[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 250 (Tuesday, December 31, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72433-72434]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-28187]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Office of the Secretary


Announcement of Requirements; RAISE (Recognizing Aviation and 
Aerospace Innovation in Science and Engineering) Awards

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

ACTION: Notice of the announcement of requirements for the 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: Elaine L. Chao, Secretary of 
Transportation.
SUMMARY: Pursuant to a recommendation by the Future of Aviation 
Advisory Committee, the Secretary of Transportation, through the 
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), is announcing the sixth annual 
competition to recognize students with the ability to demonstrate 
unique and innovative thinking in aerospace science and engineering. 
This competition includes a high school division and both a graduate 
and undergraduate university division. The Department of Transportation 
(DOT) intends to use this competition to incentivize students at high 
schools and universities to think creatively in developing innovative 
solutions to aviation and aerospace challenges, and to share their 
innovations with the broader community.

DATES: Submissions accepted through noon eastern time (ET) on 
Wednesday, April 8, 2020. Expression of interest in participating in 
the competition should be submitted to the FAA by noon ET on Friday, 
February 14.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
 Patricia Watts, Ph.D., Federal Aviation Administration, 
[email protected]
     James Brough, Federal Aviation Administration, 
[email protected]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Subject of Competition: The Secretary's 
RAISE Award competition will recognize innovative scientific and 
engineering achievements that will have a significant impact on the 
future of aerospace or aviation. On behalf of the Secretary, the 
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will accept student submissions 
and will invite subject-matter-experts to conduct an evaluation of all 
qualifying entries.
    Eligibility: To be eligible to participate in the Secretary's RAISE 
Award competition, students must be citizens of the United States 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 
2019. 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) during 2019. 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 of Transportation (DOT);
    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 DOT, including but not 
limited to the FAA;
    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, must 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 s/he, 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, 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;
    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 FAA, the DOT, 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 FAA Administrator collects personal information from 
Candidates when they enter this competition. The information collected 
is subject to the Challenge Post privacy policy located at http://www.challengepost.com/privacy.
    Expression of Interest: Due by Friday, February 14, 2020.
    Students are strongly encouraged to send brief expressions of 
interest to the FAA prior to submitting entries. The expressions of 
interest should be received by noon ET on Friday,

[[Page 72434]]

February 14. Send the following information to [email protected]:
    (1) Names of sponsoring faculty and candidates;
    (2) name of educational institutions with which candidates are 
affiliated;
    (3) telephone and email addresses for nominating official and each 
candidate;
    (4) a title and synopsis of the concept, limited to no more than 
two pages, providing a high-level overview of the proposed project and 
impact of the related research.
    (5) a completed entry form and photo of students entering the 
competition will be required of finalists.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS:

    Complete submission packages are due by noon ET on Wednesday, April 
8 and shall consist of the following elements:
    1. Letter(s)
    a. Cover Letter--Attach a formal nomination from a teacher, 
advisor, faculty member, or other as appropriate. Provide evidence of 
technical merit and the following selection criteria based upon teacher 
(parent or legal guardian in the case of home schooled applicants).
    Include assessment of the submitted proposal describing the 
conducted research, written paper(s), results, and/or reports as well 
as professionalism and leadership qualities of the student(s) 
participating.
    b. Additional Supporting Letters--no limit.
    i. Technical Merit of the Concept--and additional selection 
criteria
    ii. Professionalism and Leadership
    Evidence of the professionalism and leadership should be in the 
form of, but not limited to:

(a) Membership and offices held in various groups
(b) Presentations made to various groups, meetings, and at symposia
(c) Leadership in student professional activities
(d) Community outreach activities

    2. Summary Statement--An overall summary of the innovation, not to 
exceed one page. Include the title of the project, a one paragraph 
synopsis, and a statement of the potential innovative impact the 
concept will have on the field of aviation or aerospace;
    3. Project Description--A full description of the project, not to 
exceed 10 pages.
    4. Transcript--A copy of each student's academic transcript or 
certified grade report (as applicable);
    5. Additional Materials--No limit. Photographs and a copy of the 
paper(s) and related materials describing the innovative concept 
written by the student(s) being nominated may be included.
    The FAA 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 manner will result in 
disqualification.
    Electronic entries may be transmitted by email to 
[email protected]. The subject line should indicate Secretary's 
RAISE Entry--Title of Research Project. Hard copies should be forwarded 
to: Patricia Watts, Ph.D., ANG E2, Secretary's RAISE Entry, FAA William 
J. Hughes Technical Center, L-28, Atlantic City International Airport, 
NJ 08405.
    The timeliness of submissions will be determined by the postmark 
(if sent in hard copy) or time stamp if emailed. Competition 
administrators assume no responsibility for lost or untimely 
submissions for any reason.
    Award:
    The selectee is expected to be announced in 2020. A trophy with the 
student'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 
student's school/college/university. Each selected student will receive 
a plaque. At the option of the FAA Administrator, the FAA will pay for 
invitational travel expenses to Washington, DC for up to four 
representatives of the winning team(s) to attend an awards ceremony and 
for students who may also be invited to present their project(s) to FAA 
and DOT officials.

Selections Will Be Based Upon the Following

    The FAA will initially review entries to determine eligibility and 
will convene a panel of experts who may represent academia, government 
(officials including those within the FAA and the DOT), and 
representatives of the private sector. The panel members will judge the 
entries and rank order eligible submissions. The FAA Administrator will 
review the most highly qualified entries and will make recommendations 
to the Secretary of Transportation. The Secretary will make the final 
selection(s). The Department reserves the right to not award the prize 
in either or both the high school category or the university category 
if the selecting officials believe that no submission demonstrates 
sufficient innovative scientific and engineering potential and/or 
achievements in its category. Panel members will judge entries against 
other submissions from the same division or category based on the 
following selection 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?
    Additional Criteria:
 Originality
    [cir] Is this concept new or a variation of an existing idea, and 
in what way(s)?
    [cir] How is this work unique?
    [cir] Was the concept developed independently or in cooperation 
with others?
 Impact and Applicability
    [cir] Can this effort be scaled?
    [cir] Is this work specific to one region, various regions, or to 
the entire nation?
    [cir] To what extent does this project have the potential to make a 
significant impact and/or contribution to the future of the aviation 
and aerospace environment?
 Practicality and Measurability
    [cir] Who directly benefits from this work?
    [cir] Can this program or activity be implemented in a practical 
fashion?
    [cir] What are the costs anticipated to be incurred and saved by 
executing this concept?
    [cir] How has this individual/group measured the impact and 
improvements on the aviation environment?

    All factors are important and will be given consideration; however, 
the advisory panel will give the ``technical merit'' factor the most 
weight in the screening process. The Secretary of Transportation 
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: December 19, 2019.
Shelley Yak,
Director, William J. Hughes Technical Center.
[FR Doc. 2019-28187 Filed 12-30-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-9X-P