Gupta, 22, was one of five student engineers who collaborated on the winning project, Multifun, a hybrid battery-piezoelectric composite structure that was developed as a standard for next-generation aircraft design. He was the only student from an American university to be represented in the final round of the competition, which is held only once every two years.

In addition to a trophy, the winning team received a cash award of 30,000 Euros.

Gupta's teammates -- from the Netherlands, UK, and India -- made good use of their different time zones, often scheduling work to be completed around the clock. Bringing them all together was Professor  Dineshkumar Harursampath who developed the basic concept for the winning team. Harursampath is an esteemed professor at the  Indian Institute of Science, and a former doctoral protege of Dr. Dewey Hodges.

Multifun designed aircraft wings that were covered with a finely engineered composite "skin"  that harvests energy from natural vibrations generated by the movement of the plane. That energy is collected by piezoelectric fibers and stored in battery panels that are a part of the fuselage. The energy is used to power auxiliary in-flight systems, such as lighting and entertainment systems.

"This reduces the energy footprint of aircraft during flight and could even replace the entire power source for ground operations," Airbus said in a press release issued after the decision was announced.

A total of 518 multi-disciplinary teams representing 3,700 students from 104 countries submitted projects for the 2015 competition.Of that number, there were just five teams chosen for the final round, held in Hamburg, Germany.

Airbus Fly Your Ideas is a biennial global competition, organized in partnership with UNESCO, which challenges students to innovate for the future of aviation. Taking part is a unique opportunity for students to put their classroom learning and research to the test, by working with a team of Airbus professionals on the real-world challenges facing the aviation industry. It offers students a chance to apply their creativity in an exceptional learning environment that will equip them in a highly competitive job market. Students can chose from six subjects: Efficiency, Passenger Experience, Energy, Affordable Growth, Traffic Growth, Community Friendliness.