Airport Experience® News - ACDBE & Small Business Issue 2024

engineering as well as educational outreach through the Sullenberger Aviation Museum (SAM) to foster workforce development for younger students, assist in job placement for UNC Charlotte graduates and continuing education for industry professionals. “The goal is to introduce students multiple times through their educational journey to show how aviation impacts their lives and how they can impact the world of aviation through their adult career,” says Christopher Poore, public affairs manager at CLT. As CLT ascends the ranks of the world’s busiest airports, its partnership with UNC Charlotte is more critical than ever, adds AIR Institute co-director and civil engineering technology professor Tara Cavalline. “The demand for air travel is expected to double by 2040 and cargo revenue is currently double the pre-pandemic average. However, the talent pipeline with aviation-related skills is not keeping up,” says Cavalline, noting that UNC Charlotte and CLT’s collaboration is primed to address the “talent, technology, and solutions” needed to keep up with the rapidly-growing infrastructure and sustainability needs of the industry. Texas Southern University (TSU) and Houston’s Ellington Airport (EFD) have a relationship dating back over three decades,

and have plans to carry their partnership into the future through a $5.5 million-dollar TSU Flight Academy that gives students the opportunity for hands-on aeronautical education. “Our nation is facing a pilot shortage,” says Jim Szczesniak, director of aviation for Houston Airport System, but the training provided at TSU’s Flight Academy “not only addresses the immediate demand for skilled personnel but also builds towards a steady supply of qualified individuals to support the industry’s growth and evolution.” The airport system learns from participating students, too. “By working closely with universities like TSU, we can harness academic expertise and innovation to tackle industry challenges, drive technological advancements, and explore new avenues for sustainable aviation practices,” adds Szczesniak, noting that the airport also works with TSU to create equal opportunities for students from diverse backgrounds to pursue careers in aviation. Some airports, like Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT), have gained important operational and technological upgrades thanks to their longstanding university research partnerships. Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) student projects have tackled everything from studying PIT traveler purchasing patterns to developing

Above: Earlier this year, University of North Carolina Charlotte and Charlotte Douglas International Airport launched The Charlotte Aviation Innovation & Research Institute. The partnership is designed to provide both practical research opportunities in civil engineering as well as educational outreach to foster workforce development.

a mobile parking spot-locator application to creating smartphone-based navigation systems for travelers with visual impairment. PIT’s collaborative projects with CMU “have substantially enhanced our facilities and the customer experience while inspiring our staff and partners to develop their own products,” says Bob Kerlik, director of public affairs for the Allegheny County Airport Authority. Kerlik adds that the airport’s university partnership even inspired the creation of its Aviation & Robotics Summit, a yearly conference connecting aviation executives and Pittsburgh-based technologists to solve industry-wide issues.

36

AX NEWS JULY/AUGUST 2024