So Long!!!!

Posted on September 13, 2016 by Cherie

I am officially signing off for good. It has been an awesome four years blogging for all of our readers out there but, its time to go!! I am happy to say that I have a job now, in the “real world” as the professors at ERAU like to call it.

As some of you know from my previous blogs I got my job through AFROTC, which I was involved in over the last 4 years at Riddle. It is a great program and if you are willing to give it a shot you can learn a lot about yourself while securing a future position in the Air Force. Not everyone makes it through but, boy does it feel good if you are one of the lucky ones who does!

With that said, Thanks again to everyone who read my blog, and to the amazing staff who help us bloggers post our stuff online! Now I get to go somewhere cool to do something fun!!!!! Bye 🙂 🙂

Advice for our Newcomers in 2016!!!

Posted on August 23, 2016 by Cherie

Hey there everyone it’s that time of year again where we welcome our new freshman!! Being a freshman in college can be an uncertain time for those moving far from home so a few upperclassman have contributed to provide our newcomers with some great advice.

From Shelly (Senior) –The major question that freshman always ask me is what they should bring to college. Here is a list of the stuff that I found pretty useful:

Printer
Computer
Earplugs or noise canceling headphones (trust me these are a necessity!!)
A car 🙂
3 Flash drives (you will probably loose or break one so having back ups is key)
Sturdy Back pack
A few plates, cups, one pot, one pan, and one set of silverware
Pictures of the family
A rain coat and an all weather coat for when it snows
A good pair of boots that can handle rain or snow
Lots of sweaters!!!! (the weather can be crazy cold during the winter)

From Bryan (Junior) — People always ask me what they should get involved in as a freshman so they can make a lot of friends. What I did was join a fraternity, so far its been pretty sweet and I really enjoy it. The fraternity gives me chances to help in the community and connect to other fraternity members in the US. The connections have really helped especially as I am starting to look for jobs and internships. Oh and, getting a job on campus helps a lot too.

It’s me again! I hope that this advice from some of our other upperclassman has helped, please feel free to ask any questions I’m sure I can find someone to answer them for you!!! Thanks for reading 🙂

Great Opportunity – the NASA Intern Program

Posted on May 3, 2016 by Cherie

Hey everybody I just got back from an awesome NASA Symposium in Tucson where my research partner and I presented on the topic we have been investigated this past year. The conference was a lot of fun and it was cool to see tons of other projects that interns from all over the state have been working on.

My Research Partner and I at the Symposium

Our research looked into annular wings and devices which can be used to control the aerodynamic forces acting on them. The experience working with NASA’s intern program was super cool and I highly recommend that any ERAU student interested in doing research to get involved with the program. Here’s where you can find out more.

After the symposium ended we got to check out one of the largest mineral collections in the world which was housed on ASU’s campus. The exhibit is incredible and it was so interesting to see so many rare specimens.

We then headed off to the Pima Air Museum and checked out the hundreds of aircraft stored there. It was breath taking to see so many aircraft all in one place, all perfectly restored to their original condition.

If you ever have a chance to stop in Tuscon there are tons of awesome things to see and do. The best time to check them out is at a research symposium so get involved here during your time at Embry-Riddle. If you have any questions about our research on annular wings or on the fun stuff we were able to see and do please feel free to ask!

AFROTC – Answers to Your Questions

Posted on April 4, 2016 by Cherie

Hey there everyone per request I am dedicating this post to answering some important questions about AFROTC at Embry-Riddle Prescott!

This is a major question: How do I join ROTC?

There are a few ways to join. You can apply for a scholarship at the AFROTC website and if you get the scholarship you will bring that here to Embry-Riddle OR you can simply sign up! I recommend signing up with the detachment well before you arrive on campus. However, if you are not sure about it until the last minute or even part way through a semester you can probably still join.
When you join I highly encourage you to attend “zero week” it starts a few days before the “normal” students arrive on campus. Being at “zero week” allows you to get an edge on all the other cadets as you receive uniforms, basic training on marching/customs/courtesies, and you can get all your in processing paper work done. It saves you a lot of time and stress later.

2. Is everyone who joins guaranteed a scholarship?

Unfortunately, no. If you do not come in with a scholarship you compete against your classmates to receive one. So keep in mind that you must perform well during your first semester, this includes keeping your GPA up! With that said Detachment 028 is well known for getting tons of scholarships and awards so this is definitely the best detachment to join!

3. How should I prepare?

The best way to prepare is to exercise!!!!!!!!!!! We take a physical fitness assessment known as the PFA. It consists of a 1.5 mi run 1 minute of pushups and 1 minute of situps. If you can’t pass a PFA you can’t stay in the Detachment so please come prepared! We want to help you succeed as a cadet and fitness is the one factor that you have ABSOLUTE control of.
If you can join a JROTC unit to prepare then you will already have a basic knowledge of AF drill, customs, and courtesies. If not, don’t worry about it. We will teach you when you arrive 🙂

If you have additional questions please feel free to ask them below or give us a call at 928-777-6600 you will directed to the AFROTC office where you can get all the info you need!!!! Thanks for reading!

One Month Left!

Posted on March 28, 2016 by Cherie

Classes are finished on April 29th and as it stands we are a month away from Summer break!!! We are all really excited to be finishing up this semester but, I wanted to give y’all a brief update on what I’ve been doing this past few months.

The major project I’ve been working on this semester is the Detail Design of the aircraft that my team conceptualized last semester. The detail work began with building a 1/48 scale model of the full size aircraft and testing it in the closed circuit wind tunnel in the Tracy Dorlyand Wind Tunnel Lab. Testing was not only super fun but, informative too. We tested parametric variations of the model to determine the maximum and minimum aerodynamic loads it would receive. Our test results came out just as we had expected and we are happily feeding them back into the design right now to see what improvements to the original design we can make.

The 3D Printers used for making our model parts!

Once we finish that we will be working on our final presentation which will take place on April 29! If you are visiting the University on that day make sure to have a look at all the interesting Senior Capstone Presentations. If you are looking into engineering you may be working on a similar project in the future 🙂

Other than that I have just been doing regular school work, AFROTC, Space Grant Research, and volunteering. It has been a fun, crazy, and somewhat relaxed semester all at the same time. If you have any questions about what the average day in the life of a senior at ERAU is like feel free to ask! Thanks for reading everyone!

Buying a Car as a College Student

Posted on February 22, 2016 by Cherie

If you are one of those poor college kids suddenly faced with the need to purchase a car then here are some really good questions to ask yourself:

How long do you need the car?
How will you pay for the car?
What type of car suits your needs?
Will you buy new or used?
What type of insurance will you need?
Vehicle Registration on Campus ($80)

These are the most important aspects that you need to think about before you make such a big decision. Before you even start looking for cars you need to have a plan so, figure out your finances before you start looking and find an insurance company that will work well for you.

Another factor to consider is finding a car you need not one you want. When you graduate and get a real job you will have to start paying off student loans so don’t get a ridiculous sports car that will drain your finances. If you can’t pay off your car and you can’t pay off your student loans you will wind up in big trouble. Be smart, get an affordable and reliable car which will allow you to travel with your belongings if need be.

Don’t forget that when you bring your new car on campus you have to register it with the Campus Safety Office. The fee is $80 and the parking permit is valid for a full calendar year. For more info on how to accomplish registering your vehicle check out the Safety website.

This applies to our incoming students as well, you are adults now so embrace the chance to make your first big decision. This decision should be one that makes you proud 🙂 Good luck everyone, hope the advice helped, and thanks for reading!!

Engineering Detail Design Course – Hard Work and Very Rewarding

Posted on February 2, 2016 by Cherie

A major part of your student career at Embry-Riddle is the capstone course. For engineers the capstone course is comprised of two semesters/courses known as Preliminary and Detail Design. As a student in my freshman year I knew nothing about these two courses and towards the end of my junior year I began hearing quite abit about them. I wish I had known what the two courses entailed much earlier as I would have definitely restructured my game plan as far as fundamental courses go.

Team Daedalus on the last day of the Preliminary Design Course

The Preliminary Design course essentially forces you to use all of the resources you have learned in the past three years at college. You will work crazy hours, get frustrated but you will fall in love with what you are doing. The course teaches you how to be a leader and a member of a team, how to face problems and fix them, but, most important it teaches pride in your work. At the end of the semester you should have an outstanding product and an increased knowledge of professional engineering.

When you move into the Detail Design course you are verifying the information that you presented at the conclusion of the Preliminary Design semester. There are many options to verify assertions. The primary one is wind tunnel testing but, often students choose to fabricate a working prototype of their concept in order to prove that it works. No matter what your team chooses to do the process is extremely rewarding as you get to see how your intuition created a viable product.

I would highly recommend that every student entering these courses attempts to be a program manager or design team lead. As a PM or DTL you are the face of the team, responsible for the schedule, budget, and work produced by the team. I have been a PM for the last two semesters and although it has been very hard it has been extremely rewarding. For those ladies out there, don’t be intimidated, you are just as qualified to lead a team as any other member in your class. In my section of Preliminary and Detail Design I am the only female and I am one of two Program Managers. As long as you are a good manager you will do well but, don’t worry mistakes happen. No one is born a perfect manager and it takes alot of mistakes to figure out your management style. Just hang in there, do good work, take care of your people, and admit when you make a mistake. That’s really all it takes 🙂

I hope this information is helpful to our incoming students as well as our up and coming leaders in the Capstone courses! Thanks for reading!

Welcome to Spring 2016!

Posted on January 14, 2016 by Cherie

Welcome back everyone and to our newcomers, welcome to Embry-Riddle Prescott! It is a frigid start to the spring semester however, it holds huge potential as all of us have yet another opportunity to shape our futures. I know that the previous statement seems cliche but, the material you learn aids in your job search later down the road. Many students, as long as their GPAs are decent, are picked up by companies based off of the material they learn in college.

As Embry Riddle is ranked as one of the top schools in the U.S. students have an edge on the job market when it comes time to start applying. Essentially, what you put into your studies at Embry-Riddle is what you get out of them. I hope that everyone remembers this when the going gets rough this semester and that it will be a good one!

If you are interested in joining us here at Embry-Riddle Prescott then feel free to check us out by scheduling a visit or calling today! We look forward to hearing from you 🙂

All Wrapped up for the Fall Semester!

Posted on December 21, 2015 by Cherie

It’s official, the semester is finally over and our new graduates are on their way!! (check out our photos)

As everyone heads home for the holidays its a wonderful time of year here in Prescott, AZ and I’m sure we are all ready for a break. However, most students must travel quite a ways to get home so, in order to expedite the trip home and ensure that you do so safely, here are some travel tips!

Get plenty of rest the night before you leave town, especially if you are driving!
If you are driving DO NOT drive more than 6 hours without taking a break. Also remain vigilant as other drivers may not be as good of a driver as you and could cause an accident.
For our flyers, take lots of vitamin C so you don’t catch a cold on those crowded planes.
If you have a place off campus be sure to turn down your heat to 55-60 F, turn off all the lights, close all windows and doors, etc. before you leave.

Brief but, useful tips! I hope that everyone has safe travels back home this year and hopefully we will see our returning students again soon. Thanks for reading everyone!!

Three Weeks Left of the Fall Semester

Posted on November 16, 2015 by Cherie

Finals are now only 3 weeks away! It is that time of year where things are starting to get serious and projects are all due. This can be a stressful time of year but, remember to take your time to relax and refresh yourself so you don’t get too stressed.

If you are not going home for Thanksgiving there are tons of things to do in order to relax. You can go kayaking, take a hike, drive around the state, and get some rest before those finals hit. Even though you are relaxing however, do not neglect those projects. Getting them done during Thanksgiving break is critical as it will give you all the time you need to study for finals when you return to school.

This year the week after Thanksgiving is the last week before finals so its even more critical to relax but be productive during break. You can also be productive by reviewing course materials in preparation for finals as well. If you do not have any projects due after break then take advantage of the free time and study!

I know it sucks to have work to do during break but, its part of being a college student so its gotta get done.

Here’s my advice:The best way to balance work with pleasure is to take the first two days of break off to clear your head. Then over the remaining time left in break do 2-3 hours of work a day, this way you still get to relax but, you have a great time as well!!

I hope this advice has helped, have an awesome Thanksgiving break and don’t neglect your school work!