Triple Threat: Three Brothers on the Path to Success at Embry-Riddle

Casey Troxler chose to attend Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University for its small class sizes and access to hands-on projects. Entering as a Mechanical Engineering undergraduate student, he felt the school was such a good fit that he ended up staying for his master’s and then doctorate — and soon, his two younger brothers followed suit.

“They would come down here to visit me,” said Casey, the oldest of the three brothers, who is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering with a focus on Heat Transfer and Fluid Dynamics. “And they decided they liked Embry-Riddle for the same reasons I did.”

The three brothers — Casey, Corey and Connor — grew up in Annapolis, Maryland, with their father, a heating and air conditioning technician, and mother, a high school teacher.

Middle brother Corey, who graduated this month with a bachelor’s in Uncrewed & Autonomous Systems (UAS), said a love of racing and surfing is what drew him to the Daytona Beach Campus, and the highlight of his time here was driving for the university’s Formula SAE team. Another high point was when his company, Pulse Guard Connect, won the Space Technology Repurposed flight at Embry Riddle’s ninth-annual TREP Expo this past November for its innovative heart-monitoring device.

Corey, who’s built a reputation on campus for his welding expertise — he’s welded for a variety of engineering projects, from the Formula SAE and Coed Women's Baja SAE team to the Pure Water Project — also landed a job with Naval Sea Systems Command, in the Washington, D.C. area after graduation.

Youngest brother Connor is a sophomore Mechanical Engineering student, with a focus in energy systems, like Casey. Connor said he was involved in robotics in high school and that it was a bonus that Casey was here to show him around.

Now a Thermal Science Laboratory research assistant and teaching assistant for the Energy Systems Capstone Courses, Casey is busy working on research in the area of phase change materials and additive manufacturing with Dr. Sandra Boetcher, a Mechanical Engineering professor. But he still finds time to catch up with his brothers.

“It’s nice to run into a friendly face,” said Casey. “And we all meet up for dinner every once in a while.”

Casey Troxler, who is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering with a focus on Heat Transfer and Fluid Dynamics, is a research assistant in the Thermal Science Laboratory. (Photo: Embry‑Riddle/David Massey)

A Triple Eagle’s Journey

Casey Troxler’s time at Embry-Riddle has opened the door to many internship opportunities.

The summer after his freshman year, he served as a product development intern at Textron Kautex, a fuel tank manufacturer in Troy, Michigan. Then, the following summer, he worked as a manufacturing engineering intern at Lycoming Engines in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. In 2019, he interned at the Naval Nuclear Laboratory, operated by Fluor Marine Propulsion, LLC.

“That internship solidified my interest in heat transfer and thermodynamics,” said Casey.

During the coronavirus outbreak, Casey spent a couple of years conducting research on campus before he was chosen in 2022 for a scholarship as an Energy Storage Intern at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado. He returned to intern at NREL in 2023.

“There is nothing quite like a national lab. It’s exceptional just to be in that environment,” he said. “It really accelerated my ability to do research. It was life-changing.”

Casey has also been awarded several other scholarships and awards. He earned an honorable mention in the Innovation in Buildings (IBUILD) Graduate Research Fellowship program, managed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He was also selected for a Graduate Student Grant-In-Aid for up to $10,000, for the 2023-2024 academic year, from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).

He credits Boetcher for her guidance throughout his academic career.

“Dr. Boetcher is a really good advisor and has taught me how the research world works,” Casey said. “She has helped me improve my academic writing skills for papers and proposals, and I now am able to mentor undergraduate students.”

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