Design the Future of UC Air Mobility:
Air Operations System Development
The 2024–25 CITRIS Aviation Prize aims to advance air mobility by bringing University of California students, researchers and professionals together to design critical aviation simulations and subsystems, integrating air transit into campus transportation networks and empowering efficient intercampus travel.
This competition is open to undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at the UC campuses in Berkeley, Davis, Merced and Santa Cruz.
Overview
The first CITRIS Aviation Prize, launched in 2021, challenged student teams to develop a long-distance, fully autonomous flight with a small UAV, culminating in a successful demonstration. Building on this achievement, the 2023–24 competition envisioned a forward-looking air mobility system for the university, incorporating advanced air mobility (AAM) technology to revolutionize transportation within and among campuses.
This year’s competition continues an exciting multiyear journey to advance campus air mobility. The 2024–25 CITRIS Aviation Prize tasks student teams to develop air operations system simulation software for the proposed University of California air mobility system, paving the way for efficient campus-to-campus travel across the UC system.
Subsequent CITRIS Aviation Prize competitions will further develop these AAM plans, with future challenges delving into campus infrastructure design and ultimately culminating in real-world testing and implementation. This phased approach ensures a comprehensive and sustainable advancement of air mobility technologies.
The 2024–25 CITRIS Aviation Prize will encourage teams to explore electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) mobility solutions around Moffett Field, enhancing operational safety and integration with existing aerospace activities. Representatives from NASA’s Ames Research Center will participate in our judging panel, bringing unparalleled expertise in aerospace technology and innovation to evaluate the student proposals. The competition will conclude with final team reports and an awards ceremony, providing students the opportunity to present their innovative air mobility solutions directly to leading experts in the field.
Objective
The goal of this year’s competition is to:
- Design a campus interconnectivity simulation for transportation management, demonstrating seamless integration of air and ground transportation systems
- Develop high-level guidance, navigation and flight scheduling algorithms tailored for the top three electric eVTOL vehicle systems in the market, optimizing energy dynamics and safety within campus environments, and incorporate them in the simulation system
- Formulate an implementation and operation plan for the developed air operations system
The emphasis of the project is on simulation software that enables testing the newly developed concepts.
Competition Structure
There will be two phases in the competition.
Phase 1: Design Proposal (due Nov. 15)
- Interested teams from each campus, including teams with members from multiple campuses, submit proposals outlining their vision toward the competition’s objective.
- A panel of expert judges reviews the proposals and recommends a number of teams to move on to Phase 2.
Phase 2: Detailed Design and Presentation (December through May)
- Selected teams develop detailed designs incorporating feedback from Phase 1.
- Teams meet monthly with CITRIS Aviation for design updates.
- Teams provide a design showcase midway through the process.
- Teams offer their final design presentations for judging.
Eligibility
The competition is open to student teams from the four University of California campuses affiliated with CITRIS and the Banatao Institute: UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Merced and UC Santa Cruz.
Teams are required to include:
- Two to a maximum of eight students
- At least one undergraduate student and no more than three graduate students
- One postdoctoral fellow or faculty mentor
Registration
Teams register and submit their proposals through an online application form. This form requires teams to enter contact information for all members and to provide a shareable link to their proposal in PDF format.
Proposal Guidelines
- Proposals must be submitted as a PDF using a minimum 10-point font size with 1-inch margins. Phase 1 proposals are limited to three pages, and Phase 2 proposals are limited to 10 pages. All material associated with proposals and reports should fit within these page limitations, but a list of bibliographical references will not count toward the limit.
- You will be required to submit an approval form signed by your adviser, which you can download from the submission portal.
Proposals should outline the team’s vision for campus interconnectivity software and eVTOL guidance, navigation and control systems. Be sure to include the following elements:
- Overview of required features, which include:
- Campus interconnectivity software for transportation management
- Guidance, navigation and control systems for the top three eVTOL vehicle systems
- Preliminary justification for the selection of these features, e.g., maximizing potential for intercampus connectivity, ease of integration with existing infrastructure
- Preliminary plans for addressing each of the required features, including any initial renderings or conceptual designs
Proposals selected for Phase 2 should include the following elements:
- Detailed description of required features for Phase 1
- Comprehensive details on the campus interconnectivity software design, including its architecture and functionality
- In-depth description of the guidance, navigation and control systems for eVTOL vehicles, including technical specifications and safety protocols
- An implementation plan that is aligned and compatible with existing and planned local campus infrastructure, including:
- Identification of key stakeholders, required regulatory changes, environmental impacts, funding strategies and timelines
- An estimated cost and timeline for the construction of the proposed designs
- Strategies for gathering feedback from potential users and stakeholders to refine and optimize the systems
Evaluation Criteria
Judges will base their evaluations on how well the proposed design addresses the following key criteria:
- Support of interconnectivity between the four CITRIS campuses
- Utility and efficiency of proposed transportation solutions
- Feasibility of implementation and integration with existing campus transportation infrastructure
- Sustainability and minimization of environmental impact
- Overall innovation of proposed vision
- Cost-effectiveness of estimated budget (Phase 2 only)
Timeline
- Sept. 9, 2024: Team registration opens
- Oct. 1: Information session from 5–5:45 p.m. (please RSVP)
- Nov. 15: Phase 1 proposals due
- Dec. 9: Phase 1 winners announced
- January–May 2025: Monthly presentations to CITRIS Aviation for Phase 1 finalists
- Mid-March: Midpoint presentations
- Mid-April: Phase 2 reports due
- Late April: Final presentations, judging and awards ceremony (date to be announced)
Information Session
An online info session was offered Tuesday, Oct. 1. A captioned video of that presentation is now available:
Prizes
At the end of the competition, the following prizes will be awarded to participating teams:
- CITRIS Aviation Award for Most Comprehensive Software Design ($3,000)
- CITRIS Aviation Excellence Award ($3,000)
More prizes will be announced as they are confirmed.
Contact
For questions or more information, please email aviationprize@citris-uc.org.