2022 Submission Details

Project Plan Proposal Deadline: January 20, 2022

Project Plan submissions must be transmitted electronically by 11:59 PM ET on January 20, 2022 via the online submission form. Late submissions will result in disqualification. Any other form of submission may be rejected.

Submission packages must consist of the following elements submitted in the following order (any other form of submission may be rejected):

1. Cover Page
   • Title of Work
   • U.S.- based lead university name (and any industry or academic partners)
   • Primary Faculty Advisor name (from lead university) and any additional advisors
   • List of all team members with Academic Level (graduate or undergraduate)
2. Table of Contents with the following highlighted sections tabulated:
3. Summary Statement - Not to exceed one (1) page. An overall summary of the innovation which includes a title of the project, a one paragraph synopsis of the problem statement, the problem-solving approach, and a statement of the potential innovative impact the research concept will have on the problem.
4. Problem Statement and Background - Not to exceed two (2) pages. The theme being addressed and overall research approach.
5. Project Description - The project should consider the cutting-edge needs of the future info-centric NAS (including connected aircraft) that will benefit NAS users focusing on one (1) of the following four (4) categories: Commercial Air Transportation, General Aviation, Emerging Operations, and Traveling Public. The project should demonstrate a clear understanding of the issues surrounding the challenge as well as the current conditions and state-of-the-art approaches to seeking solutions.
   • Project Description, Section I, include the following (Not to exceed five (5) pages)
     1. Concept – Considering the selection criteria to be used, provide a full description of the concept and the team's work including a description of both interdisciplinary and systems engineering approaches as appropriate.
     2. Problem Solving Approach – Discuss the methodology used, new systems created, and procedures employed.
     3. Risk Assessment - Consider inherent risks and describe how these risks would be addressed to ensure safe and efficient operations and execution.
     4. Impact Statement - Address commercial potential for the solution(s) presented and expected benefits compared to costs to implement.
   • Project Description, Section II, include the following:
     1. Demonstration Materials – Not to exceed fifteen (15) pages. Tools, applications, (hand-held) device(s), additional drawings, mockups, etc. as appropriate to display and provide evidence of a thorough design process to enable actual demonstration of the concept.
     2. Appendices - Not to exceed five (5) pages. Specific reference citations are to be provided in the Appendix. Appendices are to be used for references only.
     3. Optional - Video/images/animations. Teams may choose to include a brief video to augment the project plan proposal by including animation, graphics, or other creative ways of showcasing unique aspects of your proposed concept. Videos/Graphics/Animations should follow the following guidelines:
        • The team must be the original creators of the work.
        • Videos must be uploaded on YouTube as "public" or "unlisted."
        • Videos or animations longer than 2 minutes will be removed from the submission and will not be evaluated.
6. Letter(s)
   • University Support Letter (Template) – The letter should indicate that the university supports the proposed project plan and will make available supplies, lab space, and/or equipment, as is necessary and appropriate, to research or test proposed demonstration materials.
     1. The university’s support of the proposed project plan.
     2. Facilities and equipment at the university will be made available to the faculty advisor and student team members as needed to successfully build, test, and deliver their proposed concept/demonstration materials to the culminating competition in June 2022.
     3. Assistance will be provided to facilitate processing travel reimbursements for students and faculty attending the 2022 FAA Challenge Forum.
   • Additional Supporting Letters – If applicable, include a letter of support from any industry or academic partners clearly detailing what specific types of support they are contributing to the proposed concept/work/effort.
7. Quad Chart (Template) - A Quad Chart is a way for teams to display some standardized information that helps evaluators quickly compare many projects. Teams must use the provided template to create a quad chart, which should be a single page at the end of their proposal PDF file. Quad charts must address:
   • The team’s objectives and technical approach to the problem
   • An image/graphic of the concept
   • A description of the team and management approach of the project
   • A summary of the schedule and cost for the project

Project Plan Proposal Formatting Instructions

Teams are responsible for the formatting and appearance of their project plan proposals. Figures and tables must be placed in the file and therefore must be in digital format. We recommend that teams use image files with a minimum dpi of 150.

• The entire submission package (i.e., project plan proposal and all supporting documentation), should be submitted as one PDF file.
• Proposals should be single spaced.
• Please use fonts common to Macintosh and PC platforms, i.e., Times, Times New Roman, Helvetica, or Arial for text; Symbol for mathematical symbols and Greek letters.
• Font size can be either 11 or 12 pt.
• Margins should be a standard 1” (2.54 cm) all the way around (top, bottom, left, and right).
• File size cannot exceed 90 MB.

Submitting the Project Plan Proposal

To upload a project plan proposal (PDF), please visit the Submissions page on the FAA Challenge website to complete the online project plan proposal submission form. Teams are encouraged to review the Project Plan Evaluation Criteria below to better understand how the competition will be judged.

No revisions can be accepted, so please proof your files carefully before submitting them. If there are any technical problems with the content of your proposal (for example, your file was corrupted), we will try to contact you immediately, so it is very important that you provide us with up-to-date contact information on the submission form. The following information will be requested and is required to be submitted as part of the Proposal Submission Form.

1. Name of Lead Academic Institution
2. Partnering Industry or Academic Institutions (If Applicable)
3. Name and Contact Information of Faculty Advisor From Lead Institution
4. Name and Contact Information for Student Team Lead(s)
5. Name and Contact Information of Each Additional Academic/Industry Advisor (If Applicable)
6. Project Title
7. PDF File Upload for Project Plan Document
8. Project plan document should include any letters of support
9. Optional - Video/images/animations. Teams may choose to upload a brief video to augment the project plan proposal by including animation, graphics, or other creative ways of showcasing unique aspects of your proposed concept.

Late Project Plan Proposals will not be accepted, and the submission form will close promptly at midnight.

Presentation Files (Chart Deck and Poster) Deadline: June 21, 2022 at 4:00 PM ET

Presentation File (Chart Deck) Information

Teams will present a technical demonstration (with accompanying chart deck) to the Challenge Steering Committee, Program Staff, and other competing teams on Day 1 of the Forum. Presentations are limited to 45 minutes per team, followed by a 30-minute Q&A session; however, teams do not need to use the full 45 minutes if they are not needed. Although teams may choose who speaks and who doesn’t speak during the presentation, however we encourage all team members to stand together at the front of the room during the presentation to be available to answer questions during the Q&A session, even if they are not presenting.

Presentations are expected to incorporate a simulated or otherwise functional demonstration of their solution. Teams can showcase their solutions through a variety of visual and physical modalities, including but not limited to: a modeling and simulation experience (including Virtual Reality), application software demonstration, supported by slides, charts, graphic representations, video, animations, data visualizations, etc.

Presentations should reflect the technical papers. If errors were discovered after the technical paper was submitted, teams should take this time to address them. Significant information discussed during the presentation that was not included in the technical paper will be penalized during scoring.

The accompanying chart deck must:

• Include a Cover page which includes project title, university name, faculty advisor’s name(s), and user category.
• Use fonts large enough for those to see in the back of the room. Take advantage of high-contrast options and avoid black screen backgrounds and dark videos/animations as they may not present well in the presentation room.

There may be an opportunity during the Forum for teams to present their concept to a wider public audience of aviation and aeronautic professionals and/or local high school students. If given this opportunity, finalist teams may also be asked to share their research via a condensed 15-minute oral presentation summary of concept and/or an informal poster session.

Poster Information

During the Poster Session, finalist teams will be required to present paper posters describing their project. Teams must also submit an exact digital copy of their poster (to be displayed on the FAA Challenge website).

The Poster Session provides teams with an opportunity to expound upon important concepts in their presentations. It also allows the judges to follow up on presentations by asking additional questions for further clarification. During the poster session, teams may be asked to reference their prototype or perform a demonstration again, if applicable.

One foam/cardboard poster board will be made available for each team to use at no charge. Thumbtacks will also be available to secure posters to the foam/cardboard boards. Printed Posters should be 48” x 36.”

Each team is required to submit the digital file of their poster. Digital posters will be displayed on the FAA Challenge website. Digital posters must follow standard guidelines:

• Posters must be 16:9 ratio (48” x 36” or 9600 pixels x 7200 pixels).
• Posters must be formatted horizontally (landscape).
• Poster file size limit is 100MB.
• Poster file must be submitted as a .PDF file.
• Images and graphs should be clear, legible, and appropriately sized for the poster.
  • Images and graphs embedded within the poster should be “print-ready,” with a minimum DPI of 150 whenever possible.
• Links or redirects in the body of the poster are not permitted.
  • This includes redirecting to a webpage, video, or any other content.
  • All content should be included in the text or directly embedded within the .PDF file.
  • All content must be static (i.e., embedded videos are not permitted).
  • If the poster has a References section, links may be included in that section only. Links should be typed out, not hyperlinked.

Submitting the Presentation Files

To upload your team’s Presentation Files, please click the button below to complete the online Presentation File Submission Form.

No revisions can be accepted on your Presentation, so please proof your file very carefully before submitting it. If there are any technical problems with the content of your submission (for example, your file was corrupted), we will try to contact you immediately, so it is very important that you provide us with up-to-date contact information on the submission form.