AFIT alum Maj Alexander Criss (M.S. Operations Management, 2018), currently a student at the Air University School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, earned first place in academic research for 2019 during the Top Flight Pitch Night hosted by MGMWERX.  Also of note, Mr. David Shahady, director of the AF SBIR/STTR programs, is an AFIT alum having earned a master's degree in Research and Development Management in 2008.
 

Lt. Col. Yaakov Bindell, Air War College student; Maj. Curtis Shorr, Air Command and Staff College student; Capt. Jonathan Beabout, Squadron Officer School student; Capt. Casey Hawkins, SOS student; and Maj. Alexander Criss, School of Advanced Air and Space Studies student, were finalists in the MGMWERX inaugural Air University Top Flight Pitch Night, May 21, 2019, in Montgomery, Alabama. Criss won the event and a $1.5 million commitment to address his winning idea on improving aircrew safety. (Courtesy photo)

Air University SAASS student wins MGMWERX Pitch Night, captures $1.5M commitment
By MGMWERX Staff, MGMWERX / Published May 23, 2019


MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- 
A student at the Air University School of Advanced Air and Space Studies earned first place in academic research for 2019 during the Top Flight Pitch Night hosted by MGMWERX, May 21, 2019, in Montgomery, Ala.

In addition to the distinction, Maj. Alexander Criss’ pitch for";A Tale of Extreme Risk for Routine Operations" caught the attention of one of the judges, David Shahady, the director of the Air Force Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Program.

Shahady unexpectedly teamed with another judge, Lt. Gen. Anthony Cotton, Air University commander, to commit funds for a future SBIR Phase II topic to address Criss’ idea.

Shahady offered a $1.5 million commitment for a direct-to-SBIR Phase II topic expected in the next Department of Defense broad agency announcement for SBIR/STTR. The topic allows an industry partner the opportunity to develop a solution for the challenges identified in Criss’ student research.

Criss’ work focused on how the Air Force’s mobility community is unwittingly accepting and executing routine and low-priority missions with high levels of unidentified fatigue risks because of an inadequate and outdated risk management system.

Through his proposed solution, “BETTY” (Better Effectiveness Through Tracking Yourself), aircrews would be armed with a monitoring device serviced by the right tools to identify and combat fatigue. Their leaders, in turn, would have the tools necessary to make accurate and informed real-time risk-based decisions.

According to Criss, this is an “opportunity for increased safety and improved health of the force through proactive management of fatigue risks.”

The judges’ panel of four military and industry experts concurred on the winner and were encouraged by the broader commercial application for this idea. Judging along with Cotton and Shahady were Paavo Hanninen, Alabama Small Business Development Center Network at the University of Alabama, and Likia Hawkins, president and chief executive officer for Steel Point Solutions, LLC,

As the winner, Criss will return next year to judge Top Flight Pitch Night.

Criss competed against four other students during the inaugural Air University Top Flight Pitch Night. The finalists were selected by MGMWERX and Air University staff. Other finalists were:
 

• Lt. Col. Yaakov Bindell for";Transforming Disaster Relief with Small Unmanned Aircraft." Bindell, an Air War College student, described how small unmanned aircraft or drones can offer affordable and effective solutions for quickly restoring communications and transportation.
• Maj. Curtis Shorr for";Electromagnetic Pulse and Geomagnetic Disturbance Events: Mitigations to Protect USAF Capacity." Shorr, an Air Command and Staff College student, spoke to EMP and GMD national preparedness as well as solutions within the Air Force’s control to maintain its warfighting capacity.
• Capt. Jonathan Beabout for";Chatbot Application to Air Education and Training Command.” Beabout, Squadron Officer School student, argued that for the Air Force to continue to educate its members effectively, AETC should leverage emerging technologies and employ chatbots in as many applicable courses as possible.
• Capt. Casey Hawkins for";Environmentally-Friendly Green Solutions for Metal Surface Preparation.” Hawkins, SOS student, highlighted that a radical change is needed within the aluminum industry to protect both the operators and the environment from toxic chemical exposure.

MGMWERX was created under a Partnership Intermediary Agreement to align with the education initiatives of Air University. MGMWERX, as part of the DEFENSEWERX ecosystem, augments ongoing Air University programs, through events like Pitch Night, to enhance production of high-quality, innovative research and ideas that span issues of importance to the Air Force. This includes, but is not limited to, doctrine, strategies, capability needs, operational concepts, training, education and science and technology.