blueskies.nianet.orgNASA's Gateways to Blue Skies Competition

Toggle Navigation Home Competition Finalists Forum Information 2024 Competition Details View the Full Competition Guidelines Submit an NOI Submit Proposal Submit Final Research PaperInfographic Submit Presentation Chart Deck FAQ Competition Records 2022 Competition Record 2023 Competition RecordNASA'S Gateways to Blue Skies Competition 2024 Theme: Advancing Aviation for Natural Disasters As climate change increasingly influences the frequency and severity of natural disasters on a global scale, opportunities to contribute at the intersection of technological advancement, aviation, and natural disasters grow in both number and importance. The 2024 Gateways to Blue Skies Competition is asking teams to conceptualize, in terms of feasibility and viability, aviation-related system(s) that can be applied by 2035 to one phase of management of a chosen type of natural disaster to improve capabilities. View the 2024 Competition Details Competition News Competition Overview View the Sneak Peek! Competition News 2024 Blue Skies Finalists Announced! March 26, 2024 - Eight teams have been selected as finalists as part of the 2024 Gateways to Blue Skies Competition. Teams will present their design concepts to a panel of NASAindustry judges at a forum this May at NASA Ames. Read the NASA Story Announcing the 2024 Blue Skies Competition! July 25, 2023 - The 2024 Gateways to Blue Skies Competition: Advancing Aviation for Natural Disasters now open and accepting proposals focusing on aviation-related systems for natural disasters! Read the NASA Story Congratulations to the 2023 Blue Skies Forum Winners! June 5, 2023 - Boston University (Aluminum Powder Combustion) placed first and University of California, San Diego took second, with other special awards at the 2023 Blue Skies Forum. View the 2023 Competition Record. Read the NASA Story GATEWAYS TO BLUE SKIES Competition Overview Blue Skies expands engagement between universities and NASA’s University Innovation Project , industry, and government partners by providing an opportunity for multi-disciplinary teams of students from all academic levels (i.e., freshman, sophomore, junior, senior, and graduate) to tackle significant challenges and opportunities for the aviation industry through a new project theme each year. The competition is guided by a push toward new technologies as well as environmentally and socially conscious aviation. Initial participation involves a conceptual study, submission of a 5-7 page proposal and video summarizing the team’s proposal. Finalists write a final research paper, create an infographic summarizing concepts, and present in front of NASA and industry experts at a culminating forum held at a NASA Center each June. Internship opportunities with NASA’s ARMD serve as the competition prize for members of the winning team. Toggle the menu below for additional competition details. Visit the Competition Details page for more details about this year’s competition.EligibilityPrizesHow to CompeteEligibility The Gateways to Blue Skies competition is open to full-time or part-time undergraduate and graduate students at an accredited U.S.-based community college, college, or university. Teams may include senior capstone students, clubs, multi-university teams, and/or multi-disciplinary teams. Multi-disciplinary teams and teams from Minority Serving Institutions are highly encouraged to apply! UNIVERSITY TEAMS MUST INCLUDE: At a minimum, teams must contain one faculty advisor with a college/university affiliation at a lead U.S.-based institution, and 2 U.S. citizen (or lawful permanent resident) students from that lead U.S.-based university who work on the project and present at the culminating Blue Skies Forum. Team size is limited to a maximum of 6 student team members. A faculty advisor is encouraged to attend the Forum with each team. SPECIAL ELIGIBILITY CONSIDERATIONS: An individual may join more than one team. A faculty advisor may advise more than one team. A university may submit more than one proposal. Team members may not be a federal employee acting within the scope of employment (this includes co-op students with civil servant status) The expectation is that Blue Skies projects are student-led initiatives (i.e., students are doing the work). Faculty take on the role as mentors, and if a team is selected as a finalist, help manage any monetary awards sent to the university. SPECIAL NOTES REGARDING FOREIGN NATIONALS: Foreign Nationals (FNs) attending the proposing U.S.-based university can participate on a Blue Skies Competition Team, with notable exclusions. Due to NASA security restrictions and policies, FNs will not be able to attend culminating Blue Skies Forum events that take place on-site at a NASA Center (including tours). Exception: NASA Ames Conference Center is accessible to Foreign Nationals for purposes of the 2024 Blue Skies Forum. FNs are ineligible for the internship prize. There will be no exceptions to this policy. FNs can, however, participate in any portions of the culminating Blue Skies Forum that take place off-Center. FOREIGN UNIVERSITIES: INELIGIBLE Eligibility is limited to universities in the United States. Foreign universities are not eligible to participate in the Blue Skies Competition.Prizes PARTICIPATION AWARDS Teams selected to present at the Forum will receive a $8,000 monetary award to facilitate full participation in the Blue Skies Forum, held at a NASA Center each June. NASA INTERNSHIPS NASA ARMD is setting aside up to 6 internships for students on teams that advance to the Blue Skies Forum, with first opportunities being presented to members of the winning team. Internships must be taken within the academic year following the Forum. Selections will be made first to students on the winning team(s) and will be based on the cumulative merit of each student’s individual internship application and availability for fall, spring, or summer internships. Fall: Late August/early September to mid-December (16 weeks) Spring: Mid-January to early May (16 weeks) Summer: Late-May/early June to August (10 weeks) ADDITIONAL ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS NASA internships have additional eligibility requirements: U.S. Citizenship Cumulative 3.0 GPA (on a 4.0 scale) Undergrad and graduate students must be enrolled full-time in a degree-granting program at an accredited college or university. Applicants transitioning between undergraduate and graduate pursuits are eligible IF they have graduated within 6 months.How to Compete (Click the image below to expand.) Hestia | Developed by ThemeIsle Mina Cappuccio NASA’s Ames Research Center Mina Cappuccio is currently the Deputy Project Manager for the University Innovation Project. She obtained her BS and MS degrees in Mechanical Engineering from University of Massachusetts and Pennsylvania State University, respectively, and has more than 35 years of engineering experience. Prior to joining the University Innovation Project team, Miss Cappuccio held supervisory/management positions in the Engineering Directorate. Her journey in the Engineering Directorate started as the Systems Engineering Branch Chief. After managing several projects, she was asked to manage the Spaceflight Projects Office (SPO). The SPO oversaw CubeSat missions to demonstrate new technologies, CubeSat launcher technologies, and space biology payloads for ISS and CubeSat missions. Miss Cappuccio became the division chief of the Engineering Systems Division, which provides engineering support to many aeronautics and space projects, and technology development across NASA Ames Research Center and other NASA centers. In addition to positions within the Engineering Directorate, Miss Cappuccio spent 12 years as a project manager for many space transportation and technology development projects including X-37 Wing Leading Edge Thermal Protection System and Stratospheric Observatory For...