A University of Texas at Dallas student team will test and present its solution to one of NASA’s yearlong student design challenges at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.

The UT Dallas team developed an artificial intelligence (AI) system to detect objects in the water to assist search-and-rescue efforts as part of NASA’s Micro-g Neutral Buoyancy Experiment Design Teams (Micro-g NExT) project.

The team will test its prototype in the simulated microgravity environment of the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory and present the project June 2-5. The laboratory is a 6.2 million-gallon indoor pool where astronauts train in preparation for their space missions. Professional divers will test the tool, and students will direct the divers from the test conductor room at the laboratory.

Last year, 17 teams from 13 schools from across the nation, including one other Texas team, were selected to participate in the project, which provided the opportunity for undergraduates to design, build and test a tool or device that addressed one of four space exploration challenges. In November, UTD, Boise State University and Columbia University advanced to the second phase of the challenge to design a search-and-rescue tool, the Search and Rescue Platform for Optical Target Recognition (SPOTR), and were chosen for the Johnson Space Center testing event.

Beginning last August, the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science students worked with a NASA mentor and gained experience in software development and testing, machine learning, project management and communication. They gave a presentation about AI at a local middle school in April as part of a community service aspect of the project. They also presented an informational workshop at the University about the Micro-g NExT projects and Artemis Student Challenges, detailing possible ways for students to gain project-based experience from NASA regardless of their major.

“It’s been very eye-opening and challenging,” computer science senior Victor Sim said.

“These students have demonstrated the true values of UT Dallas — collaborative spirit, initiative-taking, ownership, service support and innovation. This is only the first step in their careers, and I am excited to watch them continue to grow.”

Dr. Joshua Summers, professor of mechanical engineering and holder of a Jonsson School Chair

Sim, who transferred from Collin College, and three other teammates got involved through a scholarship program for STEM transfer students, Improving Transfer Academic, Career and Community Engagement for Student Success (IT ACCESS), which provides research opportunities. UTD received support for the program from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM).

“Being transfer students, there aren’t usually as many opportunities available to us because other students have been here longer and have more connections,” said Amir Sabri, a computer science senior, IT ACCESS scholar and team leader. “This opportunity seemed like a good door that opened and led to many more doors opening.”

Uy Seng, a computer science senior, IT ACCESS scholar and team technical leader, said he joined the team for the chance to gain machine learning experience.

“It’s a great opportunity to learn about the field,” Seng said.

The IT ACCESS scholars on the team, including computer engineering junior Ghazanfar Pathman, invited friends to join them. Computer science junior Hamilton Ngo said he enjoyed the chance to apply concepts from classes to a hands-on project.

One of the team’s tasks involved taking photos from many different angles of a life-preserver ring, life vest and other devices in a pool in order to train the machine learning system to recognize objects during a search and rescue.

“It’s different from things I’ve done before in classes,” computer science senior Colton Lackey said. “It’s a lot more like what you’ll see in real-world applications.”

Computer science senior Jaszmine DeFranco said she was eager to join the team when she heard about the project.

“Getting to work on something that applies to something that is impactful and could be used in the real world is exciting to me,” she said.

The team will be the third from UT Dallas to present its project at the Johnson Space Center in the collegiate challenge’s 10-year history. Previous teams presented in 2016 and 2022.

Team Charon is the first UTD team to work on a software-oriented project, said Dr. Joshua Summers, professor of mechanical engineering and holder of a Jonsson School Chair. Summers served as a faculty coach with Dr. Apurva Patel, a mechanical engineering research associate.

“These students have demonstrated the true values of UT Dallas — collaborative spirit, initiative-taking, ownership, service support and innovation,” said Summers, interim associate dean for undergraduate education in the Jonsson School. “This is only the first step in their careers, and I am excited to watch them continue to grow.”