Final Two weeks of the Spring Semester!

Posted on April 8, 2015 by Cherie

It is here, the final two weeks of the semester. Long awaited but, equally dreaded. I have two projects due on the 20th and so far they are going well. In my Structures II course myself and another student are working on the analysis of an F 16 C wing. The analysis includes lift distribution, shear, moment, torque, shear flow, stress distribution, panel buckling, ANSYS modeling, and finally a write up including the history of the aircraft. It seems like a lot but after two courses in structures it is actually pretty simply, we have had plenty of practice in each topic over the last year so it is coming along well.

The other project that I am working on with a team of 4 other students is in Experimental Aerodynamics.Basically we suspended a wire in front of the leading edge of a highly cambered wing and tested it at different angles of attack of the wire and of the airfoil. The testing was also completed at different distances of the wire from the leading edge. Overall, the results proved favorable as the maximum lift coefficient and angle at which stall was predicted to occur increased in both test cases.

To get the required data we had to rapid 3D print the airfoil, sand it, and adjust it for comparability with the balance that it was mounted to. We underwent 12 hours of testing to achieve our results and now we are working on the report. The report is in AIAA format and is so far incomplete but, I am hoping I can get it all wrapped up next week so it can be edited.

If you are interested in more information on coursework and the projects that you can be involved in please feel free to ask us! Thanks for reading everyone 🙂

Tips for Moving Off Campus

Posted on April 1, 2015 by Cherie

After freshman year many students get what we like to call the “off campus fever”, essentially they miss the division between being at home and being at school. It is extremely common for students to consider finding a place off campus after freshman year. However, it can present many unforeseen problems as well. For example, sometimes the costs are way higher than expected and most places come unfurnished or perhaps a friend bails out on you at the last second. To prevent these common problems you need to have a solid plan. So here are some questions to ask and tips that will help you when you are trying to find a place to live off campus.

1. Can everyone afford it even in a bad income month? (think about utilities, food, and fuel)

— get a spreadsheet together of everyone’s income and estimate the average costs for each month.

— Identify ways to save money like not getting cable or buying cheaper food items.

2. Is everyone you will be living with 100% committed?

— Confirm they won’t be on an internship next year.

— have the spoken to their parents about moving off campus?

3. Analyze what you will need

— what furniture do you have and what will each person need?

— do you have cooking utensils and if not how much will you need?

— mattresses are expensive and its best to buy one new, this can be a large unforeseen cost if you do not plan for it.

— do you need a car for transportation?

4. If you don’t have a car how are you going to get to campus?

— talk to people in your classes or mutual organizations.

— get to know who lives in the area you are planning on moving to, if you know them they can always give you a ride but, remember it will be at their convenience

5. Once you have your plan set up find a place that satisfies your financial and convenience needs.

6. Talk to the manager and apply several months in advance of the date you want to move!!! Off campus housing fills up fast, you are not the only one looking to move there!!!!

When all that is done sit back and wait, you will eventually get a phone call saying that you have secured a place to live. 🙂 It is not a hard stressful move if you are prepared well in advance.

embryAnd of course on-campus housing is always a good choice as well. You can’t beat the convenience of being on campus! If you have any questions feel free to ask us! Thanks for reading everyone!

Midterm Time Tools

Posted on March 26, 2015 by Cherie

Our second round of midterms begin this Friday!! After that there are only 28 days left before finals!!!! It is now down to that nerve wracking part of the semester when projects, presentations, final home works, and lab reports are due. It is simply amazing how fast yet another semester has gone but, as midterms approach the nerves never really go away.

If your a nervous test taker you know what I’m talking about, the sinking feeling in your stomach, the sweaty palms, and the panicked feeling as you search your brain for tiny details. It does get easier with time and practice but, there is always that initial feeling when you pick up that pencil and start staring down the midterm that will determine how hard you need to study for the final. For some reason midterms in college seem so much harder although they really shouldn’t, I mean you have done them all your life right?

Well, yes but, it can still be very difficult. So for our potential new freshman and current students who have some serious test nerves here are a few tricks that may help you out!

1. Take a deep breath and let it out!

2. Do not drink highly caffeinated drinks the day before your exam and within the hour before you take it. This will kill the jittery feeling in your stomach. Instead drink a lot of water the day before.

3. Get a good night of sleep, if possible have a regular sleep schedule for yourself.

4. Study in the gym, hop on a tread mill and put in those headphones while reading your notes. You burn off excess energy and stress which helps you focus!

5. Make your “cheat sheet” early and review it often.

6. Eat a well rounded dinner the night before and breakfast the day of to fuel your brain.

Finally, just relax, you know your stuff!! You are going to do great 🙂 Try this strategy out and if it works for you then do it again during finals, over time test anxiety goes away but, you have to put in the effort to make it so!

Preview Day is here!

Posted on March 26, 2015 by Cherie

If you happen to be visiting Embry-Riddle in Prescott this weekend for preview day feel free to grab a student you see wandering around campus and say hello!! The majority of students are very friendly (they won’t bite!) and all of them are willing to share their experiences with potential students.

Preview Day is a very exciting day for all of us here to meet our future potential freshman and recruit them into activities or organizations that they might enjoy. Each of our campus organizations are like a smaller family in a large community of students. We all get along well and support the other organizations by going to their events and fundraisers. Many campus organizations also do community service events. So if any of our new freshman are interested in gaining a family away from home and giving back to the community at the same time then please stop by the organization booths that will be set up on preview day 🙂 We would all love to meet you and help you find the perfect fit here at Riddle.

Preview Day is also a good day to check out our academic buildings on campus and meet some of the professors that you will be learning from in the future. Preview Day is all about YOU!!! College is one of the biggest growing/learning experiences you will have in your life so please come prepared with questions for our faculty, staff, and students. We would love to take part in your college decision and hopefully, make Embry Riddle the right place for you 🙂

ERAU AFROTC Advantage

Posted on March 18, 2015 by Cherie

Here at Embry-Riddle in Prescott, AZ our Det 028 Air Force ROTC has the privilege of getting to hear from amazing guest speakers who come to share their life experiences in the Active Duty Air Force. Most recently, several quest speakers shared inspiring stories of their military careers and good advice to current cadets who want to commission as officers in the Air Force. They spent their entire day getting to know cadets and answering questions about life in the Air Force. Last night one of the guests even did a low altitude fly over at Prescott’s Love Field, it was amazing!

Our detachment is very lucky to be well known in the Air Force community due to the ties that the world wide campus has with the military and as we produce slightly fewer pilot candidates from our campus than the Air Force Academy. So why not come and join us here as a cadet?

If you are interested in coming out to tour our beautiful campus and checking out DET 028 please contact us! As a cadet and a student here you too can meet some really amazing people who will inspire and cultivate your career goals!

Spring Break!

Posted on March 9, 2015 by Cherie

This week the Embry Riddle Prescott campus will be on spring break! Yay!! We are all very happy to have a nice break from school to relax and catch up on rest. However, spring break is also a great time to get out and see some new places. For those of us who are low on funds the best places to get out and see are in the local area. Prescott, Az is known for its fantastic hikes and gorgeous lake views so getting out in nature is one fun and literally priceless way to enjoy your spring break. If you do have a little extra cash then you can always take a quick road trip down to Phoenix or head up state to Sedona or Flagstaff. Those areas are all wonderful around this time of year and a quick visit allows you to learn more about the state while having a ton of fun!

If you can afford a longer road trip then Southern California is about 7 hours away, the trip is actually pretty fast and it is really fun to be able to relax on the beach for a little bit. The weather down there is also perfect for tanning this time of year! If your not up for that long of a trip however, Vegas is about 3 hours away and many of our current students live in Vegas so, if you have a close friend who happens to live there, you can crash at their place for a week to reduce costs.

Then of course there is always the classic parent funded spring break get away to Mexico, if you get to go there then you are so lucky!! Have fun, stay safe, and get a sweet tan!!

Whatever you are up to this spring break or for our potential students who, I am sure are already planning their first college spring break adventure, we here at Embry-Riddle hope you have a fun and safe trip!

Three Trophies to Air Force ROTC at SCIDM

Posted on March 4, 2015 by Cherie

The Air Force ROTC Honor Corps of Det 028 at Embry Riddle Prescott Az has proudly returned from the Southern Invitational Drill meet with three trophies!!!!! Our teams performed excellently this year and we are more than happy to be returning victorious.

For some who may not know what SCIDM is, it is a drill competition for both senior and junior level ROTC detachments in the nation. The competition celebrated its 50th year on Feb 28th with competition teams as far away as Washington and Utah. From Prescott, AZ it takes about 7 hours to make the trip into Redondo Beach and compete but, it is well worth it. The teams, Rifle, Sabre, and Honor Guard, spend about 10 hours a week perfecting each performance. We are known as one of best Corps in Northern Arizona and we are very proud of it as we put in large amounts of work every week.

If you are interested in joining AFROTC please consider joining a team on the Honor Corps. If you have any questions please let me know I am more than capable of answering them.

College Decisions

Posted on February 9, 2015 by Cherie

When it comes time to make those college decisions it can be pretty scary and intimidating. The best way to do it is to get all the facts. Find a college that has the major you want and if you change your mind about your major ensure that the college has something else your interested in doing. Also, check out there area you will be living in. Do you like the weather there? The city or a rural area? What is the culture like in that area? Make sure you also research stuff you can do in the area. This is something I did not do before I came here, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that there are a lot of interesting things to do (provided you have the $$) withing a 3 hour radius of Prescott.

Also, look into the living costs of the area. Check out the on campus housing and local housing in the area. When you choose to move off campus you will need to know how much it will cost and if you can afford it. You should also look into the job market in the area. Many college students pick up a job to get some extra cash or to help work there way through school.

The last thing you should check out is students feedback on the university. This blog is a great source of feedback and many universities have similar resources available for potential students to use. I personally, am glad that I chose Embry-Riddle. It is the best place for me academically and for my AFROTC career as well. If I had to make the choice over again I definitely would. 🙂 If you have any questions or requests please let me know!

Good Friends at Riddle

Posted on February 9, 2015 by Cherie

AFROTC!!!! Im in the middle 🙂

Since I have been at Embry-Riddle I have made many crazy awesome friends all because of AFROTC. Joining ROTC has definitely been my best decision yet and the friends I have made as a result will be long lasting due to the things that we have been through together. From day one with my flight in zero week we began a training journey with shared experiences, struggles, and sacrifices. Unfortunately, not everyone has made it through to junior year but, regardless we are all still close friends.

I think that that my ROTC friends have helped me grow personally, academically, and as a leader. As we have all spent many hours preparing for our leadership roles through memorizing procedures, staying up late doing homework, and relying on each other to get to PT in the morning we have become closer and stronger as a team. The friends I have made here are not only friends but, family. We all know the difficulties of being Air Force cadets at a top rated engineering school and without these friends none of us would have been as successful.

If you are looking for a rigorous academic program and a potential future in the US Air Force then Embry-Riddle Prescott is the place for you. The detachment on this campus is known as “The Best in the West” due to our intense leadership training and professional atmosphere. The program can be stressful and trying however, on completion you will get more out of it than you put in. If you have any questions give us a call today! Our admissions page can be found here.

My Most Inspiring Professor Dr. Moshier

Posted on February 2, 2015 by Cherie

We have some great professors here at Embry-Riddle, and my personal favorite is a gentleman named Dr. Moshier. He teaches Structures I at the Prescott campus and of all the professors I have had during my three years here I consider him to be the best.

Dr. Moshier used to work with the Air force as a structural analyst and now owns a business as well as working at Embry-Riddle. He is one of those guys who works here because he likes to help others, not because he needs a job. Structures is one of the hardest courses here at Riddle and it requires many hours of homework. I spent tons of time in Dr. Moshier’s office asking questions and solving problems last semester. He was more than willing to take time out of his schedule to help me work through each problem or question that I had in regards to the homework. No question was too dumb and Dr. Moshier respectfully addressed each point of issue I had with the homework.

Additionally, the homework assigned was always challenging and allowed me to use the concepts I learned in class. I walked away from the course with an extremely high knowledge in Structures and it is now my passion. I hope to be able to use the knowledge that Dr. Moshier passed on to me during my upcoming career.

He is just one of the amazing and inspiring professors we have here at Embry Riddle. If you want to attend a school with a great student culture and professors who dedicate themselves to your education then Embry Riddle Prescott is the place for you. Stop on by and take a tour today!!