NASA has announced the notable winners of its Wildfire Climate Tech Challenge, granting three meritorious teams a $100,000 prize each for their forward-thinking ideas to combat the devastating impacts of wildfires exacerbated by climate change.
This initiative brought together the knowledge of Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), encompassing Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, and more, with NASA’s resources. Their goal was to advance Earth science and technological solutions to aid operational fire management entities. The challenge focused on developing composite solutions that utilize NASA’s Earth observation data to tackle the escalating issues related to wildfire and wildland fire risks.
An expert panel reviewed the submissions and determined three victors and three runners-up, all of whom displayed remarkable innovation, prowess in technology, and the capacity for significant real-world application.
Winners:
Team Howard U
• Team members: Lauren Taylor, Amy Quarkume, and Joseph Wilkins of Howard University
• Concept: The Fire Smart Health Guardian + Taylor, which fills critical voids in communicating wildfire risks and air quality monitoring by amalgamating NASA data. It enables communities to make smart decisions using Generative AI with Natural Language Processing technology, thereby mitigating risks and safeguarding health.
Team HorizonForce
• Team members: Jay Desai from University of North Carolina Pembroke and Elikem Des-Amekudi from North Carolina A&T State University
• Concept: A futuristic approach for Wildfire Detection, Monitoring, and Eradication using a combination of cost-effective Internet of Things sensors, NASA’s MODIS and VIIRS satellite data, complemented with high-capacity Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, designed to locate, monitor, and tackle nascent wildfires automatically.
Team FLARE
• Team members: Andrew Saah and Owen Sordillo from University of San Francisco
• Concept: The FLARE (Fuel Load Analysis and Risk Estimation) software enhances wildfire risk evaluation with sub-meter precision by incorporating Terrestrial Laser Scanning techniques along with traditional Earth observation tools.
Runners-up:
Team FIRESENCE
• Team members: Neftaly Lara, Jose Marquez, and Shuaiang Rong from University of Illinois, Chicago
• Concept: A Computer Vision-Based Situational Awareness tool exploiting low Earth orbit imagery alongside various video and image sources to support active and post-fire efforts across a range of engaged parties, like firefighters, energy corporations, U.S. Forest Service, and more.
Team Sireen
• Team members: Vania Arrendondo, Thi Thuy, and Ishel Zain from Florida International University
• Concept: Smart Forests initiative deploying an assemblage of sensors, drones, and advanced processing for heightened forest surveillance, effectively aggregating extensive environmental data for immediate threat alerts and rapid responses.
Team Project FireWatch
• Team members: Riannon Reagan, Sofia Silva, and Huston Scharnagl from San Jose State University
• Concept: Their Wildfire Drone and Fire Trajectory Software aim to refine wildfire management technologies. It incorporates machine learning and AI to predict fire spread and enhance detection of smoke and fire.
Michael Seablom, associated director in the Earth Science Division at NASA Headquarters, praised the solutions for their potentiality in resolving the intricacies surrounding wildfires and climate change, and acknowledged the competitors for their endeavors and resourcefulness.
In the primary stage of the contest, contestants were required to submit a short video and a five-page white paper delineating their proposal, underscoring how they intended to utilize NASA’s resources or technologies. NASA singled out semi-finalists to pitch their ideas at a live event on March 14, held at NASA’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Victorious teams will enter the second phase of NASA’s MSI Incubator program where they will navigate coming up with commercial applications for their concepts. This multi-week program offers a hybrid format of workshops, concluding in person, and spans from March to May. It is designed to enlighten participants on aspects such as forming startups, assessing product-market fit, securing capital, as well as on delivering persuasive pitches. A Demo Day marks the program’s conclusion during Wildfire Week in June.
Runners-up will be part of the NASA Innovation (I-Corps) Pilot: Wildfire Technology Management Cohort. Cornell University is set to instruct the course which is associated with the National Science Foundation’s I-Corps Program, aimed at encouraging researchers to explore the commercial viability of their technologies. In April, they will also have the chance to attend the Institute for Defense and Government Advancement Wildfire Technology Management Conference.
Ian Mccubbin, Startup and Venture Capital Engagement manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, expressed optimism that the honored solutions would greatly influence firefighting and resilience operations.
The NASA Tournament Lab directed the challenge, part of the agency’s broader Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing initiatives designed to invite widespread contribution for innovative solutions that could ultimately benefit humankind. Blue Clarity handled the administration on NASA’s behalf.
For more intel on NASA’s prizes and challenges, one can visit:
www.nasa.gov/get-involved
FAQ Section
- What is the NASA Wildfire Climate Tech Challenge?
- How much prize money did the winners receive?
- What kind of institutions participated in this challenge?
- What is NASA’s MSI Incubator program?
- What is the NASA Innovation (I-Corps) Pilot?
A competition hosted by NASA encouraging teams to create tech-based solutions that use Earth observational data to fight wildfire and wildland fire risks.
Each of the three winning teams received $100,000.
Participants came from Minority Serving Institutions, such as HBCUs, TCUs, and Hispanic-serving institutions.
It’s a program to help teams create commercial opportunities around their concepts through workshops and culminates in a demonstration day during Wildfire Week.
A program that allows participants to train and explore their technology’s market viability, affiliated with the National Science Foundation’s I-Corps Program.
Conclusion
NASA’s Wildfire Climate Tech Challenge is an exemplary instance of how agencies like NASA can effectively leverage the innovative capacities of diverse academic institutions to address some of the most pressing environmental issues of our times. Not only does it provide a platform for emerging technologies to be recognized and developed, but it also embodies a collaborative effort between academia and government to create solutions that could protect ecosystems and save lives. The challenge winners and runners-up have the potential to spearhead a new era in wildfire management, offering hope and change through their pioneering ideas and dedication to making a real-world impact.