UND team takes first place at 2024 FAA Data Challenge
In Washington, UND team makes award-winning presentation on how controllers, using AI, can better communicate with pilots
A team of UND aviators has won the Federal Aviation Administration’s 2024 Data Challenge, and their research may just make flying through the national airspace safer.
And safety is ultimately the point of the FAA Data Challenge, now in its second year. The event is a way for the FAA to listen to the next generation of aviation, computer science and engineering professionals, as they offer solutions to help the organization adapt to advances in computing and technology.
The UND team traveled to Washington for the final showcase, held on March 20. There they presented their research on how to help air traffic controllers better communicate with pilots facing with stressful situations.
The team won first place in that showcase, which came with $25,000 in award funding for the University. The team prepared a poster highlighting their research, as well as an academic paper.
“The team’s presentation was stellar, well thought out and rehearsed, their poster was great, and the technical paper submitted was highly regarded by the judges,” said Brandon Wild, associate professor of Aviation, and advisor to the team.
In an email to Wild, HeroX, an organization that brings together people seeking solutions to a variety of problems, and which orchestrated the Data Challenge on behalf of the FAA, agreed.
“Thank you also for an outstanding final event,” reads a portion of the email. “Your presentation was thoughtful, innovative and a true highlight of the 2024 FAA Data Challenge.”
Along with Wild, who acts in an advisory role, the UND team consists of:
Caroline Kelley, double majoring in Commercial Aviation and Aviation Safety and Operations, and current certified flight instructor; Zachary Hoff, double majoring in the same programs, and Andie Akenson, a graduate student pursuing a Master of Science in Aviation.
UND’s FAA DATA Challenge project
The goal of the UND Team is to develop an AI-powered method to help air traffic controllers identify certain attitudes that pilots may exhibit when faced with stressful situations.
These attitudes, from an FAA-defined list, range from feeling overconfident about one situation to feeling helpless in another. Air traffic controllers and pilots alike are trained to recognize these attitudes; that way, the controllers are equipped to help pilots cope, when situations develop.
The UND team’s AI solution provides real-time information on a pilot’s attitude so a controller can quickly respond, and better handle the situation.
Team member Kelley said the first-place finish shows just how important the project is for operators making their way through the national airspace system. She also said she was pleased that the project inspired conversations about how the AI solution can be used in other aspects of aviation.
“I think the judges saw the versatility of the project as our presentation inspired several other applications of the work, such as applying it to debrief discussions in the flight training environment,” she said. “My favorite part of the challenge was seeing the potential for the project to impact the industry at all levels.”
More information about the team’s research project can be found in a separate release on the UND Today website.
Other universities competing in the 2024 FAA Data Challenge included: Oregon State University working with Drexel University, The University of Texas at Austin, Binghamton University, University of North Texas, Texas A&M University and Embry Riddle Aeronautical University.
This is the second year the FAA has held the Data Challenge. In its first year, UND competed to the final stage. The 2024 Challenge began in late February 2024 and continued through to March 2025.
