ERAU Milestones & Achievements: February 2016

Distinguished Scholar Award

Two Embry-Riddle undergraduate students received scholarships at the 73rd Annual Wings Club Awards Gala at the Waldorf Astoria in New York.

The Wings Club was established in New York City in 1942 and today is considered the premier aviation club in the world, dedicated to preserving the history and traditions of aviation.

Matthew Philbin, a senior majoring in Aeronautical Science with a minor in Business Administration at the Daytona Beach Campus, was a recipient of the $10,000 Distinguished Scholar Award. Philbin holds an FAA Commercial Pilot’s Certificate and hopes to someday work as a flight and airline operations professional.

“I’m truly honored to be recognized by the Wings Club,” said Philbin. “Having the opportunity to network with some of aviation’s most distinguished individuals was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I’m exceptionally grateful for the Wings Club Foundation’s investment in my education at Embry-Riddle.”

Jonathan Clark, a junior at the Prescott Campus, was named one of two Wings Club Foundation Scholars for 2015 and received a full year’s tuition scholarship of $30,000. Clark is pursuing a B.S. in Aeronautical Science with the goal of receiving an MBA in Aviation Business Administration and becoming a pilot for a major airline.

“It was an amazing honor to be recognized by the leaders of the aviation industry,” said Clark. “Winning the scholarship and meeting the Wings Club members, who are aviation and aerospace leaders in the U.S. and around the world, was priceless.”

Space Florida and the NASA Florida Space Grant Consortium

Heather Wernke, a Space Physics-Computational Mathematics senior at the Daytona Beach Campus, has received a $21,000 grant from Space Florida and the NASA Florida Space Grant Consortium. Wernke will be working with Dr. Mark Reynolds, Associate Professor of Physics, to further refine his research to apply a new method for analyzing the magnetic field that is measured by spacecraft orbiting the sun.

The Florida Space Grant Consortium research endeavors combine the efforts of professors, students and researchers in projects of high intellectual merit.

NASCAR-Chevrolet Diversity Scholarship

NASCAR and Chevrolet have awarded Maria Kaselow Salas a $10,000 scholarship for finishing first in the NASCAR-Chevrolet Diversity Scholarship Contest. The contest challenged college students to a create 90-second video identifying a specific technology within the sport and explain how STEM professionals came up with its design.

Salas, an Aviation Business Administration major at the Daytona Beach Campus, won the scholarship by illustrating the physics behind track banking in a video demonstration at a local skateboard park.

Salas was treated to a VIP experience at a NASCAR Sprint Cup race at the Texas Motor Speedway, including a tour of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series garage, pace car rides and meet-and-greets with Team Chevy drivers.

UAS Professional Program

A first-ever three-day Professional Programs course on Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) at the Daytona Beach Campus welcomed more than 30 participants from the aviation and aerospace industry, including several individuals from the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) UAS Integration Office. The seminar was taught by faculty subject-matter experts and covered the many facets of the burgeoning UAS industry. The course was designed to identify the key concepts, attributes and challenges of UAS operations. Eligible participants received the Small UAS Safety Awareness Certificate from the Unmanned Safety Institute.

“Our UAS seminar provided up-to-date relevant topics from operational best practices to Safety Management Systems (SMS) for high-caliber, inspired UAS professionals and federal policy makers,” said Dr. Joe Cerreta, Associate Professor of Aeronautical Science.

Seminar participant Rob Winn traveled from California to attend the three-day workshop. “As an FAA Airworthiness Inspector responsible for addressing UAS policies related to Maintenance and Inspection requirements, I came away with some great information that will enhance the FAA’s capabilities to enhance the safe integration of UAS into the national airspace,” he said.

The UAS course will be offered again June 7-9 at the Daytona Beach Campus. For more information, contact Sarah Ochs, Director of Professional Programs, at (386) 226-6928 or dbproed@erau.edu.

The Worldwide Campus also just wrapped up a two-part online UAS course for new users. The course, “Unmanned Aerospace Systems (UAS): Key Concepts for New Users,” was a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC).

The course was taught by Worldwide faculty and led by Dr. Patrick Ford, a Worldwide Assistant Professor of Aeronautics and consulting science advisor with the U.S. Navy. The MOOC addressed airspace issues, along with UAS basics, the UAS operating environment and the do’s and don’ts of UAS/recreational drone operations.

In Memoriam

A $15,000 scholarship is being established to honor the memory of Embry-Riddle senior Timothy Englehardt, who passed away Sept. 14, 2014. The Timothy M. Englehardt Memorial Scholarship for Meteorology, supported by family, friends and fellow Sigma Chi Fraternity, Eta Iota Chapter brothers, will provide financial support for a meteorology student on an annual basis.

Timothy was a senior at the Daytona Beach Campus, pursuing a career in broadcast meteorology. He was an active member of Sigma Chi, the university’s orientation team and he mentored fellow students with understanding and kindness. He received numerous awards during his time at Embry-Riddle, including being named a member of the Society of Collegiate Scholars.

At the time of his passing, Timothy had just completed a 2014 summer internship with WCVB, Channel 5 Boston, which supported his lifelong dream of becoming a chief meteorologist. Timothy attended Haverhill High School in Bradford, Mass., where he was a member of the varsity football team and the National Honor Society.

You may contribute to the Timothy M. Englehardt Memorial Scholarship for Meteorology.