Aerospace

Space experiment could teach us how aerosols move in the atmosphere

Teresa Donnellan — Mon, 05 Aug 2024 19:45:22 +0000

Space experiment could teach us how aerosols move in the atmosphere Teresa Donnellan Mon, 08/05/2024 - 15:45

As a child, Jeffrey Moran was fascinated by outer space. Now, he is designing an experiment to be carried out on the International Space Station (ISS) in 2025.

"I was obsessed with space as a kid,” said the mechanical engineering assistant professor. “The house I grew up in is still filled with drawings of Space Shuttles. Airplanes and spacecraft were a major reason I chose engineering when I got to college."

Jeffrey Moran. Photo by Office of University Branding

When the National Science Foundation issued a call for proposals to conduct research projects on the ISS to benefit life on earth, Moran jumped at the chance and wrote a proposal that was successfully funded. His grant-winning experiment will examine the extent to which aerosols (small particles suspended in air) move through air in response to a temperature difference (meaning the air on one side is hotter than on the other). This phenomenon—migration of particles in response to temperature gradients—is known as thermophoresis.

“It all started with a brainstorming session I had with a collaborator,” said Moran, describing the conversation he had with Purdue University colleague David Warsinger, who is a co-investigator on the NSF-funded project. “In contrast to most of my projects, which consider particles that move through liquids, we considered a simple question: what mechanisms could we use propel small particles through air?”

“My lab focuses on developing self-propelled particles for applications like water treatment or drug delivery," said Moran. "It’s a new and exciting field, but it’s so far been restricted entirely to water environments. No one has tried to develop a swimmer that moves in air. That ties into climate change, because aerosols are everywhere in the atmosphere—both because of human activity, like burning fossil fuels, and because of natural events like volcanic eruptions—and we don’t have a solid understanding of the net effect aerosols will have on the climate.”

Thermophoresis occurs in both liquids and gases, but it’s difficult to study in gases on earth because of the influence of gravity. Another challenge with studying particle migration in temperature gradients on earth is that the heated air tends to rise (for the same reason that hot air balloons rise), making it difficult to know exactly why the particles are moving. Doing the experiment in space allows scientists to run their tests with a minimal influence of gravity, to purely examine the effect of temperature on aerosols without creating air currents, which inevitably form when one tries to create a temperature difference in air because hot air tends to rise (which is the reason hot air balloons rise).

“We’re going to send various aerosol samples into space, each in a specially designed cuvette, for the astronauts to test,” Moran explained. “There’s a microscope on the ISS, and the astronauts will place our cuvettes into an apparatus we’ve designed that applies heat and cold to opposite walls of the cuvette. The astronauts will then use the microscope to determine how fast the particles move towards hot or towards cold. We expect that aerosols made from different materials will respond differently to the temperature gradient, but nobody knows how. That’s what’s exciting about this experiment – no one has made these types of measurements before.”

“For the last part of the project, we’re going to see whether some particles with asymmetric properties might generate the propulsive temperature difference on their own,” Moran continued. “These particles will have half of their surface coated in a metal. The other side is an insulating material,” Moran explained. “When we shine a light on them, the metal side efficiently absorbs the light and heats up relative to the insulating side. The hot hemisphere heats the air near it, and that creates a temperature difference in the surrounding air. This could help us understand whether odd-shaped aerosols in the atmosphere move on their own, without the need for a temperature difference.”

Before the experiment can be carried out, Moran and his team need to determine the experiment’s parameters as well as the materials required.

“This is very much a work in progress,” said Moran. “We're figuring out exactly which particles we want to send to the space station [based on] which materials matter the most to climate scientists [and] what the biggest question marks are.”

He mentioned, among other examples, the possibility of experimenting with carbon soot.

“Carbon soot is produced by burning fossil fuels, and it’s known to be harmful to the environment because it absorbs sunlight efficiently,” he said. “Another source of carbon soot, increasingly common in this era, is from rocket launches.”
“It’s pretty well established that carbon soot overall intensifies warming,” he said. “It's black, so it tends to absorb sunlight efficiently. This leads to a net warming effect on the atmosphere, but it's not clear how much it moves in thermophoresis (how much it moves in temperature differences).”

Moran looks forward to working with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to refine the plan. An early step in this project will be for Moran and his team to travel to Texas to examine a replica of the equipment available to scientists on the International Space Station.

The College of Engineering and Computing will cover Moran’s progress as the project moves forward.

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New College of Engineering and Computing professor Missy Cummings seeks to address challenges in artificial intelligence

Tama Moni — Tue, 03 Jan 2023 19:27:32 +0000

New College of Engineering and Computing professor Missy Cummings seeks to address challenges in artificial intelligence Tama Moni Tue, 01/03/2023 - 14:27

As one of the U.S. Navy’s first female fighter pilots and an engineer, Mary “Missy” Cummings is accustomed to breaking barriers and solving problems. So, when the opportunity to develop a new interdisciplinary program in artificial intelligence (AI) at ��AV’s College of Engineering and Computing emerged, she didn’t hesitate.

Cummings wants to increase the public and workforce's understanding of AI and its limits.

Missy Cummings, Photo by Ron Aira/Creative Services

For example, self-driving cars have proven to be much more difficult to launch safely than originally believed. Before coming to Mason, Cummings served as the senior safety advisor to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. She said that experience sparked her interest in a new program in the design and deployment of AI.

“I believe we have a national security crisis across the Department of Transportation, the Department of Defense, and many other government agencies,” Cummings said. “We have a genuine technical illiteracy problem. It's not that people can't understand AI. It's that people are just not being educated in how AI is constructed or in its limitations.”

Cummings encountered tech illiteracy problems earlier in her career while serving on the Defense Innovation Board.

“I saw the problem then, and now that I've been in the Department of Transportation, it's doubly reinforced my concern about people's limited understanding of AI,” she said.

Cummings wants industry and government employees to know how to ask the right questions about performance weaknesses and understand where to invest tax dollars.

She said she’s concerned the U.S. doesn’t have an effective workforce when it comes to understanding, managing, acquiring, evaluating, and testing AI. She wants people to learn about the right way for humans and AI to work together as well as to learn what is truly attainable and what is merely hype.

“I think traditional academia has a hard time accepting new areas, like a degree program in the design and deployment of AI. Older schools with more ingrained traditions struggle to embrace newer thinking,” she said. “I don't think Mason is like that. Dean Ken Ball and others at the College of Engineering and Computing as well as Mason’s president Gregory Washington have embraced these ideas.”

“Missy’s knowledge and experience surrounding AI are going to be a phenomenal asset to Mason,” Ball said. “Her ability to make connections between computer science, electrical, and mechanical engineering fields and leverage the strengths of each to improve our understanding of AI will be a game changer. We are thrilled she has decided to work with us.”

Cummings is proposing a new degree program in AI that will target engineering students as well as those in policy, law, and public health. “To navigate the world of AI students also need softer skills in policy, and maybe even ethics,” Cummings said.

"I find that Mason is far more flexible and more open to new ideas than older more entrenched schools. At Mason, people are willing to come together from the different colleges and schools to solve real complex sociotechnical problems," she said. "There's not one societal problem we have today that belongs to a sole discipline."

Her faculty appointment spans three departments—Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, and Electrical and Computer Engineering. She will also be the First American Bank Endowed Chair and Director of the Center for Robotics, Autonomous Systems, and Translational AI. Cummings' scholarly work will include opportunities to work with Fuse at Mason Square faculty and partners. Fuse will launch in 2024.

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George Mason Readies Reclaimed Satellite Dish

Tama Moni — Thu, 27 Oct 2022 16:37:25 +0000

George Mason Readies Reclaimed Satellite Dish Tama Moni Thu, 10/27/2022 - 12:37

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For ��AV's Peter Pachowicz, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, things are looking up—up to space, specifically. Pachowicz is eager to finally make what will be the largest satellite dish in the Washington, D.C., area, which was nearly discarded a few years ago, available to undergraduate students.

Satellite dish at ��AV

As previously reported in 2020, the university was planning to toss the 27-year-old, 30-foot satellite dish on its Fairfax Campus. Said Pachowicz at the time, “If we didn’t take it, it was headed to the scrap yard,” adding that a new dish the same size would cost more than $1 million.

CACI, a longtime corporate partner of the Volgenau School of Engineering, stepped in to help, providing funds to make the dish, which was donated and financially supported by a subsidiary of the ��AV Instructional Foundation, available to students. CACI provides expertise and technology—including satellite engineering and space operations—in support of national security.

CACI Chief Technology Officer Glenn Kurowski said, “The dish is a compelling asset that we helped salvage for a new mission. Our industry needs innovative young talent in satellite communications, digital signal processing, and RF. There’s no better way to learn this than by combining academic instruction with experiential learning on real-world equipment.”

The first big project for the dish, dubbed Space Communications Ground Station, or SpaceCom, is for a senior design team to work on the dish guidance system, including dish motion control and feedback from position sensors.

The dish will be available to engineering students, as well as those in other Mason schools and colleges, allowing for multidisciplinary, hands-on experience. Pachowicz notes that when he tells students about the opportunity to do projects with SpaceCom, “[they] jump at the chance and ask when they can work on it.”

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Senior national judo champ has aerospace aspirations

Tama Moni — Tue, 04 Oct 2022 19:58:16 +0000

Senior national judo champ has aerospace aspirations Tama Moni Tue, 10/04/2022 - 15:58

Reigning senior national judo champion and George Mason senior Yasmin Alamin is eager to launch her career in mechanical engineering in 2023. A career in engineering, Alamin says frankly, appeals to her for the potential to earn a good income. She adds she is lucky to enjoy working in her chosen field:

“To go through a fixed process like the design process, to create something out of an abstract idea that's realistic, that you can use to solve a problem.” She says, “Seeing that kind of magic development...is really, really cool.”

Alamin credits her work in judo for instilling humility and resilience in her work as an engineering student. She says a common misconception held about judo is that the main objective is to compete.

“The philosophy around judo is to make you a better citizen or make you a better human being.” She says, “The best part of judo is the better person that it's made me, to be more humble, to be a better teacher, and to be more confident.” She jokes, “I didn't think I had an ego before, but [there’s] nothing like getting thrown a lot to make you more humble.”

She adds judo has helped her build resilience. She explains, "Having to repetitively get up and keep working on things, having that head-to-head type of competition against sometimes-scary people, has helped me build a special resilience that has helped [me] in mechanical engineering [to] deal with some of the pressure and some of the stress and some of the presentations and the critiques from the professors on designs.”

Associate professor of mechanical engineering Colin Reagle writes of Alamin, “Yasmin was a joy to have in the classroom...Her process and approach to learning is equally impressive. She was prepared for every opportunity and equally reflective after the class ended or the assignment [was] submitted. Her ‘won’t quit’ attitude is going to take her far in life after she leaves Mason.”

Ultimately, Alamin aspires to own her own aerospace company.

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Retro Mason: Ansari in Space 2006

Colleen Rich — Fri, 30 Sep 2022 20:41:48 +0000

Retro Mason: Ansari in Space 2006 Colleen Rich Fri, 09/30/2022 - 16:41

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In 2006, ��AV alum Anousheh Ansari, BS Computer and Electrical Engineering ’88, captured headlines around the world when she embarked upon an 11-day space expedition to the International Space Station, accomplishing her childhood dream of flying to space. As a result of her mission, she became the first female private space explorer, first astronaut of Iranian descent, first Muslim woman in space, and fourth private explorer to visit space.

She shared her experiences on campus during National Engineers Week 2007 and was Mason’s Winter Graduation speaker in 2012, where she was awarded an honorary doctorate.

Ansari is currently the CEO of the XPRIZE Foundation, the world’s leader in designing and operating large incentive competitions to solve humanity’s grand challenges. Ansari and her family sponsored the organization’s first competition, the Ansari XPRIZE, a $10 million competition that ignited a new era for commercial spaceflight. Since then, she has served on XPRIZE’s Board of Directors.

Ansari received her honorary Doctor of Science at Winter Graduation in 2012 from then Mason president Ángel Cabrera. Photo by Craig Bisacre/Creative Services

Prior to being named CEO of XPRIZE, Ansari cofounded and served as the CEO of Prodea Systems, a leading Internet of Things (IoT) technology firm.

Ansari serves on the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council and has received numerous honors, including the WEF Young Global Leader, Ellis Island Medal of Honor, and STEM Leadership Hall of Fame, among others. She is a UNESCO Good Will Ambassador and serves on the board of Jabil and Peace First, as well as several other not-for-profit organizations focused on STEM education, youth empowerment and social entrepreneurship.

She published a memoir, “My Dream of Stars,” to share her life story as inspiration for young women around the world.

Photo courtesy of Ansari

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Mason hosts workshop for researchers addressing global warming from aircraft clouds

Tama Moni — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 20:13:49 +0000

Mason hosts workshop for researchers addressing global warming from aircraft clouds Tama Moni Fri, 09/23/2022 - 16:13

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Lance Sherry

John Shortle

More than 220 researchers from three continents participated in a virtual workshop hosted by ��AV and NASA Langley Research Center on Wednesday September 7, 2022.

The workshop was the first time that airlines, air traffic controllers, climate scientists, aircraft and jet engine engineers, and policymakers gathered to share the science and understand the practical operational constraints for contrail mitigation. ��AV was the natural host of the meeting given its previous work and its reputation in the field.

The workshop aimed to foster information exchange and discuss opportunities to address the global warming from clouds generated by aircraft. Lance Sherry, associate professor of system engineering, leads an inter-disciplinary team of researchers and students at George Mason who conduct pioneering research in this area.

“Contrails are the thin white clouds you see trailing behind aircraft,” explains Mason PhD student Amy Tal Rose. “Water and soot emitted from jet engines form ice crystals at high altitudes that lead to the formation of high clouds. These ice-clouds are like a blanket that traps ‘thermal radiation’ emitted by the Earth and leads to global heating.”

“The thing that surprised me most about the global heating effect of contrails,” says Brian Romero Lopez a system engineering student working on the research team, “is that contrails account for two percent of the total human made global heating. Green-house gases account for 98 percent of global warming, and contrails make up the remaining two percent. No one talks about this.”

“Mitigating the effects of contrails is considered a Wicked Problem,” explained co-host of the workshop, Chief Technologist for Future Airspace Operations at NASA Andy Lacher. “There are multiple stakeholders with complex interactions that require delicate tradeoffs. The science and practical operational constraints must be fully understood before any mitigation steps can be taken.”

“The time to act is now!” said Ulrich Schumann, from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the German Aerospace Center at the workshop. A sentiment echoed by other participants in attendance.

“Wicked Problems are the bailiwick of System Engineering,” adds System Engineering Department Chair John Shortle. “The complex climate related opportunities cannot be solved by politicians or economists alone. It requires system engineers to fully understand the science and the needs of all the stakeholders involved. Sherry and the team have been applying the latest sophisticated System Engineering methods and techniques to these climate opportunities.”

Sherry and Lacher are optimistic that the workshop will be the first of a series of workshops that will lead to a roadmap of evidence-based activities to take this opportunity to contribute to reduce global warming.

“The time to act is now!” said Ulrich Schumann, from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the German Aerospace Center at the workshop. A sentiment echoed by others who attended the conference.

For more information on System Engineering and climate adaptation research contact John Shortle, chair of the Systems Engineering & Operations Research Department.

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First-ever Mason satellite begins its mission

Martha Bushong — Wed, 10 Feb 2021 15:09:50 +0000

First-ever Mason satellite begins its mission Martha Bushong Wed, 02/10/2021 - 10:09

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Join the Launch Party

��AV’s first satellite "ASTERIA," part of Mason Engineering’s ThinSat program, successfully passed environmental testing at the Northrop Grumman facility on Wallops Island and was integrated into a deployer. ASTERIA is now ready for launch.

The satellite will be launched on Saturday, February 20 at 12:36 p.m. from NASA’s facility on Wallops Island. Hitching a ride on the Northrop Grumman Antares rocket that is on its way to the International Space Station, the ThinSats will be released from the second stage at around 200 miles altitude. For approximately six days, the ThinSats will orbit Earth before they burn in the atmosphere.

“We have two experiments aboard a single ThinSat as part of mission NG-15,” says Piotr Pachowicz, associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. “The first experiment will compare two methods for shielding batteries against freezing temperatures in space. The second experiment will compare the efficiency of two power architectures when influenced by satellite spin.”

ASTERIA was a senior design project involving 14 undergraduate students from the Departments of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Systems Engineering.

Computer engineering student Jay Deorukhkar worked on several issues that had to be resolved or modified, as well as on system testing. “It was a challenge to ensure all experiments ran correctly and the data was accurate. However, the experience was rewarding,” says Deorukhkar.

Pachowicz has other aspirations for future engineering students. “The long-term goal is to engage senior design students in designing their own satellite and their own path to space,” he says.

The ThinSats will travel aboard an Antares rocket like this when they lift-off on February 20.

The NG-15 ThinSat Virtual Launch Party, organized by Virginia Space, will be held on February 20 at 11 a.m. The virtual event will include presentations from program representatives, a live stream of the launch, and space data dashboard live data monitoring after deployment of ThinSats.

First Mason student wins prestigious commercial spaceflight fellowship

Anonymous — Mon, 08 Feb 2021 14:47:06 +0000

First Mason student wins prestigious commercial spaceflight fellowship Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 02/08/2021 - 09:47

Learn about Mechanical Engineering at Mason

“I am incredibly honored to be the first Mason student in the Matthew Isakowitz program,” says Boakye. “I have dreamed of becoming a rocket engineer since I was 10.”

Photo credit:

Ron Aria / ��AV

The Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship is an internship, mentorship, and networking opportunity awarded to exceptional college juniors, seniors, and graduate students pursuing careers in the commercial spaceflight industry.

Many people dream of being an astronaut and rocketing into outer space, but senior Sidney Boakye just landed an opportunity that launches him closer to that long-standing dream.

Boakye, a mechanical engineering major, is the first ��AV student to be awarded the Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship, a highly selective internship, mentorship, and networking program for students interested in spaceflight.

“I am incredibly honored to be the first Mason student in the Matthew Isakowitz program,” says Boakye. “I have dreamed of becoming a rocket engineer since I was 10.”

Former recipients of the fellowship have hailed from schools across the country such as Columbia University, MIT, Princeton University, Georgia Tech, and more. “The list of former fellows is impressive, and I’m excited to be a part of the 2021 group of fellows,” says Boakye. Once selected, fellows receive a paid summer internship at one of the program’s host companies. They are also paired with a notable commercial space industry leader who provides mentorship.

Explore Space Courses at Mason

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What drew Boakye to this fellowship was how the program embeds recipients within the commercial space industry by providing mentors, internships, and networking opportunities. “I know I will learn a lot from this experience,” he says. “This is a unique opportunity to learn a lot and apply your knowledge. At the end of the summer, there is also a big networking event where we get to meet other fellows and commercial spaceflight professionals, so I will also get to meet like-minded people."

Boakye has dreamed of being an astronaut since he was 3 years old, and when he came to Mason, he knew he wanted to pursue mechanical engineering. Since freshman year, he has immersed himself in Mason Nation through student organizations and community involvement.

“I am graduating in three years instead of the traditional four years, but it was important for me to plan in time to get involved in clubs,” he says. In addition to being a community assistant for Mason Housing, he has served on five different executive boards across organizations like Mason’s collegiate chapters of the American Society for Mechanical Engineers, National Society of Black Engineers, and for Engineers for International Development, and SatCom GMU.

As a project lead for SatCom GMU, Boakye channeled his fascination with space into devising and building a CubeSat. “Large satellites have a lot of functions, but CubeSats are much smaller and have more limited capabilities,” says Boakye. “We got to design and build one that actually hitched a ride into space on NASA’s NG014 in October 2020.”

Boakye hopes that through the Matthew Isakowitz fellowship, he can gain more experiences like this, and he urges all students to seek out opportunities on and off the Mason campus. “I hope that I’m not the only Mason student to receive this amazing fellowship, but there are plenty of opportunities like this out there to go for,” he says. “And if you dig a little at Mason, you can find clubs and opportunities that can also give you experience in what you enjoy and expose you to new things.”

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NASA’s Cauffman to give keynote address for Engineers Week at Mason

John Hollis — Thu, 15 Feb 2018 10:30:00 +0000

NASA’s Cauffman to give keynote address for Engineers Week at Mason John Hollis Thu, 02/15/2018 - 05:30

Sandra Cauffman is the deputy director of the Earth Science Division in NASA's Science Mission Directorate.

��AV alumna Sandra Cauffman returns to campus Thursday, Feb. 22, as the keynote speaker for the Volgenau School of Engineering’s Engineers Week.

Cauffman, BS Electrical Engineering ’88, BS Physics ’88, MS Electrical Engineering ’95, serves as the deputy director of the Earth Science Division in NASA’s Science Mission Directorate.

She provides critical executive leadership, strategic direction and overall management of the space agency’s entire Earth Science $2 billion portfolio, while keeping a watchful eye on the 16 satellites her division currently has in orbit.

Cauffman is overseeing 16 new additional space missions planned for launch between 2018 and 2022. Four of them will launch this year.

The Costa Rica native recently spoke with Mason Communications Officer John Hollis about five things she took with her from Mason that helped prepare her for the job she has today.

Mason was where I learned to speak good English: When I first came to Mason, I had already been in college for three and a half years in Costa Rica. I had taken three years of English in high school, but I hadn’t taken any during college. George Mason had a great English Language Institute, where you could really immerse yourself in English. That was the first time that I had done that and Mason’s large international student population really helped make me feel at ease while doing it. I got to meet people from all over the world and learn English with them. It was really nice.

Everything we did at Mason was very hands-on: The degree I received in electrical engineering was very hands-on. It wasn’t just learning about things in the classroom. We were able to get into the lab and learn by building things from scratch. That was invaluable in allowing me to feel very comfortable in any lab environment.

I met my husband at Mason: I met my husband, Stephen Cauffman, while we were both students at Mason. We both graduated from the physics program. We started dating on Oct. 19, 1987, and we got married 11 months later in September 1988. We’ll be celebrating our 30th anniversary this fall.

I grew as a person because of Mason’s diversity: When I was growing up in Costa Rica, the diversity was not great. I met mostly Americans and folks from other Central American countries. It was amazing arriving at Mason and meeting so many people from all over the world. I met people from England, I met people from Egypt and from all over. I actually dated a Korean guy. You get to see that diversity at Mason, and you see that we all want the same thing. We all want the best for our kids, the best for ourselves. It was very eye-opening.

I learned from some of the best teachers: All of our professors in the engineering school were extremely good and very, very knowledgeable. There were world-class professors in engineering. They had come to Mason from some of the biggest name universities out there, such as Harvard and MIT. We learned from the best.

Cauffman will be speaking at George’s in the Johnson Center from 2:30-3:30 p.m. Feb. 22. A reception will follow.

NASA grants to fund research of airline accident prevention technology

Melanie Balog — Thu, 30 Mar 2017 09:30:24 +0000

NASA grants to fund research of airline accident prevention technology Melanie Balog Thu, 03/30/2017 - 05:30

Photo courtesy of iStock images

The Center for Air Transportation Systems Research in the Volgenau School of Engineering was recently awarded two grants from NASA to study modern airline accidents and prevention strategies.

The grants have led to the research and creation of a technology that would advise pilots of potential accident situations. Leading this project is Lance Sherry, director of Volgenau’s Center for Air Transportation Systems Research, along with John Shortle, professor of systems engineering and operations research. Collaborators from the University of Oregon and University of Iowa are also assisting.

A subset of airline accidents, according to Sherry, is the result of “controlled flight” into terrain or into a stall. These accidents are not actually caused by a malfunctioning part or pilot error, he said, but come from an interaction between the components of flight automation that is indiscernible by the pilot.

“Technology has facilitated the development of increasingly complex automation,” Sherry said. “There are no natural checks that limit this complexity when complex components interact with other complex components.”

A typical airliner has more than 100 sensors that send data to approximately 36 computers on the aircraft. Those computers then communicate with each other to make decisions about how a plane should respond. However, in rare circumstances, small differences between sensor data can be misinterpreted. An error like this would force the automation to make a logical decision about which sensor is correct and could lead to an inappropriate action taken by the aircraft.

Lance Sherry, associate professor in the Systems Engineering and Operations Research Department and director for the Center for Air Transportation Systems. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services.

One example of this, according to Sherry, is that the automation could be commanding a plane to decelerate to its required landing speed in preparation for a landing, which a pilot would find normal. However, a long chain of logical decisions made the by the automation based on a discrepancy between sensors may lead to deceleration way past the landing the speed until the plane stalls.

So, how can Sherry and his team prevent these types of accidents from happening?

They started by studying pilot behavior in flight and noticed that the senior captain will often provide experience-based advice to the first officer when passing off the controls. They started to wonder if a type of technology could provide the same type of guidance in potential accident scenarios.

Now coined the “Paranoid Associate,” the technology uses machine-learning algorithms to process massive amounts of flight and weather data collected by Sherry and his team about anomalies that occur during flights across the country. These data are then used to create tips or advisories for pilots to prevent them from encountering potential accident scenarios.

“Our objective is to be a constructive backseat driver,” Sherry said. “A human pilot may only accrue experience from 300 flights a year, but the machine learning algorithm can accrue knowledge from every flight flown by every pilot.”

The technology is still in its developing stages. Sherry said that technical issues, like avoiding nuisance alerts and how to best communicate the advisories to the pilot, still need to be solved. One student working on the project is currently experimenting with a Fitbit as a way of notifying the pilot.

In addition, Sherry and the team are applying these ideas to autonomous vehicles.

The project is expected to last three years and Sherry is optimistic about the benefits that it can potentially have on all automated vehicles, like ships and cars.

“This is more than research where you write a paper and put it on a shelf,” Sherry said. “This type of technology is eventually going to find its way into consumer products.”

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NASA grants to fund research of airline accident prevention technology