About Us

2025 Judging Panel

2025 Co-Chair
Steven Holz
NASA’s Langley Research Center
Judge, Sponsor
2025 Co-Chair
Brad Doorn
NASA Headquarters
Judge
Starr Ginn
NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center
Judge
Phil Kenul
TriVector Services
ASTM Committee F38 
Judge
Dr. Shanna McClain
NASA
Headquarters
Judge

Dr. Natasha Neogi
NASA’s Langley 
Research Center
Judge
Travis Potter
FEMA
Region 4
Judge
Charles Sheehe
NASA’s Glenn
Research Center
Judge
Jay Stalnacker
XPRIZE
Wildfire
Judge
Craig Nickol
NASA’s Langley 
Research Center
Online Reviewer
Mina Cappuccio
NASA’s Ames 
Research Center
Sponsor
Koushik Datta
NASA’s Ames 
Research Center
Sponsor

NIA Program Team

Contact the Gateways to Blue Skies Program Team at BlueSkies@nianet.org.

SHELLEY SPEARS
DIRECTOR, EDUCATION & OUTREACH
STACY DEES
HIGHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS PORTFOLIO MANAGER
JANICE MILLER
PROGRAM LEAD
AMY MCCLUSKEY
PROGRAM COORDINATOR

About Gateways to Blue Skies

NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) conducts research that generates concepts, tools, and technologies to enable advances in the United States’ aviation future. ARMD programs facilitate safer, more environmentally friendly, and efficient aviation systems.  As a program within NASA ARMD, the University Innovation Project (UI) funds university-led innovation to address system-level challenges in NASA Aeronautics’ strategic plan, which guides the Aeronautics programs.

Gateways to Blue Skies is a NASA-complementary, independent, alternative research program designed to expand engagement between universities and NASA/UI, industry, and government partners. It provides an opportunity for multidisciplinary teams of students from all academic levels (i.e., freshman, sophomore, junior, senior, and graduate) to tackle significant climate-related challenges and opportunities that can be addressed by the aviation industry through a new project theme each year. The competition is guided by a push toward new technologies as well as environmentally and socially conscious aviation. 

About NIA

The National Institute of Aerospace (NIA) is a non-profit research and graduate education institute created to conduct innovative aerospace and atmospheric research, develop new technologies for the nation and help inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers.

NIA serves as a strategic partner with NASA Langley Research Center and the aerospace community to enable research creativity and expand technology development opportunities. The Institute integrates research and graduate education while creating new government / academia / industry partnerships to solve tomorrow’s problems today.

The Gateways to Blue Skies Competition is managed by the National Institute of Aerospace on behalf of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

View Gateways to Blue Skies Photos on Flickr.