Team SkyShield

Team SkyShield

James Madison University

From Equations to the Sky: H4D Team Sees the Unseen in U.S. Airspace

The Team

Timothy Tarter

  • BS in Quantitative Finance, Mathematics, and Economics

  • Minors in Computational Analytics, GEOINT and Physics

India Lemus-Parks

  • BA in International Affairs

Daniel Antunes

  • BS in Electrical Engineering

  • Minor in Mathematics

Vicki Poku

  • BS in Computer Information Systems and Honors Interdisciplinary Studies

James Coleman

  • BA in Political Science, pre-law track

  • Minor in Legal Studies

Eldana Teklemariam

  • BS in Engineering, concentration in Electro-Mechanical Systems

  • Minor in Mathematics and Honors Interdisciplinary Studies

Emma Hoffman

  • BA in International Affairs and Political Science, pre-law track

  • Minor in Italian

Overview

White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) - US Army

Problem Sponsor

WSMR Security Officers need a way to detect and prevent unauthorized drone observations to prevent adversaries from collecting data on test site activities.

Original Problem Statement

The Innovation

When Timothy Tarter, a mathematician with interests in cryptography and intelligence, joined the Hacking for Defense course, he didn’t expect to end up modeling drone flight paths. But that’s exactly what happened when Team Sky Shield was partnered with White Sands Missile Range to tackle a growing issue in drone detection.

“They told us they were seeing a very small portion of what was in their airspace,” said Tarter. “They couldn’t tell what was a threat, what wasn’t, and they had no strong argument for decision makers to get the authority to shoot drones down.”

Faced with a limited budget and often just two data points per drone, spaced minutes apart, the team realized they wouldn’t be able to improve detection hardware. Instead, they turned to probabilistic modeling. “We asked: how can you interpolate a flight path between those two points? How do you find a moving target, or where it's most likely to have been?” explained Tarter.

Working closely with teammate Daniel Antunes, an engineer, they developed a minimum viable product (MVP) that paired mathematical filtering (specifically pseudo-Kalman filtering) with physical modeling - all validated by a measure theoretical probability framework. Their final output included a white paper detailing the math behind their threat prediction framework, alongside a legal standard operating procedure created by their policy-focused teammates.

Team Sky Shield’s Hacking for Defense Experience

For Tarter, the Sky Shield project played to his mathematical strengths, but the government pace and methodology brought unique challenges. He appreciated the course’s openness to ambitious students. “I like the idea that if you’re self-motivated, the program lets you pursue things at your own speed.”

His favorite part? The potential for high output. “In every quant job I’ve had the expectation was to deliver work at the level of a seasoned professional. I think students can do more than they’re usually expected to in school.”

He encourages future students, especially those with a STEM background, to join the program. “If you have research experience and can hit the ground running, you’ll learn fast and accomplish more for clients,” he said. “And even if you don’t, you’ll still come out stronger.”

What’s Next

Tarter views H4D as a valuable stepping stone in a dynamic, mission-driven career. “I saw it as a chance to do a cool project with bright people and help my nation,” he said. Inspired by the prolific mathematician Paul Erdős, Tarter plans to pursue a PhD in pure mathematics and keep collaborating on impactful research projects.

Jessica Caterson