Three Embry-Riddle Teams Win Top Awards at National Airport Design Competition

Student researchers from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University excelled at the national Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) University Design Competition, earning two first-place honors and a second-place finish among the 12 prizes awarded.

The competition solicits ideas aimed at solving challenges faced by airports, such as detecting hazards entering their airspace, managing environmental compliance and safely aiding travelers with mobility challenges. The contest is sponsored by the Federal Aviation Administration and administered by ACRP, a program of the National Academies’ Transportation Research Board. Each competing design was reviewed by a panel of experts from industry and academia.

Dr. Chuyang Yang, assistant professor in the College of Aviation, said the award-winning projects were developed in a dedicated semester-long course within Embry-Riddle’s master’s degree in Uncrewed Systems program.

“The competition served as an authentic, externally evaluated capstone-style project, showcasing how students in the uncrewed systems master’s program apply systems thinking, innovation and aviation-domain problem-solving to practitioner-relevant airport challenges,” Yang said.

"This is a strong reflection of the College of Aviation’s emphasis on workforce-ready, industry-facing education and applied research, Yang added. 

One of the Embry-Riddle teams to win a first-place award proposed a design for aerial object detection that synthesizes six different types of sensors, including radar, acoustic sensing, radio-frequency scanning, drones’ remote ID, optical detection and LiDAR, which applies pulsed laser light to measure distances and create 3D models of an environment.

Ph.D. student Joel Samu said the detection system fuses the data streams from the different sensors to provide a “clear, interpretable basis for action” to airport personnel.

“Alerts only improve safety when their confidence, scope and context are clear enough to support timely human verification and response,” said Samu, who worked on the detection system with David Morell, an Uncrewed Systems master’s student.

The other first-place award was for a proposal to use drones with LiDAR technology to monitor stormwater drainage at airports more effectively. Monitoring and improving stormwater drainage can reduce flooding and standing-water risks, avoid delays and shutdowns and support environmental compliance.

Student Isaiah Vahos, who collaborated with fellow master’s in Uncrewed Systems students James Deal and Juin Park, said that incorporating Geographic Information Systems with high-resolution 3D terrain models was the most valuable aspect of the project in terms of his academic and career development.

Students Arjun Nambiar, Chin Yong “Alex” Chung and Gunwoo Lee, all earning their master’s degrees in Uncrewed Systems, earned the second-place award for a concept involving an autonomous vehicle that can hold a passenger’s carry-on as it directs the person from the ticket counter to the gate. The vehicle is especially intended for passengers with mobility challenges.

Nambiar said the vehicle, named Carrie UGV, “functions as a smart companion that helps transport carry-on luggage while guiding passengers through the airport, reducing physical strain and cognitive load during travel.”

The first-place teams were awarded $3,000. The second-place award came with a $2,000 prize.

"Beyond the cash prizes, the ACRP University Design Competition provides meaningful professional visibility and networking value for students and the university,” Yang said, adding that the first-place projects will be considered for presentation at a future industry conference, “where students can share their work with airport decision-makers and practitioners and connect with stakeholders who translate research into airport implementation."