Overview
Sponsored by the National Science Foundation (Grant #: 2332161), the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering and the Operations Research & Advanced Analytics (ORAA) Group from American Airlines (AA) jointly host the second aviation big data competition. The inaugural competition took place in 2024, and the second competition is scheduled for Spring 2025. This competition provides full-time engineering & science students with a unique opportunity to apply their data science knowledge to analyze large-scale aviation datasets.
The problem statement is jointly crafted by engineering faculty and AA representatives, while AA contributes the datasets in their entirety. To safeguard the integrity of the competition and protect AA's proprietary data, students must sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) before accessing the data.
This competition has two rounds. At the end of spring, each team presents their solution to a panel of judges from academia and AA. After the college-level competition (i.e., Preliminary Round) is concluded, the top three winning teams will be invited to a full-day special event (i.e., Final Round) hosted at the AA headquarters, Skyview 8, in Fort Worth, TX, during which students can present their research, participate in mini hackathons, interact with ORAA professionals, and explore career opportunities in aviation. ORAA will also encourage students to participate in actual project meetings, thus providing an unparalleled shadowing experience. The visiting team members will also be considered for paid internship positions at ORAA if students are interested. The competition is concluded with a closing ceremony in Fort Worth, TX.
With mentorship from industry professionals, this competition not only enhances academic learning but also fosters a practical understanding of how data science can improve airline operations. Join us in this exciting event that bridges academic research and industry practice!
For more information about the 2024 competition, click here.
Key Dates
Registration (online): Ends on February 16, 2025
Data and detailed problem statement posted: February 18, 2025
Question & Answer (online): March 7 , 2025
First Round of Competition (in person): April 25, 2025
Second Round of Competition (in person): May 24 2025
Closing Ceremony (in person): May 24 2025
Problem Statement
The 2025 competition topic is posted here. Details will be added when the registration is closed.
Eligibility
To be eligible for the competition, every student must meet at least one of the following criteria:
Be a full-time undergraduate or graduate student in the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering.
Have enrolled in or currently taking one of the two courses: EGN 5444 Big Data Analytics in Engineering and ESI 5685 Introduction to Machine Learning.
Team Requirements
Each team can consist of at least two and at most four students.
Teams with at least one undergraduate student will get extra credit.
A student cannot participate in two teams.
The competition organizers can facilitate teaming if needed. Please contact Dr. Sun y.sun@eng.famu.fsu.edu for help.
Data Access
To safeguard the integrity of the competition and protect American Airline's proprietary data, students must sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) before accessing proprietary data. Data access will be provided to each team lead after registration.
Competition Organizers
FAMU-FSU
Yanshuo Sun, Ph.D. - Associate Professor of Industrial Engineering
Hui Wang, Ph.D. - Associate Professor of Industrial Engineering
Arda Vanli, Ph.D. - Professor of Industrial Engineering
JohnPaul Adimonyemma - Ph.D. Candidate Industrial Engineering
Operations Research & Advanced Analytics Group at American Airlines
Jose Ramirez-Hernandez, Ph.D. - Senior Lead Operations Research Consultant at American Airlines
Patrice Yapo, Ph.D. - Principal Operations Research Consultant at American Airlines
Irandokht Parviziomran, Ph.D. - Operations Research Consultant at American Airlines
John Fontecha Garcia, Ph.D. - Sr. Operations Research Consultant at American Airlines
Samuel Rodriguez Gonzalez, Ph.D. – Operations Research Consultant at American Airlines
Sepide Lotfi, Ph.D. – Lead Operations Research Consultant at American Airlines
To learn more information about the 2024 competition, click here.