Embry-Riddle sponsors aerobatic performer

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is now an official sponsor of award-winning aerobatic pilot Matt Chapman.

“As a captain for American Airlines and an exhilarating aerobatic performer, Matt is a great role model who gets kids excited about aviation,” said Embry-Riddle President John P. Johnson. “I think Matt will be able to help us in recruiting students to Embry-Riddle.”
The university and Matt Chapman Airshows will coordinate on cross-promotions such as aircraft markings, pilot and crew uniforms, print advertisements, websites and appearances at air shows and other venues. Chapman’s aircraft, a CAP 580 with a custom-modified 330-horsepower Lycoming engine, can reach speeds in excess of 240 mph, pull up to 10 g’s, and roll at a rate of 400 degrees per second - all within a few feet of the ground. He started flying in 1979 and has accrued 16,000 hours of flight time, with 3,000 of those hours in aerobatic aircraft. As a captain with American Airlines he flies the MD-80. He is a 20-year veteran of the air show circuit.

For more information, please visit www.mattchapman.com and www.embryriddle.edu

Webster University registration for Summer 2007

Webster University has opened registration for its summer term, which runs from May 26 to July 27. Webster’s master level courses are conducted evenings and Saturdays at the Merritt Island and Palm Bay campuses, and weeknights at the Patrick AFB Campus and are designed for the working professional. Graduate degree programs include MBA, Business and Organizational Security Management, Information Technology Management, Computer Science, Management and Leadership, Human Resources, Procurement and Acquisition Management, Public Administration and Counseling. Webster’s five 9-week accelerated terms per year enable students to complete a master’s degree in as little as 15 months.

For more information, please visit www.webster.edu

Embry-Riddle introduces Six Sigma online courses

The Center for Professional Education at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is offering certified Six Sigma Green Belt and Black Belt online courses, in association with the American Society for Quality, that prepare individuals for the ASQ certification examination.

Six Sigma is a set of practices originally developed by Motorola to systematically improve processes by eliminating defects. The new web-based learning program offered by the center is geared to thoroughly prepare organizations and business professionals for ASQ’s certified Six Sigma Green Belt and Black Belt examinations. The curriculum is designed to go beyond the minimum requirements for a passing grade and provides individuals with the tools necessary to effect change in their careers and organizations.

For more information, please visit www.embryriddle.edu

Florida public universities partner with Oracle

Oracle announced that the State of Florida Public Universities, comprised of 11 universities, have elected to enhance their current investments in Oracle software and services to help increase data reliability and augment data sharing capabilities among institutions.

Through a five-year consortium agreement brokered for the 11 public universities, but with all of the 39 state universities and community colleges listed on the agreement. Oracle software and services will now support more students, faculty and staff than ever before. In addition, several institutions that currently use Oracle's PeopleSoft Enterprise applications to improve efficiency and enhance constituent service can take advantage of the latest Oracle software to improve their application performance.

For more information, please visit www.oracle.com

Embry-Riddle students set launch record

A team of Aerospace Engineering students from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University made history in March when they successfully launched their two-stage Icarus rocket from NASA Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. With 3,500 pounds of thrust in the first stage and 900 pounds in the second stage, the rocket set an altitude record for a student-built vehicle - 37.8 miles - and became the first two-stage student sounding rocket to launch from a NASA facility.

“The Embry-Riddle student-designed rocket was the most complex student project we have supported to date,” said Phil Eberspeaker, chief of NASA’s Sounding Rockets Program Office. “NASA subjects these student rockets to the same scrutiny as a NASA sounding rocket to ensure the flight can be conducted in a safe manner.”

For more information, please visit www.icarusrocket.com and
www.embryriddle.edu

High-tech flash cards

PC Flash Cards is a computer-based study aid based on the flash card study method and eliminates the need for hand-written flash cards. Users can quickly enter information, organize their flash cards and even add images. Students can use PC Flash Cards on the computer, print out their flash cards, and even sync their flash cards to their PDAs for on-the-go studying. The program includes robust, automated quizzing, random quizzing and reverse-quiz features, cards can be imported and exported by study buddies, and all flash cards can be uploaded to PCFlashCards.com for sharing with other students. To date, the site contains around 39,000 cards.

For more information, please visit www.pcflashcards.com

Floridians consider becoming teachers

Twenty-eight percent of college-educated Floridians would consider changing careers to become kindergarten through 12 grade teachers, according to a poll released recently by The Tarrance Group. The poll indicates that individuals are motivated to become teachers through programs that allow them to pursue certification while working in their current jobs. Individuals are also motivated to change careers and become teachers in programs that are less expensive than traditional routes to certification and do not require additional college coursework.

“This research provides hope to Florida parents that the teacher shortage afflicting their state can truly be solved from within their state,” said ABCTE President David W. Saba. “ABCTE will continue to recruit talented individuals into our state-approved Passport to Teaching program through effective marketing campaigns in Florida.”

ABCTE launched a direct mail and internet outreach campaign in April to recruit more candidates for its Passport to Teaching program, which is designed to meet the specific needs of career changers. Passport to Teaching requires candidates to hold a bachelor’s degree in any subject area, pass a rigorous subject matter exam, pass a rigorous pedagogy exam and pass a background check. No additional college coursework is required, and individuals do not need to quit their current jobs as they prepare for certification.

For more information, please visit www.abcte.org and www.tarrance.com

New Miami museum has big plans

Planned for development on four acres in Museum Park, formerly known as Bicentennial Park, the new Miami Science Museum will create engaging and innovative experiences of science and technology within more than 200,000 square feet of exhibits, galleries, laboratories, presentation and public use spaces. The new museum is scheduled to open its doors in 2011 adjacent to the Miami Art Museum. Structurally, the museum will be designed to meet LEED standards for being designated a green building, and therefore energy efficient and environmentally friendly.

For more information, please visit www.miamisci.org

Summer Camp explores coastal ocean, lagoon and creeks

Florida Tech’s 2007 Marine and Environmental Science Summer Camp is open to students entering the sixth through 12th grades. The camp, which meets from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 23-27, is a week-long odyssey of discovery. Students will enjoy fresh air and exercise, exploring Brevard’s coastal ocean, the Indian River Lagoon and small creeks. They will take a boat tour, test water quality, sample and identify estuarine and marine plankton, fish with a seine in seagrass beds and more. Registration is due by July 6. The camp costs $325 per student for day campers or $575, which also covers meals and lodging, for out-of-town participants.

For more information, contact Tonya Mitchell at 674-8096, or e-mail dmes@fit.edu or visit www.fit.edu

Florida Tech student earns environmental fellowship

Florida Institute of Technology student Krystal Forgenie, who is working toward a master’s degree in environmental resource management, was awarded a $1,000 Kimley-Horn-Don Beccasio Fellowship. Forgenie earned her bachelor’s degree from Florida Tech in business and environmental studies. She intends to focus on managing the sustainability of water resources for her master’s thesis topic.

The fellowship is awarded annually. Students applying must submit a one-page essay on the role of environmental consultants in providing optimal solutions to vital contemporary issues. Selection is based on the essay and the applicant’s academic record.

For more information, please visit www.fit.edu

NSF funds Florida Tech research proposal

Ten students from universities nationwide will participate in a National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates experience at Florida Tech and the University of Central Florida this summer. The program, in machine learning, is funded by NSF REU grants totaling $299,451 to the universities. The principal investigator is Georgios Anagnostopoulos, assistant professor in Florida Tech’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

The students, half at Florida Tech and half at UCF, will conduct research in machine learning from May 15 to July 21. They will display their work in a symposium at the end of the program and are expected to present their results at interdisciplinary conferences and, potentially, will publish the results in technical journals.

For more information, please visit www.fit.edu

Embry-Riddle students train with 10 Diamond aircraft

Flight students at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University will enjoy a jet-like training experience when the Daytona Beach campus takes delivery of 10 new Diamond DA42 Twin Star aircraft in the Summer and Fall semesters, 2007. The aircraft sophisticated avionics qualify it as a “technically advanced aircraft,” a Federal Aviation Administration designation developed with help from faculty in Embry-Riddle’s aeronautical science program.

“The DA42 Twin Star will give Embry-Riddle a complete glass-cockpit fleet, starting with our single-engine aircraft and culminating with our Canadair regional jet simulator,” said Tim Brady, dean of the College of Aviation at the university’s Daytona Beach campus. “We call it the ‘Embry-Riddle Edge.’ ”

The aircraft cockpit offers a Garmin G1000 electronic display and autopilot and features single-lever power controls for the engine, which offers jet-like thrust control. The diesel-powered, twin-engine aircraft burns the same Jet-A1 fuel used by airliners, making it twice as efficient as comparable dual-engine airplanes. The DA42 is built of a lightweight composite material that is impervious to corrosion.

For more information, please visit www.diamondaircraft.com and www.embryriddle.edu