Asunción, Agencia IP.- José Moreira, a mechatronics engineer and graduate of the Faculty of Engineering at the National University of Asunción (FIUNA), received significant recognition in the prestigious NASA Airport Throughput Prediction Challenge, held in the United States.
This competition aimed to optimize airport air traffic through artificial intelligence. Moreira distinguished himself among hundreds of participants by achieving 5th place at the national level in the United States.
During the competition, the Paraguayan participant applied advanced machine learning models to improve flight arrival predictions and runway availability, contributing to better airline and air operator planning. He processed over 100GB of historical data and generated variables for time series. He worked with cutting-edge algorithms such as XGBoost and neural networks, achieving outstanding results in air traffic analysis.
Currently, José Moreira is pursuing a Master’s degree in Data Science at Michigan State University in the United States, thanks to a Fulbright-BECAL scholarship, further refining his skills in data processing and predictive modeling.
Excellence in education
Moreira emphasized the key role his FIUNA education played in achieving this milestone. «Thanks to FIUNA, I have gained knowledge that has opened international opportunities for me,» he stated. He also expressed gratitude for the support of his mentors, Dr. Diego Stalder and Dr. Jorge Kurita, who guided him in his first steps in applied research.
He also shared his desire to contribute to the country’s educational development in the future: «I would like to contribute to education in Paraguay, supporting the training of professionals who use Data Science and Artificial Intelligence to create a positive impact on society.»
The recognition he received highlights the potential of Paraguayan education and the country’s young talent. At the same time, it underscores the value of higher education in Paraguay and the importance of creating opportunities for more young people to train and compete internationally.