics and Engineering is hosting the first in a series of workshops on drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

The first workshop, which is taking place Monday will be focusing on drones and UAVs and what the difference is between the two.

At the 2-hour-long workshop, a panel and speakers will also be discussing the legalities behind drones and how to get certifications for flying UAVs.

The workshop is being run by Jason Lorenzon, the lead faculty of the Unmanned Aircraft Systems program at Kent State. He also has been a pilot since he was 16 years old, as well as an attorney.

“The main goal of this workshop is to really inform the public that these are actual aircrafts and aviation tools, not just toys and cameras,” Lorenzon said.

Various students are also helping Lorenzon plan these workshops, and seem to be very excited to be apart of this new experience.

“I’m pretty excited to see the opinions of those who work in the industry and how they view it, rather than just the educational side of it that we only get here,” Tyler Bodenschatz, a senior aeronautics major said.

The guest speaker for the event will be Judge Roger Mullins from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). He will be speaking about enforcement actions if you were to get in trouble with UAVs and some other legalities behind UAVs.

“Almost everyone thinks they can fly these drones, but the reality is not everyone can and it’s a huge safety concern and can cause a lot of trouble,” Lorenzon said.

In order to attend this first workshop, the public must register online and pay a $25 fee.

You can view the full itinerary for the workshop as well as register for the event here.

Ashley Purnell is the commuters and apartment life reporter. Contact her at [email protected].