[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 66 (Monday, April 7, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19167-19169]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-07699]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Office of the Secretary of Transportation


 Requirements for the Secretary of Transportations Recognizing 
Aviation and Aerospace Innovation in Science and Engineering Awards

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary of Transportation, Department of 
Transportation.

ACTION: Notice of the announcement of Requirements for the Secretary of 
Transportation's RAISE (Recognizing Aviation and Aerospace Innovation 
in Science and Engineering) Awards.

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    Authority:  15 U.S.C. 3719 (America COMPETES Act).
    Award Approving Official: Anthony Foxx, Secretary of 
Transportation.

SUMMARY: Pursuant to a recommendation by the Future of Aviation 
Advisory Committee, the Secretary of Transportation is announcing the 
third-annual competition to recognize students with the ability to 
demonstrate unique, innovative thinking in aerospace science and 
engineering. In its third year, the Secretary has decided to create two 
divisions within the award: A high school division and a university 
division (both undergraduate and graduate). The Secretary of 
Transportation intends to use the awards to incentivize students at 
high schools and universities to think creatively in developing 
innovative solutions to aviation and aerospace issues, and to share 
those innovations with the broader community.

DATES: Effective on April 01, 2014 to October 31, 2014.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patricia Watts, Ph.D., Federal 
Aviation Administration, (609) 485-5043, [email protected], or 
James Brough, Federal Aviation Administration, (781) 238-7027, 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

[[Page 19168]]

    Subject of Challenge Competition: The Secretary's RAISE 
(Recognizing Aviation & Aerospace Innovation in Science and 
Engineering) Award will recognize innovative scientific and engineering 
achievements that will have a significant impact on the future of 
aerospace or aviation. Following an open solicitation by the United 
States Department of Transportation (``the Department''), the Secretary 
of Transportation (``the Secretary'') will designate an Award Review 
Board Chair, who will submit nominations to the Secretary for final 
consideration. The rules for this competition will be available at 
http://www.challenge.gov.
    Eligibility:
    To be eligible to participate in the Secretary's RAISE Award 
competition, students must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. For 
the high school division, the students must have been enrolled in at 
least one semester (or quarterly equivalent) at a U.S. high school (or 
equivalent approved home school program) in 2014. For the University 
division, the student must have been enrolled in a U.S.-based college 
or university for at least one semester (or quarterly equivalent) in 
2014. Students may participate and be recognized as individuals or in 
teams. Each member of a team must meet the eligibility criteria. An 
individual may join more than one team. There is no charge to enter the 
competition.
    The following additional rules apply:
    1. Candidates shall submit a project in the competition under the 
rules promulgated by the Department;
    2. Candidates shall agree to execute indemnifications and waivers 
of claims against the Federal government as provided in this Notice;
    3. Candidates may not be a Federal entity or Federal employee 
acting within the scope of employment;
    4. Candidates may not be an employee of the Department, including 
but not limited to the Federal Aviation Administration, or the Research 
and Innovative Technology Administration;
    5. Candidates shall not be deemed ineligible because an individual 
used Federal facilities or consulted with Federal employees during a 
competition, if the facilities and employees are made available to all 
individuals participating in the competition on an equitable basis;
    6. The competition is subject to all applicable Federal laws and 
regulations. Participation constitutes the Candidates' full and 
unconditional agreement to these rules and to the Secretary's 
decisions, which are final and binding in all matters related to this 
competition;
    7. Submissions which in the Secretary's sole discretion are 
determined to be substantially similar to a prior submitted entry may 
be disqualified;
    8. Submissions must be original, be the work of the Candidates, and 
must not violate the rights of other parties. All submissions remain 
the property of the applicants. Each Candidate represents and warrants 
that he, she, or the team, is the sole author and owner of the 
submission, that the submission is wholly original, that it does not 
infringe any copyright or any other rights of any third party of which 
the Candidate is aware, and, if submitted in electronic form, is free 
of malware;
    9. By submitting an entry in this contest, contestants and entrants 
agree to assume any and all risks and waive any claims against the 
Federal Government and its related entities (except in the case of 
willful misconduct) for any injury, death, damage, or loss of property, 
revenue or profits, whether direct, indirect, or consequential, arising 
from their participation in this contest, whether the injury, death, 
damage, or loss arises through negligence of otherwise. Provided, 
however, that by registering or submitting an entry, contestants and 
entrants do not waive claims against the Department arising out of the 
unauthorized use or disclosure by the agency of the intellectual 
property, trade secrets, or confidential information of the entrant;
    10. The Secretary and the Secretary's designees have the right to 
request access to supporting materials from the Candidates;
    11. The submissions cannot have been submitted in the same or 
substantially similar form in any previous Federally-sponsored 
promotion or Federally-sponsored contest, of any kind;
    12. Each Candidate grants to the Department, as well as other 
Federal agencies with which it partners, the right to use names, 
likeness, application materials, photographs, voices, opinions, and/or 
hometown and state for the Department's promotional purposes in any 
media, in perpetuity, worldwide, without further payment or 
consideration; and
    13. The Secretary collects personal information from Candidates 
when they enter this competition. The information collected is subject 
to the ChallengePost privacy policy located at http://www.challengepost.com/privacy.
    Expression of Interest:
    While not required, students are strongly encouraged to send brief 
expressions of interest to the Department to be considered for an 
award. The expressions of interest should be sent by June 1, 2014 to 
the contact shown below and should include the following elements: (1) 
Name of Candidate(s); (2) Name of educational institution(s) with which 
Candidate(s) are affiliated; (2) Telephone and email addresses for 
Candidate(s); (3) brief high-level overview of the proposed project.
    Submission Requirements:
    Final submission packages shall consist of the following elements:
    1. Nomination letter from at least one teacher, advisor, faculty 
member, and others as appropriate. The nomination letter(s) must 
communicate accomplishments in the following areas:
a. Technical Merit of the Concept
    Evidence of technical merit based upon teacher (parent or legal 
guardian in the case of home schooled applicants), advisor, or faculty 
nomination and evaluation of the submitted proposal, written paper, 
and/or reports.
b. Professionalism and Leadership
    Evidence of professionalism and leadership may be in the form of, 
but not limited to:
    (1) Membership and offices held in various groups
    (2) Presentations made to various groups, meetings, and at symposia
    (3) Leadership in student professional activities
    (4) Community outreach activities
    2. An overall summary of the innovation, not to exceed one page, 
which includes a title of the project and statement of the impact that 
the innovation will have on the field of aviation or aerospace;
    3. A copy of the student's academic transcript or certified grade 
report (as applicable);
    4. A copy of the paper(s) and related materials describing the 
innovative concept written by the student(s) being nominated (no page 
limit).
    Once submissions have been received, the Department may request 
additional information, including supporting documentation, more 
detailed contact information, releases of liability, and statements of 
authenticity to guarantee the originality of the work. Failure to 
respond in a timely fashion may result in disqualification.
    All materials should be forwarded with a cover letter to the 
attention of: Patricia Watts, Ph.D., Centers of Excellence Program 
Director, Federal Aviation Administration, L-28, FAA William J. Hughes 
Technical Center, Atlantic City International Airport, NJ 08405.

[[Page 19169]]

    Hardcopy is preferred; however, the package also may be transmitted 
by email to [email protected]. The submission period begins on May 
1, 2014. Submissions must be sent by 11:59 p.m. Pacific daylight time 
on October 31, 2014. The timeliness of submissions will be determined 
by the postmark (if sent in hard copy) or time stamp of the recipient 
(if emailed). Award administrators assume no responsibility for lost or 
untimely submissions for any reason.
    Award:
    The winner will be announced by the end of 2014. A trophy with the 
winner's name and date of award will be displayed at the Department of 
Transportation and a display copy of the trophy will be sent to the 
winner's school/college/university. An additional plaque or trophy will 
be awarded to the individual or team. At the option of the Secretary, 
the Department will pay for invitational travel expenses to Washington, 
DC for up to four representatives of the winning teams to present their 
project to Department officials and receive the award from the 
Secretary.
    Basis Upon Which the Winners Will Be Selected:
    All submissions will be initially reviewed by the FAA Centers for 
Excellence Program Director upon receipt to determine if the 
submissions meet the eligibility requirements. Registration packages 
meeting the eligibility requirements will be judged by advisory panels 
consisting of academic experts, government officials including FAA, the 
Department, and representatives of the private sector. The advisory 
panels will select the most highly qualified submissions and present 
them to the Secretary of the Department, who will select the winning 
entrant.
    Submissions will be judged against other submissions from the same 
division on the following criteria:
    Technical Merit:
     Has the submission presented a clear understanding of the 
associated problems?
     Has the submission developed a logical and workable 
solution and approach to solving the problem/s?
     What are the most significant aspects of this concept?
     Has the submission clearly described the breadth of impact 
of the innovation?
    Originality:
     Is this concept new or a variation of an existing idea, 
and in what way(s)?
     How is this work unique?
     Was the concept developed independently or in cooperation 
with others?
    Impact:
     To what extent will this project make a significant impact 
and/or contribution to the future of the aviation and aerospace 
environment?
    Practicality:
     Who directly benefits from this work?
     Can this program or activity be implemented in a practical 
fashion?
     What are the costs anticipated to be incurred and saved by 
executing this concept?
    Measurability:
     How has this individual/group measured the impact on the 
aviation environment?
     To what extent does the innovation result in measurable 
improvements?
    Applicability:
     Can this effort be scaled?
     Is this work specific to one region, various regions, or 
to the entire nation?
    All factors are important and will be given consideration, but the 
advisory panels will give the ``technical merit'' factor the most 
weight in the screening process. The Secretary retains sole discretion 
to select the winning entrant.
    Additional Information:
    Federal grantees may not use Federal funds to develop COMPETES Act 
challenge applications.
    Federal contractors may not use Federal funds from a contract to 
develop COMPETES Act challenge applications or to fund efforts in 
support of a COMPETES Act challenge submission.

    Issued On: April 1, 2014.
Susan L. Kurland,
Assistant Secretary of Aviation and International Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2014-07699 Filed 4-4-14; 8:45 am]
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