Featured News

Mission accomplished! Composed of seven Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University engineering students, Team Tiber Designs has successfully fired the Prescott campus’ first liquid rocket engine inside a brand new test facility as part of their senior capstone project in the College of Engineering. The project was named Janus and Testcell 3.

An analysis of records regarding Florida children in foster care between 2010 and 2017, completed at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, suggests a new way to inform decisions about child welfare services.

In keeping with Embry-Riddle’s intense focus on aviation safety, Embry-Riddle students and faculty at a recent high-level conference highlighted the importance of structured protocols to improve patient healthcare. “In the world of aviation, clear communication and procedural discipline are critical to safety,” said Joseph R. Keebler, associate professor of Human Factors and Behavioral Neurobiology. “Our research applies those same values to help reduce risks in hospital settings, particularly in patient handoff situations.” The goal of the research is to inform best practices in hospitals as well as military medical facilities.

On July 2, 2019, the Moon will block the Sun, treating viewers in South America to a total solar eclipse. Embry-Riddle’s Dr. Alan Liu will witness the spectacle from the Andes LIDAR Observatory in Cerro Pachón, Chile. He hopes to learn how the eclipse affects a super-cold region of the atmosphere called the mesosphere. Understanding disruptions of solar radiation in the mesosphere during the eclipse will help improve global circulation models, space weather prediction and global satellite navigation systems, said Liu, professor of Engineering Physics. With the totality of the upcoming solar eclipse passing directly over the Andes LIDAR Observatory in South America, Embry-Riddle researchers will have a unique opportunity to explore fundamental science questions, thanks to Liu’s founding role in establishing the observatory. “A solar eclipse shuts off heat and radiation to the atmosphere and it creates disturbances from the ground, all the way to the upper atmosphere,” Liu explained. “The effects of these disturbances last many hours after the sun’s shadow passes by.”

Embry-Riddle’s MicaPlex Facility Keeps Bringing Jobs to Florida

For the 13th consecutive year, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Phi Beta Lambda (PBL) Business Club dominated the PBL Arizona Leadership Competition, held April 12-13 at the Embry-Riddle Prescott campus.

Top executives in aviation at an Embry-Riddle panel discussion presented a picture of a booming industry that is meeting challenges with innovation, while career opportunities abound. “Working in aviation is an exciting world, it’s an exciting opportunity,” said panelist Edward Onwe, vice president and general manager at VT San Antonio Aerospace. “And of course, the demand for aviation workers will always be there.” Held April 8 at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Daytona Beach Campus, the “Business of Aviation and More” panel discussion featured Onwe, who represents a leading global maintenance, repair and overall company; Sherry Ortiz, senior vice president at United States Aircraft Insurance Group; Damon D'Agostino, president and CEO of Zephyrus Aviation Capital; and Steve Powell, CEO of Synensys and captain at Delta Air Lines.

Eagle alumnus and Airbus Americas CEO and Chairman Jeff Knittel is no stranger to change. In his 35 years in the aviation industry, he has launched a company that helped usher in the boom of aircraft leasing and, since transitioning to Airbus, has made it his mission not only to understand the current market but also to anticipate its permutations. That second part is the key, he told students at a Wednesday, April 10, panel discussion on the Daytona Beach Campus. Focusing on career exploration and evolution within the aviation industry, the event also featured Airbus Vice President for Research and Technology Amanda Simpson, as well as alumnae Melody Bruce, a level III stress engineer at Airbus’ Empennage In-Service Repair department, and Kim Friedle, principal engineer at the firm’s Mobile Engineering Center. Hosted as part of the Aerospace on Campus Series organized by The Wings Club and Aviation Week Network, the event offered students the opportunity to interact with leaders and employees of one of the world’s leading aerospace firms. Their discussion is paraphrased as follows:

Amy Ramos, a senior undergraduate at Embry-Riddle, and two accomplished graduate students – Karen Brun and Heidi Hammerstein – were selected to join a team of 13 talented female scientist-astronaut candidates who will serve as global ambassadors for space science and exploration. The trio was chosen by an astronautics research and education program called Project PoSSUM (Polar Suborbital Science in the Upper Mesosphere). The PoSSUM 13 ambassadors -- so-named to honor the legacy of an earlier group of female astronaut trainees known as the Mercury 13 – will lead student teams participating in an International Microgravity Challenge. Female students between the ages of 13 and 17 are being invited to propose science experiments to be performed in microgravity this October, in concert with the National Research Council of Canada and Project PoSSUM.

In partnership with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Citation Jet Pilots Association (CJP), the Bob Hoover Legacy Foundation has annually presented Embry-Riddle students with scholarships to pursue careers in aviation since 2013. This year’s recipients include Brandon Baber and Jacob Cook, both juniors at Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach Campus, as well as Prescott Campus students Matthew Gailey, a junior, and Otto Maytag, a sophomore. All four recipients of the $25,000 scholarships are studying to become professional pilots and were selected for the award based on their academic excellence, leadership skills, service to others, work ethic, financial need and a written essay demonstrating their passion for, and commitment to, the aviation industry.

Prescott, Ariz. and Wichita, Kan. – Delta Air Lines is No. 1, and JetBlue is No. 2, according to the 29th annual Airline Quality Rating (AQR), released today, Monday, April 8. The AQR is the most comprehensive study of performance and quality of the largest airlines in the United States. The rating is a multifactor examination of the airlines based on mishandled baggage, consumer complaints, on-time performance and involuntary denied boardings.

Embry-Riddle has honored artist, retired astronaut, Board of Trustees emerita and university alumna Mrs. Nicole Stott by dedicating an art gallery in her honor.

Students train in policy and regulation while developing their science and technology background.