THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF EMBRY-RIDDLE AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITY | FALL 2023
BREAKING GROUND IN STELLAR RESEARCH LEARN HOW THIS YOUNG SCIENTIST UNEARTHED A COSMIC SECRET
CLARISSA PAVAO ’23 SPACE PHYSICS
NEW IN AEROSPACE ENGINEERING Eagles Design, Build New Rocket Fuel Feed System NEW IN AVIATION Leading-Edge Flight Simulation Center Comes to Prescott Campus NEW IN ENGINEERING Degrees Help Eagle Get Wired Into The Boeing Company
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DID YOU KNOW?
According to analysis by Bank of America, the space economy will triple in size and become a $1.1 trillion market by 2030.
A STELLAR CAREER In the coming years, all aspects of space study will experience astronomical changes with the introduction of space tourism. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the pioneering institution for the study of space-related endeavors, prepares you for a future in the space industry through hands-on learning, research, internships and access to technologically advanced facilities and equipment. There has never been a better time to join Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and be part of the next generation of space professionals.
Bachelor’s Degree Programs
s Aeronautical Science s Aeronautics
s Aerospace Engineering s Aerospace Physiology s Aerospace & Occupational Safety s Astronomy s Astronomy & Astrophysics s Engineering Physics s Interdisciplinary Studies s Space Operations s Space Physics s Uncrewed & Autonomous Systems s Unmanned Aircraft Systems
ALTITUDE FALL 2023 VOLUME 02 ISSUE 02 Altitude is a semi-annual publication produced by Enrollment Management and Marketing at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Senior Vice President, Enrollment Management, Marketing and Student Success
EDUCATION AT A HIGHER ALTITUDE AT EMBRY-RIDDLE AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITY, DARING TO THINK BIG AND PUSH BOUNDARIES IS A WAY OF LIFE.
Jason Ruckert, Ph.D. Editor-in-Chief Kristen Weitzel Contributing Editors Leslie Smith Creative Director Jonathon Metz Contributing Writers and Editors Jon O’Neill Keaton Ziem Makenna Pringle
Alison Whitney Multimedia Connor McShane Joey Harrison Bill Fredette-Huffman
Since 1926, Embry-Riddle has been the leader in aviation and aerospace education. Our degree programs are consistently ranked among the best in the nation, with several routinely landing in the top 10 and others soaring straight to number one. Embry-Riddle has been at the forefront of groundbreaking aeronautical milestones since the early days of flight, and today we are renowned innovators in the fields of Applied Science, Aviation, Business, Computers and Technology, Safety, Security and Intelligence, Engineering and Space. Our mission is to teach students the science, practice and business of aviation and aerospace, preparing them for leadership roles in industry, government agencies and the military. Our students are also an integral part of pioneering research that has the power to change the world, and Embry-Riddle partners with key stakeholders to develop new insights and solutions that help meet the challenges of today and enhance the opportunities of tomorrow.
Embry-Riddle faculty members are active leaders in their respective industries and share the knowledge and key connections they’ve gained from decades of experience to ensure our graduates have a vital competitive edge in the workforce. We are also proud of our diverse student body, which today represents some of the best young minds from all around the globe. Our residential campuses located in Daytona Beach, Florida, and Prescott, Arizona, offer you the choice of living and learning in a spectacular beach setting or a scenic mountain community. As a distance learning leader, our Worldwide Campus features award-winning technology that leverages online and face-to-face instruction through a network of locations designed to support student advancement in the U.S. and abroad. What will you discover at Embry-Riddle?
Florida Campus 1 Aerospace Boulevard Daytona Beach, FL 32114 386.226.6100 / 800.862.2416 daytonabeach@erau.edu Arizona Campus 3700 Willow Creek Road Prescott, AZ 86301 928.777.6600 / 800.888.3728 prescott@erau.edu
Worldwide / Online Campus 1 Aerospace Boulevard Daytona Beach, FL 32114 800.522.6787 worldwide@erau.edu
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3 | Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
CONTENTS
BACHELOR’S PROGRAMS Aeronautical Science — Fixed Wing
FL AZ WO
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Aeronautical Science — Helicopter
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Aeronautics
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Aerospace Engineering
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Aerospace Physiology
Aerospace & Occupational Safety
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Air Traffic Management
FOLLOWING HER RESEARCH TO A STELLAR DISCOVERY
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Applied Biology
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Astronomy & Astrophysics
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Aviation Business Administration
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Aviation Maintenance
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Aviation Maintenance Science
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Business Administration
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Business Analytics
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Civil Engineering
HISTORY IN THE MAKING
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Communication
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Computational Mathematics
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Computer Engineering
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Computer Science
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Cyber Intelligence & Security
Data Science
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Electrical Engineering
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Emergency Services
TRENDING
Engineering
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Engineering Physics
10 Engineering for
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Engineering Technology
NEW LEAPS IN QUANTUM GRAVITY EXPLORATION
a Better Tomorrow Eagles join Engineers Without Borders to help people in need around the globe.
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Forensic Accounting & Fraud Examination
Forensic Biology
Forensic Psychology
12 A Learning Space That Suits You
Global Business & Supply Chain Management
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Global Conflict Studies
In the EagleSat Lab, students get practical experience working on orbital payloads for NASA.
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Global Security & Intelligence Studies
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Homeland Security & Intelligence
19 She’s Sure to Shine at NASA
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Human Factors Psychology
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Industrial / Organizational Psychology
Alumna Isabella Novo discusses how Embry-Riddle helped lead her directly to a job at NASA. 27 Two Degrees of Dedication
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Interdisciplinary Studies
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Logistics & Supply Chain Management
EAGLE GETS HELP FINDING HER WINGS
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Mechanical Engineering
Zach White’s career as a fire chief in the Air Force gets a boost from two Embry-Riddle degrees.
Meteorology
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Pilot Operations
Project Management
GET LOCAL
Safety Management
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Simulation Science, Games & Animation
19 Florida Campus – Daytona Beach 23 Arizona Campus – Prescott 27 Worldwide & Online
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Software Engineering
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Space Operations
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Space Physics
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Technical Management
Uncrewed and Autonomous Systems
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Unmanned Aircraft Systems
LEARNING WITH LEADERS
STUDENTS SOAR WHERE THE SKY IS NO LIMIT
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Whether it’s launching rockets from the world’s northernmost settlement, exploring the potential of fusion as a future power source or building hardware for satellites that will orbit Mars, the Space and Atmospheric Instrumentation Lab (SAIL) offers opportunities for students to get their hands on the future — literally. “SAIL is one of the most research-rich laboratories on the Embry-Riddle campus,” said Dr. Aroh Barjatya, professor of Engineering Physics and the lab’s founder and director. “Hard-working, capable and bright students have an opportunity to either join the ongoing research or propose their own.” SAIL was started in 2007 when Dr. Barjatya arrived at the university, and its mission was to give students pursuing degrees in Engineering Physics, Space Physics, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Aerospace Engineering a place to do hands-on research work and get the practical experience that today’s top flight employers are looking for. “Dr. Barjatya has built a world-class lab in space and atmospheric research,” said Dr. Peter Hoffmann, dean and professor of Physics at the College of Arts & Sciences. “The most impressive and important feature is how student-driven it is. Students design, build and deploy the hardware around the world to do cutting-edge research. This is a prime example of how Embry-Riddle and the College of Arts & Sciences provide opportunities for students that would be difficult to find anywhere else.” The lab, located in the College of Arts & Sciences building, has since grown to include two more faculty members, Dr. Jeremy Riousset and Dr. Byonghoon Seo, along with Research Scientists Dr. Robert Clayton and Dr. Shantanab Debchoudhury. SAIL has a long history of research and engineering milestones that have helped students land rewarding careers with stellar employers that include Google, Lockheed Martin, the Goddard Space Flight Center and MIT’s Lincoln Labs, to name a few. The lab’s full suite of equipment and facilities also allows students to pursue research in a variety of ground-based vacuum and plasma chambers or onboard many different types of high-altitude balloons, suborbital sounding rockets and orbital satellites. “We have opportunities for doing plasma physics modeling or atmospheric physics modeling, as well as a large dataset from past missions to pursue unanswered science questions related to terrestrial weather and space weather phenomenon,” Dr. Barjatya added. For those students who arrive at Embry-Riddle within the next two years, the SAIL schedule is already packed with opportunities for research and fieldwork that would not be available to undergraduates at any other school.
Just within the past two years, SAIL students have been involved in pioneering projects that have included: Two recent NASA sounding rocket launches, one in far-north Ny Ålesund, Norway, and another at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Using a $670,000 federal grant to research technology that could make thermonuclear fusion power generation economically viable. Building, calibrating and configuring instruments for CubeSats under an international collaboration with the University of Chile, with the CubeSats launched into Earth orbit by SpaceX last year. Developing hardware for the ESCAPADE spacecraft, which are scheduled to explore the Martian atmosphere in 2026.
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STUDENT INSIGHTS
Support for Success Five students from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University were selected to receive 2023 Patti Grace Smith Fellowships, which guarantee them paid internships at industry-leading firms, professional mentoring and grants up to $2,000.
Beating the Odds Read how Stanley Tucker journeyed from paralysis to running a 5K.
Hiking Hobby Rash cites hiking as her favorite thing to do in her free time. Nestled in the Bradshaw Mountains, Embry-Riddle’s Prescott Campus is located nearby many opportunities for outdoor adventure.
Prickly Pear Despite its spiky exterior, the prickly pear cactus is a delicious and versatile fruit. Its juicy flesh can be used to create beverages, spreads and pickled snacks. This hardy plant is one of the few cactus varieties that can withstand freezing temperatures, making it a common sight in Prescott.
DID YOU KNOW?
For the third consecutive year, Embry-Riddle had more students selected for the Patti Grace Smith Fellowship than any other university in the country.
Emma Rash ’23 GLOBAL SECURITY AND INTELLIGENCE STUDIES Housing Supervisor Extraordinaire With a can-do attitude and a willingness to embrace trying new things, Rash knows that new passions can be found in the most unexpected places. Rash has been a Campus Ambassador, a resident advisor (RA) and an active member of the Women’s Ambassador Association on the Prescott Campus. Her senior year, she became a housing supervisor, where she oversaw 10 RAs, who in turn oversaw about 250 students. Rash says that housing is where she found her passion. Her favorite aspect of the job? The opportunity to mentor those she supervises. “It’s amazing to see their professional growth and development and to lead and mentor them through something I’ve been through. But we’re also still learning together! It’s a fun adventure.” Her advice to fellow students is, “Get out there, experience meeting new people... and listen to your RA!”
Stanley Tucker ’23 HOMELAND SECURITY & INTELLIGENCE
A Refusal to Quit Being chosen for the 2023 Patti Grace Smith Fellowship is one of many testaments to the resilience of Homeland Security & Intelligence senior Stanley Tucker, who overcame extraordinary obstacles to earn his degree at Embry-Riddle. Tucker was hit on his motorcycle in 2021 by an impaired driver. Doctors told him he would likely never walk again or would need a walker if he did. Leaving the hospital after six surgeries, Tucker remembers thinking that he could use the trauma as an “opportunity to beat the odds.” By the summer of 2022, Tucker had landed an internship at Leading Edge Aerial Technologies. He also ramped up his physical therapy, and in November, he ran a 5K race and launched an outreach program to help underprivileged youth get started in aerospace.
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STUDENT INSIGHTS
Staying Connected Turner keeps in touch with her fellow scholarship recipients in a group chat.
Spiking Success As former president of the Eagle Volleyball Club, Anselmo loves volleyball and plays any chance he gets.
Eagle Scholar Turner has also received scholarships from the Tracey Forrest Scholarship Endowment and the Citation Jet Pilots Association.
Encouraging Leadership Anselmo encourages anyone to become a leader on campus: “Never be afraid to speak up, take charge and volunteer.”
Prince Anselmo ’23 AERONAUTICS
Lylith Turner ’24 AERONAUTICAL SCIENCE
Taking Charge While studying Aeronautics with minors in Applied Meteorology and Air Traffic Control, Prince Anselmo improves the campus via clubs. As President of the Prescott Student Government Association (SGA) for the 2022-23 year, OctoberWest director and leader in several other organizations, his efforts have been focused on not only benefitting current students but also leaving a legacy for future students. “I was always looking for an opportunity to give back to the community of Embry-Riddle and bring people back together, especially after the pandemic,” he said. “Seeing the impact of my work was really amazing.” He says that his leadership roles and club involvement have helped him grow as a person, learn more outside of the classroom and prepare him for his career as a pilot.
Women Inspiring Women Aeronautical Science major Lylith Turner was a recipient of an International Aviation Womens Association (IAWA) scholarship awarded at the organization’s annual scholarship conference, which took place in Lisbon, Portugal, an experience she described as “incredible.” “The community of women was so welcoming and full of wisdom,” she said. She met other scholarship recipients from all over the world and felt a sense of community and support among them. “I made invaluable connections and left feeling inspired,” she reflected. “I will forever be grateful for the women that shared their experiences with me and how I can achieve my dreams.” Turner also appreciates those who believed in her enough to bestow such a prestigious honor on her.
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STUDENT INSIGHTS
Flights of Family Michelle was introduced to flying when she was a little girl and first visited the flight deck of a commercial jet with her dad when she was still a toddler. “I love that aviation always unites us,” Jason Tabor said. “It is something that we can always share together, as a team.”
DID YOU KNOW?
The Worldwide Campus Aeronautics program is accredited by the Aviation Accreditation Board International (AABI), which reviews curriculum to ensure high standards of performance, integrity and quality.
Flight Deck Forecast The Boeing Company is predicting the need for more than 649,000 new pilots within the next 20 years.
Ahead of the Clouds Michelle’s pursuit of a seat on the flight deck got a boost recently when she earned her commercial pilot’s license shortly after finishing her instrument rating.
A Journey Worth Taking Read more about Juan Andres Mesa Sanchez and how Embry-Riddle is helping him reach his career goals.
The Whole Story Check out the full story of Michelle’s journey as a young aviator and a dual enrollment student at Embry-Riddle.
Juan Andres Mesa Sanchez ’21
Michelle Tabor ’24
AERONAUTICS
AERONAUTICS
A Foundation for Flight For Juan Andres Mesa Sanchez, the Embry-Riddle experience was everything he hoped it would be — and then some. Mesa earned his B.S. in Aeronautics from Embry-Riddle’s Worldwide Campus, which combined with his off-campus flight training, brought him closer to his goal of becoming a professional pilot, a journey that began when his family moved to the U.S. from Colombia more than a decade ago. “Embry-Riddle’s unique ability to provide an unmatched educational experience has made the steps needed to achieve my dream both realistic and efficient,” Mesa said. “As someone who grew up an ocean away in a country where dreams like mine are much less realistic, I can attest to how impactful this institution can be in helping someone make their dreams a reality.”
Earning Her Wings Dual Enrollment student Michelle Tabor earned her associate’s degree from Embry-Riddle’s Worldwide Campus before she graduated high school, and the 18-year-old already has more than 200 hours of off-campus flight training and her pilot’s license in hand. “Growing up and experiencing my dad’s love for aviation showed me how rewarding hard work is,” said Michelle, whose father, Jason Tabor (’19), another Worldwide Campus alumnus, is a pilot and a Boeing 777 instructor for United Airlines. Michelle Tabor is now pursuing her B.S. in Aeronautics at Embry-Riddle, working toward the ultimate father-daughter dream of piloting a commercial aircraft together with one in the left seat and the other in the right, a flight that would culminate years of shared passion and encouragement.
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ENGINEERING FOR A BETTER
For Aerospace Engineering major Izel Tuncer (’25), joining Engineers Without Borders (EWB) at Embry-Riddle was an obvious choice. The organization offers aid to communities in need and gives members an opportunity to practice their engineering skills and gain valuable knowledge in a real-world setting.
“Engineers Without Borders is here to help build a better world. This is the heart of engineering; using our skills to help those who need it most,” Tuncer said, thinking of the organization’s purpose. “We’re able to build connections and find solutions for communities.” To receive assistance from Engineers Without Borders, communities in need must reach out and request it. El Túnel, Nicaragua, reached out to EWB about five years ago, was approved for assistance and assigned to work with the Embry-Riddle chapter. The problem in El Túnel: lack of accessibility to clean water. In early 2023, the EWB Embry-Riddle chapter finally traveled to Nicaragua to begin surveying the land and testing the soil and water, led by Dr. Jeff Brown, professor of Civil Engineering. To prepare, the group not only spent time fine-tuning their surveying and engineering skills but also completed crucial health, safety, CPR and first-aid training. The end goal is to provide the El Túnel community with a well and a steady supply of clean water.
Next steps for the project include finalizing design plans and hiring a remote team to complete the well digging and implementation process before deciding if they’ll need to add another well. At the end of 2023, they plan to take a larger team back to El Túnel. EWB is not only making impressive strides in developing relationships between communities in need and those who can assist them but also in inclusion within their own organization. According to the impact page on EWB’s website, “More than 40% of EWB-USA’s student member engineers are female, which is more than double the 14% industry average.” “I’m continually inspired and motivated by the thought that I can make a difference, no matter how small I am in the grand scheme of things,” said Tuncer.
My favorite part was... when we talked with the community about what we had done and what our plan is. Everyone was so grateful... we can really make a difference in these people’s lives.”
Izel Tuncer ’25 Aerospace Engineering
SUPPORT OUR MISSION
Type “Engineers Without Borders” in the designation portion on the givingto.erau.edu page!
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A SPACE WHERE STARS ARE BORN
“The STAR Lab allows us to study teams in a more experimental setting which gives us a lot more control,” said Dr. Joseph Keebler, the lab’s director and associate professor of Human Factors and Behavioral Neurobiology in the College of Arts & Sciences. “Students get the whole gamut of doing experimental research on teams — from designing experiments to analyzing data and writing up articles and conference presentations — while working under us. Even if they don’t do this as a scientific endeavor, they gain practical knowledge and skills as well.” Located in the College of Arts & Sciences building, the STAR Lab was established in 2015 to help conduct human factors research for NASA and is part of the Game-Based Education & Advanced Research Studies (GEARS) suite of labs.
STAR Lab research has immediate real-world applications and offers practical experience that sets Embry-Riddle students apart when it comes to launching their careers or pursuing advanced degrees. Says Dr. Keebler: “If you want to study teamwork at the intersection of modern technology and applied systems, I cannot think of a better program in the world than ours.” At the cornerstone of such diverse industries as aviation and healthcare, teamwork can make or break success. None of us will find ourselves working alone. We will all be part of a team, which makes the work that Dr. Keebler and others do in the STAR lab essential.”
STAR Lab The Small Teams Analog Research (STAR) Lab on Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach Campus offers students the chance to be part of cutting-edge research using human subjects to investigate and better understand the psychology of teams. Teamwork makes the world work, and exploring how diverse groups of people mesh in a range of situations is vital for discovering ways that enable today’s teams to function with enhanced cohesion, synergy and safety.
Dr. Scott Shappell Professor and Chair of the Department of Human Factors and Behavioral Neurobiology
Students in the STAR Lab are also now exploring how artificial intelligence can be used to spot teamwork issues before they grow into larger problems.
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SPECIALIZED LABS & HANDS-ON LEARNING
Tools for Success at Your Fingertips VECTOR Program Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Worldwide Campus is dedicated to ensuring that all students have the resources they need to excel academically — and that’s the mission of the Virtual Environment for Communication: Teaching, Outreach and Research (VECTOR). Housed within the College of Arts & Sciences, VECTOR provides support through its Virtual Communication Lab (VCL) by offering free tutoring, workshops and online resources. Our tutors can help with any communication-related project, and we can support you at any stage of the composing process — from brainstorming your speech topic to revising a draft of an essay to helping you design effective visuals for your personal website or e-portfolio. In addition to one-on-one tutoring, the VCL also offers a variety of online resources with tips on topics such as grammar, presentation techniques and APA formatting guidelines that you can access anytime, anywhere.
A LEARNING SPACE THAT SUITS YOU EagleSat Lab Building from the successful 2017 launch of EagleSat 1, students working in the Prescott Campus EagleSat Lab are now preparing for the upcoming launch of EagleSat 2, a 3U CubeSat that will carry two scientif- ic payloads, one designed to detect and track cosmic rays and the other to test how radiation in space affects various types of computer memory. EagleSat is a research and design lab for the EagleSat Space Grant project, and students are tasked with designing and building small satellites for orbital missions as part of NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative. NASA’s Space Grant project is a network of colleges and universities, such as Embry-Riddle, that are expanding opportunities to take part in some of the agency’s projects.
Incoming Embry-Riddle students will likely work on EageSat 3, the successor to EagleSat 2. It is currently in a system development phase where lab members are writing requirements for the satellite, which will be hosting the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) experiment. Opportunities for hands-on experiences such as this are among the features that set an Embry-Riddle education apart from the rest. Working alongside like-minded peers also enhances the experience and helps students reach heights they could never achieve working alone.
The EagleSat launches are part of NASA’s Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa), a program designed to attract and retain students in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines. The first EagleSat was launched as part of the ELaNa-14 mission. A CubeSat is a class of miniaturized satellite that usually consists of 10 cm cubes. CubeSats have a mass of no more than 2 kg per unit. Once launched, the satellite ground station on campus will be able to communicate with this satellite for nine minutes every day as it passes overhead.
FIND OUT MORE
Learn more about the benefits of Worldwide’s VECTOR program.
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After crunching a mountain of astronomy data, Space Physics major Clarissa Pavao (’23) submitted her preliminary analysis. Her mentor’s response was swift and in all caps. “There’s an orbit!” he wrote. A STELLAR DISCOVERY SPACE PHYSICS STUDENT FOLLOWS HER RESEARCH TO
That was when Pavao, an undergraduate student at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Prescott, Arizona, campus, realized she was about to become a part of something big — a paper in the peer-reviewed journal Nature that describes a rare binary star system with uncommon features. The paper was published Feb. 1, 2023, and was co-authored with Dr. Noel D. Richardson, assistant professor of Physics and Astronomy and Jan J. Eldridge from the University of Auckland. It describes a twin-star system that is luminous with X-rays and high in mass. Featuring a weirdly circular orbit — an oddity among binaries — the twin system seems to have formed when an exploding star or supernova fizzled out without the usual bang, similar to a dud firecracker.
The binary’s round orbit was a key clue that helped the Embry-Riddle researchers identify the second star in the binary system as a depleted or “ultra-stripped” supernova. The binary system’s name sounds like a license plate: CPD-29 2176. Researchers estimate that there are probably only about 10 such star systems in the galaxy at present. By studying it, they are unraveling new clues to our earliest beginnings as stardust.
Explore more on the following pages
13 | Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
ORBIT In celestial mechanics, an orbit is the curved trajectory of an object, such as the trajectory of a planet around a star, of a natural satellite around a planet or of an artificial satellite around an object or position in space such as a planet, moon, asteroid or Lagrange point. Normally, orbit refers to a regularly repeating trajectory, although it may also refer to a non-repeating trajectory.
FEATURE (continued)
This incredible opportunity started when Pavao stopped by Richardson’s office in hopes of getting more research experience. “I said, ‘Please give me any research,’” Pavao recalled. Richardson happened to have data, captured by the Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory’s 1.5-meter telescope in Chile, from a bright star known as a Be-type star. Pavao plotted the spectra of the Be star, but first, she had to clean the data of visual “noise.” She managed to learn more about data processing and computer coding so that she could analyze the stellar spectra. After quickly fitting Pavao’s data into a special computer program, Richardson realized they had found an orbit for the star, but it was different than expected. Further data-crunching revealed that one star was indeed tracing a circle around the other one every 60 days or so. Pavao recalls Richardson saying, “This is not just a simple binary system.” A native of Belleville, Illinois, Pavao grew up in a science-focused family. Her father is a computer scientist, and her mother is a geologist and amateur astronomer. Embry-Riddle also gave Pavao the chance for an undergraduate research experience at the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute, where she met scientists, including
When we look at these objects, we’re looking backward through time. We get to know more about the origins of the universe, which will tell us where our solar system is headed. As humans, we started out with the same elements as these stars.”
Clarissa Pavao ’23 Space Physics
Jill Tarter, who was played by actress Jodi Foster in the movie “Contact.”
“It was a life-changing experience,” Pavao said. “Later on in life, I’ll be able to say I went to this observatory and looked for techno-signatures from outer space.” Pavao also credits Richardson with guiding her research and giving her the confidence to succeed. “He pushes for his students to be on papers,” she noted. “That made a big difference for me.”
15 | Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
DESIGN. BUILD. FLY.
Artist’s impression of the first confirmed detection of a star system that will one day form a kilonova — the ultra-powerful, gold-producing explosion created by merging neutron stars.
The Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory is an astronomical observatory located on Cerro Tololo in the Coquimbo Region of northern Chile, with additional facilities located on Cerro Pachón about 10 kilometers to the southeast.
A STELLAR TEAM
In addition to Richardson, Pavao and Jan J. Eldridge of the University of Auckland, the Nature paper, “A high-mass X-ray binary descended from an ultra-stripped supernova,” was co-authored by Herbert Pablo, American Association of Variable Star Observers; André-Nicolas Chené Gemini Observatory; Peter Wysocki and Douglas R. Gies, CHARA and Georgia State University; Georges Younes, The George Washington University; and Jeremy Hare, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
Pavao’s research was supported by Embry-Riddle’s Undergraduate Research Institute and the Arizona Space Grant program. The project also received support from the university’s Faculty Innovative Research in Science and Technology program.
RECOGNIZING STARS
Richardson has been named Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s first recipient of the $100,000 Cottrell Scholar Award, which recognizes research and teaching excellence. He will use the award to develop additional student research opportunities and continue to study massive binary stars.
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SEE WHERE THEY STARTED / THEN AND NOW
LEVERAGE YOUR EXPERIENCE JaciLynn Poteet (’21) grew up in a small, rural Arizona town. Her love for math and science, combined with inspiration from the professors at an Embry-Riddle summer camp, led her to study Aerospace Engineering at Embry-Riddle. The Covid-19 pandemic interrupted the latter half of her college career, which made it difficult to obtain internships. She had an internship lined up in 2020 that was unfortunately canceled. As graduation approached, Poteet was nervous about her lack of hands-on industry experience. “I felt really behind all my peers,” she said. At the time of graduation, most of her work experience was at local grocery stores. Nonetheless, she wasn’t afraid to apply for industry jobs. Poteet’s first industry job was as a Commercial Space Transportation Safety Inspector for the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Office of Commercial Space Transportation (AST). She was pleasantly surprised that her customer service experience gave her an advantage over other applicants. Now, she is transitioning into a new position in the Flight Safety Analysis Division within AST, specifically working in the Flight Safety System (FSS) Branch. She’s excited to move into a more technical role where she will be ensuring regulatory compliance of the FSS implemented for launch. “As an inspector, I saw day-to-day operations, but I didn’t always spend time thinking about broader impacts of the industry,” Poteet said. “The industry is ever-changing and innovating and includes so much more than just launch.”
Focus on the experience that you do have and how you can make that work for you professionally, instead of focusing on the experience that you don’t have.”
JaciLynn Poteet ’21 Aerospace Engineering
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A WEALTH OF INTERNATIONAL KNOWLEDGE
A group of Embry-Riddle students recently journeyed to study abroad in both Belgium and Germany, led by Dr. Debra Bourdeau, professor of Humanities, and Dr. Tanya Corbin, professor of Security and Emergency Services. While there, students received firsthand learning experiences regarding international affairs and homeland security. They pursued two courses, Special Topics in Humanities and Emergent Topics in Homeland Security, while attending classes hosted in Brussels,
“The external viewpoints from being exposed to individuals from unfamiliar backgrounds allowed an education that, through debate and questioning the norm of the subject, mirrored that of a Socratic basis rather than the traditional method of scholarly debate,” he said. “Furthermore, retention was much greater as our lessons became connected with unique cultural facets we were exposed to.” Equipped with new experiences, interests and insights into global cultures, Rock-Arnarson says his favorite aspect of attending Embry-Riddle is the ability to explore and expand upon an array of topics within his degree program. “My experience studying abroad with Embry-Riddle offered me a new outlook on my educational career, instilling within me knowledge and experience that will help guide me in achieving future success regardless of the path I will take.”
Belgium, and Frankfurt, Germany. “By taking part in briefings with the European Union, North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the United States
Consulate in Frankfurt, I was able to gain an acute understanding of international protocol,” said Aidan Rock-Arnarson, an Aviation Business Administration student minoring in International Relations at Embry-Riddle Worldwide. He also shared that exposure to differing viewpoints and practices helped him gain real-world understanding of the topics he was learning and where they could be applied.
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CAMPUS FEATURE
DAYTONA BEACH FLORIDA CAMPUS Our East Coast campus is only minutes from the beach and adjacent to an international airport and speedway.
CAMPUS PROFILE
s 7,200 Undergraduate Students s 50 States / 91 Countries Represented s 11% International Students Student Clubs + Organizations Our Florida campus houses hundreds of student clubs, including the Mars Society, Musicians Club, Muscle Car Association and Microgravity Club, as well as club, intramural and recreational sports.
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The day Isabella Novo (’23) applied to attend Embry-Riddle was also the day she first heard of it. But as someone who has dreamed of floating amongst the stars since childhood, she was immediately drawn to the curriculum, like-minded students and the campus’ proximity to the Space Coast in Florida.
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“It’s not too big and it’s not too small. I’m surrounded by the most brilliant student body,” she shared, “I don’t think I’d find this experience anywhere else... I don’t think I’ve seen as advanced of a student body as the brains here.” On top of her dedication to university coursework, Novo became a member of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE). Today, she is secretary of the on-campus organization. Her enthusiasm and drive to succeed are what got her there.
“Honestly, SHPE has been the greatest experience I have had on campus,” she gushed. “I’ve met the greatest friends, and I’ve excelled professionally, academically and socially. Honestly, I owe all the internships, all the job offers and the current job I have now to SHPE.” Near the end of 2022, Novo attended the SHPE convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, which is an opportunity for members to meet and potentially interview with over 200 STEM-oriented companies. Of 41 Embry-Riddle attendees, 93% took part in at least one interview at the
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FLORIDA CAMPUS
The functions of life support equipment on board the ISS include monitoring atmospheric pressure, oxygen and carbon dioxide levels, waste management and water supply, as well as fire detection and suppression. Continued development of these systems is critical for any future long-duration spaceflights.
Community Through Shared Interests Aerospace Engineering senior Elena Djudaric (’23) has been active in the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), First-Generation Students Association and the Embry-Riddle Pep Band since her freshman year. Looking for a club that would help with professional development, she found SWE, where she holds the position of Professional Engagement Chair. Her favorite on-campus SWE event is the annual Introduce a Girl to Engineering Workshop. Djudaric is President of the First-Generation Students Association. The close-knit group focuses on “creating a fun, inclusive community of other first-gen students while providing useful resources,” including professional development workshops. As a drummer with the Pep Band, she says that the group “has been an excellent source of stress relief.” She loves the high energy of playing music at our Eagles’ basketball games. These clubs have made my college experience significantly better. I found like-minded people and felt a strong sense of community and passion toward shared interests. I cannot express how important it is to get involved on campus.”
ISABELLA NOVO IS SURE TO SHINE AT NASA
conference. Novo left the convention with six job offers, all from top organizations. From NASA, she got something else: an opportunity to fly to Houston for a second interview. After two more “grueling” interviews, NASA offered her the position. Thinking back, Novo said, “When they told me, I was able to sit back and look at all the hardships I went through and overcame and saw this was the fruits of my labor... I think that day I didn’t even do anything crazy. I just… simmered and sat with my emotions. I was just like ‘let me soak up this moment.’” At NASA, Novo will be working on the life support system for the International Space Station. But her final goal is still the same: to become an astronaut. “That’s my long-term goal,” she shared.
Novo’s advice to other college students pertains to confidence, open-mindedness and getting out of your comfort zone. “Do not compare yourself to other people… I found that comparing myself to other people only brought my self-esteem down. I just needed to look inward and think, okay, what can I learn? Not what am I good at. How can I propel myself forward and just throw myself out there?” she said. “Literally throw yourself out there. Join organizations, put yourself in uncomfortable situations, don’t ever cut yourself short… It’s going to look like you hit a rock wall, but there’s always more room, there’s always another corner somewhere else.”
Elena Djudaric ’23 Aerospace Engineering
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CAMPUS FEATURE
Eagles Reporting for Duty Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) is a four-year college elective program that trains students to become Air Force, Army, Navy, Marine or Space Force officers. Each program offers its students a chance to develop skills for success needed in both the military and civilian worlds. Students are often awarded ROTC scholarships that will cover all or part of tuition, fees and book costs. They are also eligible to take part in Project Global Office, or Project GO, an eight-week intensive language and cultural immersion program.
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FUELING THE FUTURE? WE ROCK IT!
Aerospace Engineering students Alex Clay and Samir Ahmed have spent the past four years at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University manufacturing complex liquid-propellant rocket engines. Now, as they near graduation, there is one last thing they’d like to do: Prepare for ignition. Along with fellow members of the university’s Experimental Rocket Propulsion Laboratory (ERPL), the two have built a state-of-the-art fuel-feed system in hopes of accomplishing that very goal. If successful, the hardware will offer future generations of rocketry students a safe and consistent way to field test their designs — which, according to sophomore Aerospace Engineering student Taylor Koehn, is currently the “most significant bottleneck” in the process of engine building. The team’s liquid-propellant engine, or Daytona Beach Propellant Feed System, delivers two propellants at a rocket engine’s desired pressure and flow rates. It can handle extremely cold cryogenic liquid oxygen and high pressures. The system is also capable
of simultaneously processing one ambient propellant, like ethanol, and one cryogenic propellant, like liquid oxygen. “After all our work, for us to see everything run as predicted — that is the most exciting part,” said Ahmed, the team leader and a recent intern with United Launch Alliance’s test propulsion engineering group. The Daytona Beach Propellant Feed System, estimated to cost $35,000, is comprised of multiple valves, regulators, pressure-relief devices, propellant tanks and plumbing, all of which are mounted onto a test stand. The first test fire is scheduled for spring 2024 from Cecil Spaceport in Jacksonville, Florida.
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TESTING 3-2-1 An injector for one of the team’s hybrid rocket engines undergoes a water test, a key step in the design/ manufacturing process.
A New Space for Safety
PROPELLING BEYOND
Members of Embry-Riddle’s Experimental Rocket Propulsion Laboratory (ERPL) are building a state-of-the-art rocket fuel-feed system that will allow students to test liquid-propelled rocket engines safely and consistently from Cecil Spaceport in Jacksonville, Florida.
The Boeing Company has provided Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University with a $5.1 million donation for a research center that will drive safety improvements throughout the industry. The newly named Boeing Center for Aviation and Aerospace Safety at Embry-Riddle, charged with advancing the safety of all who fly, will conduct independent research aimed at mitigating known and emerging operational safety risks. The center, set to open in January 2024, will occupy a 13,000-square- foot building on Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach, Florida, campus that features offices and lab space as well as a dedicated classroom for safety- related professional education courses. The Boeing Center for Aviation and Aerospace Safety at Embry-Riddle will provide an infrastructure for systematically investigating and reducing safety risks, from technological challenges to human factors. We are grateful to Boeing for
They do all the analyses and fluid flow calculations in class. We run simulations, but we can’t simulate everything, and the things that you can simulate are only so reliable, so they need to be validated through tests.” Dr. Eric Perrell Professor, Department of Aerospace Engineering
supporting independent research in this field.”
Dr. P. Barry Butler President, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
GET FIRED UP!
Learn more about the Experimental Rocket Propulsion Laboratory.
Conceptual Architectual Rendering
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CAMPUS FEATURE
PRESCOTT ARIZONA CAMPUS Nestled in the beautiful Bradshaw Mountains between Phoenix and the Grand Canyon, our Western campus is renowned for its excellent seasonal weather and outdoor activities, such as skiing, hiking, mountain biking, kayaking and rock climbing, to name just a few.
QUANTUM GRAVITY
CAMPUS PROFILE
s 3,100 Undergraduate Students s 50 States / 46 Countries Represented s 9% International Students Student Clubs + Organizations Our Arizona campus is home to countless student clubs ranging from the Mountain Biking Club to the Society of Women Engineers and from the Blue Eagles Skydiving Team to the Brotherhood of Steel, as well as a variety of intramural and recreational sports.
Athletics Women’s s Basketball
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ARIZONA CAMPUS
Student Researchers Make Quantum Leaps The new frontier of physics is infinitesimally small. But exciting discoveries are being made one micrometer at a time — even among some of the field’s most time-tested concepts, as an Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University team has found.
“I think our work will benefit the physics industry as a whole. We’re working to learn and develop more science and physics, more than what we currently know. It’s what we all strive for — to contribute something to knowledge, even if it feels little.” Janessa Slone ’23 Space Physics After getting hooked on physics in high school and learning about the research opportunities at Embry-Riddle, Slone said Bailey sparked her interest in theoretical physics with his enthusiasm for general relativity. For this project, much of Slone’s responsibilities consisted of checking the team’s work, which she said provided great satisfaction — especially when her work confirmed theirs. Slone wants to continue studying theoretical physics and has applied to various graduate schools around the country with hopes of one day working for NASA or the National Laboratories. The research team also included doctoral candidate Kellie O’Neal-Ault and Space Physics graduate Jennifer James (’22), who is now pursuing her Ph.D. in physics.
“What we are doing is testing gravity,” said Quentin Bailey, professor of Space Physics at Embry-Riddle’s Prescott Campus. “We want to see if the laws of gravity according to Newton and Einstein still hold true at very small scales.” Isaac Newton’s universal law of gravitation explains gravity as a force of attraction between all matter. But scientists in the centuries since Newton have begun to wonder if the physics that apply to apples and planets can change at the very smallest levels. Over the past two years, Bailey led a team of undergraduate research students on a mission to discover what Newton never had a chance to test: How do the rules of gravity apply at the quantum level? Their findings have recently been published in the peer-reviewed journal Classical and Quantum Gravity. Based on the team’s experiments, gravitational forces appear to behave the same at micrometer distances as they do on a huge, universal scale. But many physicists like Bailey are interested to see if this holds at smaller, unexplored distances. “We don’t know much about gravity at very small distances,” Bailey said. “We know it works on planetary scales and larger scales, like solar system and galaxy scales, and even larger scales comparable to the size of the universe.” Exploring these questions was exactly what student researcher Janessa Slone (’23) wanted to do, and she was thrilled to get the chance while still an undergraduate.
PUBLISHED The paper authored by Bailey, Slone, James and O’Neal-Ault is called “Short-range forces due to Lorentz-symmetry violation” and was published in January 2023. HANDS-ON DAY ONE Embry-Riddle undergraduates are given unique opportunities to take part in high-level faculty-sponsored research projects thanks to grants from NASA and the National Science Foundation, among others, along with support from Embry-Riddle’s Undergraduate Research Institute.
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