Charter and Go Partners with UCM to Enhance Aviation and Technology Education

By Alex Greenwood, October 4, 2024

Charter and Go, a rapidly growing tech startup in the air charter industry, has announced a long-term partnership with the University of Central Missouri (UCM).

The collaboration has been in development for the past three years and officially marks Charter and Go’s first partnership with a higher education institution. Charter and Go started working with the program in fall 2022, aiming to enhance both UCM’s academic offerings and Charter and Go’s development efforts.

 

Through this partnership, UCM students have gained access to Charter and Go’s continually evolving flight management system, using it for coursework, senior projects and research. The program covers a wide range of topics, including cloud computing, serverless applications, artificial intelligence (AI), web applications, cybersecurity and aviation.

 

By incorporating real-world use cases into their academic studies, UCM students can apply their theoretical knowledge to practical challenges, gaining valuable experience in these cutting-edge fields. UCM plans to expand its aviation studies program further, utilizing Charter and Go’s software to provide students with more hands-on learning opportunities and industry exposure.

 

The idea for this collaboration began three years ago when Charter and Go approached Dr. Belinda Copus, chair of the Department of Computer Science and Cybersecurity at UCM. They proposed a joint effort to integrate their air charter software into UCM’s academic curriculum, and since then, the partnership has blossomed.

 

UCM students have worked closely with Charter and Go’s development team, contributing to senior projects and research that directly benefit the aviation industry. This collaboration has also offered students mentorship from industry professionals, while Charter and Go has gained valuable insights from the next generation of tech talent.

 

Peter Gossell, who worked with Charter and Go as an intern, emphasized the hands-on learning that students experience. “My internship with Charter and Go was an exciting opportunity to use the skills I learned in college working on a massive project to be used by our customers. We started working on small aspects of the application, then put them together. We worked daily with stakeholders and other developers refining the usability and requirements of the platform so it would provide the best benefit to clients,” Gossell said.

Aaron Westhoff, a former UCM student, worked with Charter and Go software and staff prior to his graduation. Now employed as a developer at Charter and Go, Westhoff encourages current students to make the most of the internship opportunity. “Ask a lot of questions,” he advises. “Don’t be afraid to try out new technologies.”

 

Demietrius Huff, vice president of development at Charter and Go, oversees the company’s internship program and serves on the UCM Computer Science and Software Engineering Advisory Board. Huff, who holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science with a concentration in Software Engineering from UCM, has been instrumental in fostering the collaboration. The success of the partnership is evident, as four individuals from UCM’s internship program have since been hired into full-time roles at Charter and Go.

 

“We’re thrilled to partner with UCM and work closely with such talented students. As a UCM alumnus, it’s especially rewarding to give back to the program that helped shape my career,” Huff said. “This collaboration allows us to nurture the next generation of tech professionals while also driving innovation within Charter and Go. The students bring fresh ideas and energy, and by working on topics like cloud computing, serverless applications, artificial intelligence, web applications, cybersecurity and aviation, they're earning real-world experience that will help them succeed in their careers.”

 

“This partnership is a unique opportunity for our students to gain hands-on experience with industry-leading technology while working closely with professionals in the field,” Dr. Copus said. “It aligns perfectly with our commitment to providing students with practical, real-world applications for their studies. We’re excited to see how this collaboration continues to evolve and benefit both UCM and Charter and Go.”

Gosell added, “Working a project for Charter and Go is a great way to get real-world experience and count it towards college credit. It provides an opportunity to work with classmates, encounter new technologies, and get a taste of a larger goal for a project that will provide value to end-user customers.”

 

To learn more about Charter and Go, visit the websiteLearn more about UCM’s Department of Computer Science and Cybersecurity here.