As this is my first Blog, I would like to take the opportunity to introduce myself. This is my third year at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, studying Aerospace Engineering, with a concentration in Astronautics. I am also pursuing an Electrical Engineering Minor.

I am originally from Spring, Texas, which used to be about 20-25 miles north of Houston, but as Houston has expanded to meet us, Spring has now practically become North Houston. Before school I lived with both of my parents, my younger sister, three dogs, and a cat.

My current classes are Aircraft Structures I, Aeronautics I, Space Mechanics, Thermodynamics, and Engineering Economics.

Last semester I was away on an internship with NASA’s Cooperative Education Program at the Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards, CA. From January 20 through July 31st, I worked in the Aircraft Simulation department developing a software program for generating Monte Carlo Simulation Scripts and designing hardware components for the Aircraft Simulation Cockpits. A return to school with a little taste of what lies ahead in my career, and a renewed excitement to continue with my studies.

My extracurricular activities include Horizons Newspaper (ERAU Prescott’s Campus Newspaper), Silver Wings, Campus Academic Mentoring, Embry-Riddle e-communications, and 1,2,3 Step Dance Club. For Horizons I write, edit and do layout as a Columnist and the Diversions Section Editor. Silver Wings is a service organization that supports the community through events like highway cleanups and canned food drives, as well as supports the military through events like volunteering to help out at events like the Veteran’s Day Parade at the Veteran’s Hospital. I have been President, Development Officer, and Activities Officer for the club in the past. At the beginning of my sophomore year, I was selected to be a College of Engineering Campus Academic Mentor, where I teach and mentor a group of freshman students each fall with their Faculty adviser in a class called College Success, and more commonly referred to as UNIV 101. As an Embry-Riddle e-communications student employee, I write this blog, as well as help support the Facebook account for ERAU Prescott (http://www.facebook.com/embryriddle) and I post tweets at ERAU Prescott’s Twitter account (http://twitter.com/ERAUPrescott) and on my own Twitter account (http://twitter.com/Riddle_Kerianne). I am also a member of the ERAU Social Network (http://embryriddle.ning.com/). 1,2,3 Step Dance Club is a fun outlet for me. It is a dance club where students bring their own knowledge of dance styles and teach the rest of the class. For example, I came to one class and taught Country-Western Line Dancing, Wheel Dances, the Texas Two-Step, and the real Cotton-Eyed Joe Dance. Other students have taught lessons like Latin Dances including the Tango, Salsa and Meringue.

I consider one of my greatest achievements to be having a life on top of all of my classes and extracurricular activities (which can be quite challenging at times), a factor which I have found to be vital to my success as a student.

In my spare time you will likely find me writing, reading a science fiction novel or science magazine, scrap-booking, sketching, painting, hanging out with my friends, or starting spontaneous dance parties.

So that, in a nutshell, is me. 🙂

This picture was taken last February at the Dryden Flight Research Center during my 6.5 month internship.  Dryden is an alternative landing site for the Space Shuttle when weather prevents it from landing in Florida.  When the shuttle does land at Dryden, it rides piggy-back on a 747 back to Florida.  In the picture I am sitting in the cockpit of one of the 747s that carries the Space Shuttle Orbiter back home.