NASA 已选定四支大学团队，通过涵盖高超声速推进系统至小型飞机城市低噪声飞行航路等项目，协助该机构变革未来航空。此次遴选通过 NASA 的大学领导力倡议（University Leadership Initiative）实施，该倡议为学生团队提供参与真实飞行研究的机会，以推动 NASA 在航空领域的目标。

NASA has selected four university teams to help the agency transform the future of aviation through projects ranging from high-supersonic propulsion systems to low-noise routes for small aircraft flying through cities. The agency made awards through its University Leadership Initiative, which offers student teams the opportunity to contribute to real-world flight research that advances NASA’s goals in aeronautics. […]

美国国家航空航天局（NASA）已选定四支大学团队，通过涵盖高超声速推进系统、城市上空小型飞机低噪声飞行航路等在内的多项研究项目，助力该机构重塑航空业未来。此次资助通过NASA的“大学领导力倡议”（University Leadership Initiative）实施，旨在为学生团队提供参与真实飞行研究的机会，从而推动NASA在航空领域的战略目标实现。本年度获资助团队所开展的研究项目均契合NASA的战略目标，包括：商用高速飞机领域的创新、可催生航空领域颠覆性突破的新工具开发、更安全高效的空中交通管理，以及将新型空中交通方式融入国家空域系统。总计约3000万美元的资助将为获奖高校提供为期多年的资金支持，用于组建研究团队并开展相关科研工作。“大学领导力倡议”不仅为学生提供实践机会，培养美国航空科研人才队伍，同时也产出有助于推动航空业发展的研究成果。“大学领导力倡议”资助对象由研究生与本科生组成，并由教职人员牵头；受资助团队还需联合其他高校及社区学院，并与产业界建立学术合作关系。来自NASA、美国联邦航空管理局（FAA）及其他机构的专家将为其提供支持与指导。 由索米尔·班萨尔（Somil Bansal）领衔的这一为期四年的项目，旨在开发一套融合机器学习技术的航电系统，用于控制飞机的通信、导航及其他电子设备。该系统将采用一种确保安全性在其整个运行过程中持续强化的方法。此项研究有望为航空业构建一套框架，以安全地将人工智能赋能的航电系统集成至国家空域中。 由胡安·阿隆索（Juan Alonso）领衔的本项目将设立一个研究中心，该中心将在四年时间内致力于开发一套高保真度仿真框架，重点针对未来小型飞机在城市环境中的低噪声飞行航路设计。研发人员设想的城市空中交通（UAM）飞行器可用于在人口稠密区域运送人员与货物。该中心将整合城市环境中声音传播的真实物理模型，从而规划出可降低新型空中交通对社区噪声影响的飞行航路。

NASA has selected four university teams to help the agency transform the future of aviation through projects ranging from high-supersonic propulsion systems to low-noise routes for small aircraft flying through cities. The agency made awards through its University Leadership Initiative, which offers student teams the opportunity to contribute to real-world flight research that advances NASA’s goals in aeronautics. This year’s awardees are pursuing projects that align with NASA strategic objectives, including innovation in commercial high-speed aircraft, the development of new tools that can lead to transformational aviation breakthroughs, safer and more efficient air traffic management, and the integration of new air transportation options into the national airspace. Totaling about $30 million, NASA’s awards will provide multiyear support for awardee universities to build their teams and conduct research. The initiative provides hands-on experiences for students, developing the U.S. aeronautics research workforce while also producing findings that will help drive aviation forward. University Leadership Initiative awards go to teams comprised of graduate and undergraduate students and led by faculty members. Recipients form academic partnerships with other universities and community colleges, as well as industry. Experts from NASA, the Federal Aviation Administration, and other organizations provide support and guidance. Led by Somil Bansal, this four-year project aims to develop an avionics system to control an aircraft’s communications, navigation, and other electronics that incorporates machine learning. The system would take an approach that ensures safety is continuously reinforced throughout its operations. This research could help create a framework for the aviation sector to safely integrate artificial intelligence-enabled avionics into the national airspace. Led by Juan Alonso, the center created through this award will work over four years to develop a high-fidelity simulation framework focused on developing low-noise flight paths in urban environments for future small aircraft. Developers are envisioning urban air mobility aircraft as ways to move people and cargo over populated areas. This center would integrate realistic models of how sound travels in cities to enable vehicle flight paths that would reduce community noise exposure from new air traffic.