FāVS News News and Commentary about Religion and Ethics in Eastern Washington and North Idaho
Retired U.S Air Force pilot Bradley J. Ward will deliver a lecture titled, “Virtually There: A Pilot’s Perspective on the Growth of Drones after 9/11,” at the 57th annual Great Decisions Lecture series at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday in Robinson Teaching Theatre of Whitworth’s Weyerhaeuser Hall.
Ward, who is currently Whitworth’s physics shop coordinator as well as a managing member at Northstone Industries, will share his 11 years of experience in drone aircrafts and technology during his lecture.
“The growth of drones in national defense and public service creates new challenges in policy and international relations,” Ward said in a press release. “The hottest topics in the news concern the president’s war powers as well as due process and personal privacy.”
Ward served as a commander in the 12th Reconnaissance Squadron and was director of operations in the 432nd Operations Support Squadron. In his lecture, he will explore the history of drones and the advances in technology that fueled the immense growth in this field.
This topic will continue to increase in importance as the Federal Aviation Administration is mandated by Congress to integrate drones into the national airspace system by 2015, Ward says.
This event is free and open to the public. For more information, call (509) 777-3834.
Tracy Simmons is an award-winning journalist specializing in religion reporting and digital entrepreneurship. In her approximate 20 years on the religion beat, Simmons has tucked a notepad in her pocket and found some of her favorite stories aboard cargo ships in New Jersey, on a police chase in Albuquerque, in dusty Texas church bell towers, on the streets of New York and in tent cities in Haiti. Simmons has worked as a multimedia journalist for newspapers across New Mexico, Texas, Connecticut and Washington. She is the executive director of SpokaneFāVS.com, a digital journalism start-up covering religion news and commentary in Spokane, Washington. She also writes for The Spokesman-Review and national publications. She is a Scholarly Assistant Professor of Journalism at Washington State University.
