NASA'S Gateways to Blue Skies:
Clean Aviation Energy Competition
As aircraft design and fuels change to become more environment friendly, airports, operations and overall infrastructure must also change. The Gateways to Blue Skies: Clean Aviation Energy Competition challenges teams of university-level student teams to conceptualize the source-to-flight lifecycle of a potential future clean aviation energy source, in terms of feasibility, viability, and environmental impact. By evaluating potential new energy sources and analyzing the entirety of the supply chain, teams may help determine the “clean aviation energy” source of the 2050s.
Competition News
2023 Blue Skies
Competition Announced!
July 26, 2022 - The 2023 Competition focuses on the source-to-flight climate impacts of new, alternative clean aviation energy sources. Be the future: Start today!
Congratulations to the 2022 Blue Skies Forum Winners!
June 6, 2022 - Carnegie Mellon University took first place and Ohio State University placed second, with other special awards recognizing the caliber of presentations at the 2022 Blue Skies Forum.
2022 Forum Results: Papers, Infographics & Video
June 6, 2022 - Eight finalist teams traveled to NASA's Langley Research Center to present in the June 2-3, 2022 Blue Skies Forum. Click through to see all awards and deliverables.
GATEWAYS TO BLUE SKIES
Competition Overview
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 university affiliation at a U.S.-based institution, and 2 U.S. citizen (or lawful permanent resident) students from that 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 one notable exclusion. Due to prohibitive restrictions and ever-changing NASA security regulations, foreign nationals will not be able to attend culminating Blue Skies Forum events that take place on-site at a NASA Center (including tours). 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.
Teams selected to present at the Forum will receive a $6,000 monetary award to facilitate full participation in the Blue Skies Forum, held at a TBD NASA Center in June 2023.
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 and can demonstrate enrollment in the next-level academic pursuit.
- Thoroughly review the Competition webpage and full Competition Guidelines.
- Find a qualified advisor and a team of students with diverse knowledge, skills, and abilities relevant to the theme.
- Ensure that your team meets the eligibility requirements.
- Submit an NOI by the deadline.
- Attend one or both Q&A sessions with the challenge judges.
- Develop and submit a Proposal and 2-minute Video by the deadline.
- Proposals are reviewed and evaluated by the Blue Skies judges.
- Based on a review of the proposals, up to 8 teams will advance to the next phase of the competition – more fully developing their concepts into a final research paper and infographic, and presenting their concepts in a face-to-face review during the Blue Skies Forum in June.
- Winning team members receive NASA internship offers.