A team of engineering students from Dallas College has placed third in the nation in this year’s Community College Innovation Challenge, earning praise—and national attention—for a homegrown aviation safety system that could help save lives in the sky.

In May, Dallas Innovates reported on the college’s ambitious entry: a student-developed aviation project called Alerts VIA Detection and Ranging, or AVIADAR.

Now, the four-member Dallas College team has taken third place in the prestigious national competition—organized by the American Association of Community Colleges in partnership with the National Science Foundation—which held its finals June 9–12 in Washington, D.C., and announced the winners on June 13.

The team’s innovation, a LiDAR-based aircraft collision avoidance system, aims to give pilots real-time alerts about obstacles in their flight path. It’s designed to reduce fatalities and raise the bar for aviation safety standards.

“There have been so many unfortunate accidents lately involving plane crashes,” said Mang Cin, one of the student innovators. “We have AVIADAR sensors on the plane that detect hazards in the flight path, providing real-time alerts to pilots.”

A North Texas first—and NASA collaboration

The Dallas College team—Mang Cin, Khai Huynh, Taylor Hill, and Christopher Zuniga—competed in Washington, D.C., June 9–12, pitching their technology to a national panel after being selected as one of just 12 finalist teams from across the country. Their participation in the Innovation Boot Camp included expert-led sessions in business planning, stakeholder engagement, and marketplace dynamics.

They were also selected for NASA’s Technology Transfer University (T2U) program, a first for any North Texas college. That collaboration allowed the students to integrate NASA-developed technologies into their project development—a rare opportunity that added weight to their innovation.

“Their relentless commitment to research and continuous improvement is quite remarkable,” said Dallas College Professor L. Taylor Starr, who mentored the team, in a statement. “As an engineering professor with an MBA and aerospace industry background, I love nurturing the entrepreneurial spirit in our student innovators.”

From classroom concept to opportunity

The Dallas College team began their pitch in Fall 2024. What started as a classroom project could point the way toward future commercial applications in both manned and unmanned aviation.

AVIADAR uses light detection and ranging (LiDAR) to map the aircraft’s environment in real time, alerting pilots to potential hazards and enhancing overall situational awareness. With growing interest in private aviation and autonomous aircraft, the system could play a role in improving flight safety standards across sectors.

Honoring innovation nationally

Dallas College’s strong showing placed them just behind Bergen Community College in New Jersey, which won first place for its Pop-Up Hydroponic Farms, and Perimeter College at Georgia State University, which placed second for RoyaNest, a life-saving neonatal health device.

“This competition is a remarkable testament to the ingenuity and drive of our nation’s community college students,” said Walter G. Bumphus, president and CEO of the AACC, in a statement.

“The innovative ideas presented by these teams exemplify the knowledge and skills that are essential for addressing current and future real-world challenges,” added James L. Moore III, assistant director for STEM Education at the NSF.

Meet the Dallas College team

The AVIADAR team reflects the diversity and drive of Dallas College’s student body—and rising talent within North Texas:
• Mang Cin, associate degree in computer science, plans to major in natural sciences. She’s a recipient of the Jack Kent Cooke Transfer Scholarship.
• Khai Huynh, also a computer science graduate, will study mathematics and computer science at UT Austin and pursue a career in data analytics.
• Taylor Hill, who studied mechanical engineering, is interested in hands-on project leadership roles in the field.
• Christopher Zuniga, with an Associate of Science degree, plans to pursue mechanical engineering and mechatronics.

Quincy Preston contributed to this report.

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