IRES Track 1: International Research Experiences for Students in AI-Enabled Decision Analytics for Advancing Air Taxi and Drone Operations

交通拥堵不仅会导致事故、压力和车辆运营成本，而且还是气候变化、空气污染、经济产出、就业和不同行业企业收入损失的主要原因。为了实现低成本、可持续和更快的交通选择，几家公司正在探索地面交通以外的领域，并利用先进的空中交通(AAM)技术利用航空业。因此，有必要对学生进行空管设计和操作方面的培训，以便为未来有效处理下一代交通系统的科学劳动力做好准备。AAM服务不仅在美国越来越受欢迎，在世界各地也越来越受欢迎。具体地说，由于印度是世界上人口第二多的国家，印度正在进行广泛的最先进的研究，以利用新兴技术缓解交通拥堵。因此，这项提议的目标是与美国和印度合作开发一个IRES网站，为美国本科生(特别是URM、女性和第一代学生)提供关于开发和应用人工智能分析方法(例如，机器学习、优化、模拟)到AAM操作的跨文化培训。IRES参与者获得的国际研究和行业经验将提高他们的专业发展、多学科沟通技能，以及根据他们与公司研发团队的互动来概念化研究问题的能力。这个IRES项目将激发美国学生对变革性的尖端研究项目的研究兴趣，例如(I)使用无人监督的机器学习方法在城市地区建立空中出租车和无人机枢纽，(Ii)使用基于模拟的优化模型将AAM车辆分配给客户，(Iii)用于最后一英里配送操作的环保混合卡车-无人机-机器人技术。本提案中讨论的项目将为下一代交通和物流运营开发数字三维空域技术。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Traffic congestion not only leads to accidents, stress, and vehicle operating cost but is also a major cause of climate change, air pollution, a loss in economic output, jobs, and revenues for businesses across different sectors. In an attempt to achieve a cost-efficient, sustainable and faster transportation alternative, several companies are in the process of exploring beyond ground transportation and leveraging the aviation industry using advanced air mobility (AAM) technologies. Therefore, it is necessary to train students in AAM design and operations in order to prepare the future scientific workforce for effectively handling next-generation transportation systems. AAM services are not only gaining popularity in the US but also worldwide. Specifically, since India is the second most populous country in the world, extensive state-of-the-art research is being conducted in India to alleviate traffic congestion using emerging technologies. Hence, the goal of this proposal is to develop an IRES site with US-India partnership to provide U.S. undergraduate students (particularly URM, women, and first-generation students) with cross-cultural training on the development and application of AI-enabled analytic methods (e.g., machine learning, optimization, simulation) to AAM operations. The international research as well as industry exposure acquired by the IRES participants will enhance their professional development, multidisciplinary communication skills, and ability to conceptualize research questions based on their interaction with a company’s R&D team.This IRES program will instigate U.S. students’ research interest in transformative, state-of-the-art research projects, such as (i) establishing air taxi and drone hubs in urban areas using unsupervised machine learning methods, (ii) allocation of AAM vehicles to customers using simulation-based optimization models, (iii) environmentally aware hybrid truck-drone-robot technology for last-mile delivery operations. The projects discussed in this proposal will enable the development of digital three-dimensional airspace technologies for next-generation transportation and logistics operations.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.