Simpson College will help research drones as part of its new affiliate status with the Federal Aviation Administration’s Centers of Excellence for Commercial Space Transportation program, The Des Moines Register reported. Simpson will work with Stanford University and the FAA to conduct research into drones, including whether regional airports in rural areas can be used as hubs to launch the vehicles, said Chris Draper, the head of Simpson’s EMERGE business incubator program. Draper said the research will also look into safety concerns regarding drones in flight, such as the airspace around regional airports and proximity to populated areas. Read our previous Insider story on the debate over drones on  BusinessRecord.com.