Project Understanding Pilots’ Stress & Fatigue Toward Global Health & Well-Being Program DUIRI - Discovery Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Research Internship Term Fall 2025 Status Accepted Research Area Global Security Description While flying in the sky is thrilling and exciting, it also leads to stress & fatigue due to flying a plane through life-risk situations, involving maneuvers, weather, etc., during training. As stress and fatigue have numerous short- and long-term implications, ranging from the health and well-being of pilots globally to the safety and well-being of passengers and the aviation industry, it is crucial to assess pilots’ stress and well-being. Due to the advantage of having an active aviation program along with a health and human sciences program at Purdue University, this research will investigate various objective and subjective data, along with a literature review and the use of various statistical tests, visualization, and machine learning modeling techniques to better understand pilots’ stress and fatigue. This project directly impacts mission of the Institute for a Sustainable Future (ISF) and UN’s Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) #3, i.e., ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages, by generating new knowledge and understanding of the factors that impact pilots’ health and well-being as well as the billions of travelers associated with the aviation industry globally. Supervisor Sudip Vhaduri Mentor Type of work required During this interdisciplinary project team (consists of seasoned faculty members from the School of Health & Human Sciences, the School of Aviation and Transportation Technology, and the Department of Computer & Information Technology at Purdue University – two of the faculty members, Drs. Wilson and Vhaduri, in the team are active members of the ISF), we will closely work with the undergraduate student researchers in every step, including data acquisition, processing, and characterizations, statistical analysis, visualization, modeling, and interpretation of findings through regular meetings to present their progress/update and receive feedback. Findings will be disseminated through publications and presentations inside and outside Purdue conferences. We will also closely work with the student researchers to guide how to do research and how to find papers to read and summarize for a scientific and broader community. Thereby, participating in this project, our student researchers will achieve technical expertise and background knowledge to solve real-world problems. The students will also get a clear idea of how their scientific discovery contributes to the entire community, ranging from pilots to passengers and the entire body of aviation, by fostering global health and well-being. Websites Qualifications Students should be in good academic standing. Students are expected to have some experience with MATLAB or Python, as well as machine learning modeling using Scikit-learn, TensorFlow, or similar frameworks. Online Citi training and certification will be required before starting the internship, as this work involves human subject data. Credit Hours 0 Weekly Hours 10 (estimated)