Under the mentorship of Dr. Jasenka Rakas, Alexis Eskenazi, an undergraduate in the CE 157/257 Sustainable Aviation and Infrastructure class, placed second in the 2025–2026 Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) University Design Competition for Addressing Airport Needs. The submission, “Nuclear for Airports: An Integrated SMR, Hydrogen, and Sustainable Aviation Fuel System at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport,” competed in the Airport Environmental Interactions design challenge category. Eskenazi majored in Interdisciplinary Studies.
The design proposal explored how small modular reactors (SMRs) and high-temperature steam electrolysis capacity can address 4 national priorities simultaneously, using Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport as a case study: (1) aviation decarbonization, (2) grid resilience for critical infrastructure, (3) domestic clean-hydrogen scale-up, and (4) deployment of advanced nuclear energy at an industrial site with large, durable energy demand.
The annual competition challenges students to create innovative solutions for airport issues, working with faculty, airport operators, and industry experts. Submissions are judged in four areas: Environmental Interactions, Safety, Operations, Passenger Experience, Infrastructure, and Management.
The ACRP University Design Competition is sponsored by the FAA of the U.S. Department of Transportation and managed by the Transportation Research Board’s Airport Cooperative Research Program, part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.