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
CJ Bixby
NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center
Judge
George Burba
LI-COR 
Science & Strategy Fellow
Judge
Shawn Engelland
NASA Ames
Research Center
Judge
Cordelia Hiers-Brady
NASA 
Headquarters
Online Reviewer

Dan Martin
USDA 
Agricultural Research Service
Judge

Craig Nickol
NASA’s Langley 
Research Center
Judge
Mina Cappuccio
NASA’s Ames 
Research Center
Sponsor
Koushik Datta
NASA’s Ames 
Research Center
Sponsor

NIA Program Team

Contact NASA’s Gateways to Blue Skies Program Team at BlueSkies@nianet.org.

SHELLEY SPEARS
DIRECTOR, EDUCATION & OUTREACH
STACY DEES
HIGHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS PORTFOLIO MANAGER
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.

NASA’s 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 nonprofit research, graduate education, and outreach institute located in Hampton, VA. Established in 2002 by NASA’s Langley Research Center and eight leading aerospace research universities, NIA brings together top minds from government, academia, and industry to drive innovation in aerospace, atmospheric science, and technology development. Through strategic collaborations with NASA and other federal agencies, universities, and private partners, we push the boundaries of discovery while preparing the next generation of scientists and engineers.

View Gateways to Blue Skies Photos on Flickr.