Design the Future of UC Air Mobility

The 2023 CITRIS Aviation Prize returns once again! This time the prize is looking to bring together students, researchers, and professionals at the four CITRIS campuses at UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Merced, and UC Santa Cruz to create a design for on-campus air mobility infrastructure with the potential of serving as a first step for campus-to-campus transportation for the University of California in the near future.

The competition aims to conceptualize an air mobility system for your campus that can transport goods and individuals three times faster than ground transportation as well as integrate with existing structures. It should serve as a transition hub for people to easily access ground-based modes like shuttles, bikes, and pedestrian pathways. It will also connect with other campuses, ensuring minimal environmental impact and sustainability, including integrating renewable energy and mitigating environmental effects. The system, comprising operational infrastructure, vehicle technology selection, and single-vehicle planning and scheduling software, should be deployable within five years—subject to regulatory approval—and scalable to meet increasing inter-campus flight demands.

In order to be eligible to enter, teams are required and must include between two and seven students, a minimum of one undergraduate student, no more than two graduate students, and one postdoctoral or faculty mentor. At the end of the competition, a participating team will be awarded a $3,000 prize by Joby Aviation for Best Overall Design. This competition has two phases and Phase 1: Design Proposal is due Nov. 17. For more information and details visit: https://citris-uc.org/research/aviation/aviation-prize/