Ohio State and Sinclair Community College Create Innovative Partnership

Contact: Matt Schutte
614-247-6445
Schutte.9@osu.edu

Dayton, Ohio – Sinclair Community College and The Ohio State University College of Engineering today announced a strategic partnership between the two institutions focused on unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and data analytics. Through the partnership, Ohio State and Sinclair will develop pathways from existing Sinclair UAS certificate and future UAS associate degree programs to data analytics and geospatial precision agriculture programs. Additionally, Ohio State students will have the opportunity to take general education courses through Ohio State and, after completing UAS technical courses at Sinclair, earn a UAS certificate or degree through Sinclair.

“Ohio State University is a global leader in technology and education and this partnership can provide Sinclair with the resources and human talent necessary to take our UAS program to the next level,” said Sinclair President Steve Johnson. Sinclair recently received $4 million in state funding to renovate and expand their physical location on the Dayton campus to support the mission of the National Center for UAS Training and Education.

“Ohio State’s unmanned aircraft and data analytics expertise complements the strengths of Sinclair and the Dayton region in this important emerging industry,” said Ohio State College of Engineering Dean David B. Williams. “Our teaching, research and workforce development collaboration should serve as a model for our fellow institutions throughout the state.

The two institutions will also seek to expand upon existing UAS resources in airspace and UAS vehicles, and will in the future seek an FAA Certificate of Approval to fly over the Don Scott Airport and the Molly Caren Agricultural Facility to provide new and innovative precision agriculture programming.

Ohio State is a national leader in computer science and data analytics education. The College of Engineering and the College of Arts and Sciences colleges recently launched an interdisciplinary undergraduate major in data analytics – the first of its kind in the country offered by a major research institution – to address a growing need for data analytics professionals. Within the Sinclair partnership, additional data analysis curriculum and training focused on unmanned systems will be developed. Concurrently, research opportunities at the intersection of UAS and data analytics also will grow.

One of the oldest and best known community colleges in the nation, Sinclair is a board member of the prestigious League for Innovation in the Community College. The college serves nearly 40,000 unduplicated students each year, making Sinclair the third largest community college in Ohio and one of the largest colleges of any kind in Southwest Ohio. Sinclair offers over 170 accredited degree and certificate programs and has awarded more degree and certificates than any other community college in the State of Ohio over the last five years. National leaders such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation partner with Sinclair on critical projects such as the Completion by Design initiative which seeks to eliminate barriers to student completion.

About The Ohio State University

The Ohio State University is a dynamic community of diverse resources, where opportunity thrives and where individuals transform themselves and the world. Founded in 1870, Ohio State is a world-class public research university and the leading comprehensive teaching and research institution in the state of Ohio. With more than 63,000 students (including 57,000 in Columbus), the Wexner Medical Center, 14 colleges, 80 centers and 175 majors, the university offers its students tremendous breadth and depth of opportunity in the liberal arts, the sciences and the professions.