2026 Finalist Teams
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University with Cecil College Maryland
Advancing Aircraft Maintenance, Smart Mechanic Glasses
Manhattan University
A.E.R.I.S – Aircraft Enhance Resilience and Intelligence System
Michigan State University
Surface Evaluation Network or Tethered Inspection and Nondestructive Evaluation (SENTINEL)
South Dakota State University
WINGMAN
South Dakota State University
Surface Preservation and Rust Killer (S.P.A.R.K.) Crawler
South Dakota State University
S.P.I.D.E.R. Surveying Platform and Inspection Device for Enclosed Regions
University of California, Irvine
Air SHIELD: Aircraft Structural Health Intelligence for Evaluation and Lifecycle Detection
University of Georgia
QuaSAR: (Quantum Sensing Aerial Reporting)
2026 Finalists' Infographics
Click image to enlarge the infographic
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Dayton Beach with Cecil College
“Advancing Aircraft Maintenance, Smart Mechanic Glasses”
Faculty Advisor: Claudia Ehringer Lucas
University of Georgia
“QuaSAR (Quantum Sensor Aerial Reporting)”
Faculty Advisors: Jorge Rodriguez, Kevin Wu, Ramana Pidaparti
Manhattan University
“A.E.R.I.S – Aircraft Enhanced Resilience and Intelligence Systems”
Faculty Advisor: Bahareh Estejab
“S.P.A.R.K. Crawler: Surface Preservation and Rust Killer“
Faculty Advisor: Todd Letcher
“S.P.I.D.E.R Surveying Platform and Inspection Device for Enclosed Regions” Faculty Advisor: Todd Letcher
“Air SHIELD: Aircraft Structural Health Intelligence for Evaluation and Lifecycle Detection“
Faculty Advisor: Jacqueline Huynh
NASA Feature Story Coverage:
Other Coverage:
- Cecil College Student Named Finalist in NASA Aviation Competition
- Cecil College Engineering Student in NASA Competition
- MU All-Women Engineering Team Named NASA Blue Skies Finalist
- Eagle Team Advances to NASA Blue Skies Finals, Builds Valuable Skills
- SDSU Taking Three Teams to Finals of NASA Contest
- NASA Supports Student Proposals to Improve Aircraft Maintenance
- NASA Backs Student Ideas to Fix Aircraft Maintenance, from Crawling Robots to AR Glasses
- Aviation Week: NASA’s New Push to Modernize MRO
- AirPro News: NASA Launches 2026 Competition to Advance Aviation Maintenance
- Fly Magazine: NASA Calls on Students to Fix Aviation Maintenance
- Aviation Technician Education Council: NASA Opens 2026 RepAir: Advancing Aircraft Maintenance Competition
- NASA Technology X: Calling All College Students With a Passion for Aircraft Innovation
Greg Emerson
John Bombaro
Cesar Mendoza
Jim Baumiller
Scott Colling
Dan Martin
Cordelia Hiers-Brady
Shawn Engelland
George Burba
CJ Bixby
Jay Stalnacker
Charles Sheehe
Travis Potter
Amy McCluskey
Dr. Shanna McClain
Peggy Cornell
Matthew Boucher
Susan Bayley
Dr. Marcus Johnson
Genevieve Ebarle
Stacy Dees
Shelley Spears
Janice Kurbjun Miller
Mina Cappuccio
Craig Nickol
Jeanne Yu
Devin Pugh-Thomas
Mani Gavvalapalli
Phil Kenul
Koushik Datta
Dr. Natasha Neogi
Starr Ginn
Steven Holz
Andrew Provenza