STUDENT INSIGHTS
Emotions Drive Experience Emotional decision-making can affect not just the outcome of the decision, but the speed at which you make it.
Little Box – Big Data The flight recorder, commonly known as the black box, is an instrument that records the performance and condition of an aircraft in flight. Governmental regulatory agencies require these devices on commercial aircraft to make possible the analysis of crashes or other unusual occurrences.
NASTAR Center Environmental Tectonics Corporation’s (ETC) National AeroSpace Training and Research (NASTAR) Center is the premier commercial air and space training, research and educational facility. It combines state-of-the-art flight simulation with physiology-based courseware to optimize human performance in extreme environments.
Emma Rasmussen ’23 AVIATION BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Detecting Emotion Emma Rasmussen was among a group of undergraduates working on research to monitor the emotional reactions of airline passengers during their travel experience. The project, supported by the Business Philanthropy Council as well as the Undergraduate Research Institute is being led by Dr. Stathis Kefallonitis, associate professor in the College of Business, Security and Intelligence. It uses bio-sensory technologies like eye tracking and functional magnetic resonance imaging in order to gauge the emotions of participating passengers. Rasmussen said the research opportunity, with its “unique research methods and goals” will help her to stand out to future employers and “make for an interesting conversation about the direction our industry is headed in a post-COVID world.”
Christopher Vanacore ’22 SPACEFLIGHT OPERATIONS
Going for a Spin As an aspiring astronaut, Christopher Vanacore knows he will face mentally and physically demanding training. He was thrilled for the chance to do a session in the National Aerospace Training and Research (NASTAR) human centrifuge. The machine simulates the Virgin Galactic suborbital spaceflight profile and reaches a G-force of over six, or the equivalent of six times the force of gravity felt on Earth. “I thought it would be a fun, exciting ride,” said Vanacore, who is majoring in Spaceflight Operations. “But as soon as I got to the facility and saw the scientists perform dry test runs of the human centrifuge, I gulped.” Although he has plenty of hurdles ahead before he reaches his goal of heading for orbit, Vanacore said the centrifuge session put at least one unknown — the G-force factor — to rest.
8 | Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
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