Our institutions have strong interest to take advantage of the significant benefits of UAS, as well as to research their potential to increase America's competitiveness and enhance the social good. Across the country, our universities are seeking to utilize UAS to improve research and development efforts, inspect infrastructure, and teach students. The use of UAS can aid in our universities' research in the fields of animal health, plant toxicology, entomology, engineering, architecture, aviation, sustainable nutrient management, soil science, biochemistry, and aerospace engineering. Our universities' research on these issues support the work of federal agencies, including NASA, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy, and the National Science Foundation, along with state agencies and localities. In addition to utilizing UAS themselves, our universities’ faculty experts are studying issues ranging from aviation to safety to privacy—issues particularly relevant to the emerging public debate on the use of UAS