CONTRIBUTED BY
AUBURN UNIVERSITY
Auburn University will debut its 2021 public service announcement, or PSA, on the university’s main Facebook page Friday, Sept. 3, spotlighting Auburn’s work in three areas focused on cutting-edge technology and the university’s upward and forward movement.
The PSA, titled “In Auburn,” will launch on Facebook at noon. The following day, it will debut to a national television audience during Auburn’s Sept. 4 opening football game vs. Akron — which will air on ESPN+ with a 6 p.m. CST kickoff at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
The PSA’s three callouts feature latest developments at Auburn involving vertical gardening technology, the use of a “robot dog” to improve work in building construction and the university’s drive forward as a national leader in the training of pilots through a partnership with Delta Air Lines.
“At Auburn, we are continually advancing technology, research and partnerships that answer the call of the community’s needs,” said Mike Clardy, Auburn’s assistant vice president for communications and marketing, which produced the PSA along with Auburn’s Media Production Group. “This year’s PSA demonstrates some key examples of how we are shaping the future in Auburn for the betterment of our Auburn Family, the state of Alabama, the nation and beyond.”
Auburn’s current work with vertical gardens has involved the College of Agriculture using high-tech shipping containers to grow produce that is used in Auburn’s Campus Dining venues. The containers are outfitted with a complete climate control system, which includes air conditioning and humidity control. Because the containers are highly insulated, the system ensures the same climate 365 days a year. The converted containers also have an elaborate lighting system, giving all the light the plants need from two color LEDs. Additionally, the containers allow for controlled carbon dioxide levels, which accelerates plant growth.
As for Auburn’s “robot dog”— named “Mac” — it was purchased this spring by the McWhorter School of Building Science, or BSCI. This newest research tool at Auburn is unlike any other on campus — standing out not only for its unique style of walking like a dog but also for its capabilities to better streamline repetitious and dangerous work at construction sites and to advance future “robot dog” improvements via a partnership with global robot manufacturer Boston Dynamics. The possibilities of Mac’s capabilities are endless, and Auburn is building upon the promise of what is quickly becoming one of man’s best friends in technology.
In another move forward and upward for Auburn, the university is continuing to grow its partnership with Delta Air Lines that began in 2017. It was then when Delta Air Lines, the Delta Air Lines Foundation and the Jacobson Family Foundation granted $6.2 million to support multiple programs at Auburn, including the funding of construction of the Delta Air Lines Aviation Education Building, which opened in November 2018 and began hosting classes in 2019. That partnership supported the purchase of an aircraft simulator and created endowed faculty professorships within the Department of Aviation, home of one of the longest standing public flight programs in the country.
The 23,000-square-foot facility was designed exclusively for aviation education at Auburn, with enhanced classrooms, debriefing rooms for student pilots and flight simulators. In 2018, Delta furthered its commitment by selecting Auburn as one of eight colleges to launch its Delta Propel Pilot Career Path Program, an initiative designed to help identify, select and develop the next generation of pilots. As a result, Auburn’s aviation graduates have a nearly 100-percent job placement rate, helping address the need of a national pilot shortage.
For more information about Auburn and to view the 2021 PSA after it launches, visit www.auburn.edu.