Prescott- Arizona’s Christmas City

Posted on December 9, 2014 by Colton

Often regarded by many as “Arizona’s Christmas City”, Prescott sure does put on the holiday cheer around Christmas time every year.

December 6th started out as a pretty normal day for me. Got to sleep in until 10:30 a.m., with nothing on the agenda until my first final (physics) at 2:45 p.m. After a late breakfast/early lunch, I headed down to the post office. To my great joy, my new camera had finally been shipped to the school (my old camera’s fate involved a sketchy tripod, a cliff, and fortunate warranty service). After eagerly opening my Sony a6000, I asked my suitemate/best friend if he wanted to go downtown and play with my new camera. All seemed normal as we pulled out of the Embry-Riddle campus and headed down Willow Creek Rd. However, as we neared downtown the traffic began to be unusually thick for Prescott.

We knew something was up when we saw buses unloading at Chipotle. After driving through the shopping complex unsuccessfully searching for a parking spot, we opted to leave my truck at a nearby park. We began to realize that something big was going on as we spotted a high-school band warming up. It quickly hit us that we had arrived just in time to see the beginning of the annual Prescott Christmas Parade. And it seemed as if half of Arizona had come to enjoy the show as well.

The entirety of the Courthouse Square was covered with thousands of kids and adults alike lining the streets, eager to catch a glimpse of the grand parade.

And grand the parade was. Ranging from toddlers in too-large of cowboy outfits, to a dozen greyhounds tugging at their leashes, the parade offered a huge variety of entertainment and Christmas spirit.

One of my favorite parts of the parade was the section of Classic VW’s

And then there’s the ‘cute’ section of the parade

After watching about an hour of the parade, I hurried back to the school to take my physics final (I think it went well!).

That night, I travelled back downtown to see the city courthouse lit up with Christmas lights for the first time in 2014. This event was just as busy with people as the parade, only this time everyone tried to fit into the courthouse square. Saying we were packed like sardines was an understatement, but luckily I had my extra tall tripod and was able to get some good shots of the beautiful building.

Waiting for lighting…

And the Courthouse/surrounding 163 trees lit up in all their glory

Hired! The Newest ERAU Flight Instructor

Posted on December 5, 2014 by Mike

Hey everyone! We are really getting close to the end of the semester here, and getting excited for Christmas Break!

Being a student employee for Embry-Riddle has opened up doors by increasing the people I interact with and of course providing some money too. I have been working in the Admissions office since freshman year, and with this amazing job I have given tours to prospective students, and even traveled the around the country promoting ERAU, including Oshkosh 2014.

However, now that the end of my flight training and BS in Aeronautical Science degree is approaching I am looking ahead. For years now I have worked through the flight training program with the end goal of eventually becoming a flight instructor. Earlier last month I applied to become a Flight Instructor for Embry Riddle. After submitting the application, I was offered an interview for the position. At first I was excited but also nervous for the upcoming interview. I prepared in every way I knew how, getting my suit ready, reviewing any last CFI or CFII knowledge that I was unsure about, and of course the lesson plan. For a CFI interview, not only do you have to answer standard HR questions and technical flight questions, but you also have to present a lesson plan like you would to a student. This was the one part of the interview I was uneasy about; however with enough practice I nailed it.

I am happy to report that as of Monday, I have been offered a position as a flight instructor! My new hire date is scheduled for January 5^th upon successful completion of my CFII check ride (expect a blog about that next week!). Many updates to come!

The first picture you see is me as a freshman, right after my first Solo flight in October of 2011. The following two are from the multi engine cross-country flight that I did to Salt Lake City, Utah (KSLC). You can also find great images and videos on our Flight Department facebook page. As a matter of fact I recommend you “like” the page so you can keep up on the cool things you’ll do as a flight student.

I cannot convey enough how awesome all of these flight experiences have been thus far. Here’s to clear skies!

Your instructor will take a picture upon the successful completion of your first solo flight!

Making progress in my training. This picture was taken last summer during my Multi-Engine Cross Country to SLC!

Sunset over Utah/Arizona Border!

Finals Next Week, Study Help is Everywhere

Posted on December 4, 2014 by Cherie

Its amazing how fast this semester has gone by and for some of you the first set of college finals is looming in the not so far away future. However, for the vast majority of us here at Embry-Riddle Prescott, we know the drill from our past years of experience. That does not make it any easier though! Finals are always a nerve racking time to prove what you know and potentially boost your grades or keep them at a solid A. Whatever the case may be in regards to your grades do not forget to use your on campus resources for help!

Professors are more than happy to help you study for those finals and if they are not around then schedule an appointment with a tutor. The tutors are hired by the campus to help you so you do not need to pay them at all! They are a great resource however, starting on 4 Dec you may only meet a tutor by appointment so keep that in mind. Regular “Walk in” hours will resume again next semester. For our readers who do not know what “walk in” hours are, it is a time where a tutor will be in a specific location waiting for a student to walk in and ask for help. Pretty simple right? Well, it gets even better than that! All tutors where blue and gold lanyards with their name, so they are all very easy to find.

Additionally, tutor information is available on the control tower which is run through our student portal so you can log in today and check out the tutors available for the courses you need help in. If you want more information then contact Ms. Katie Green, the head of the tutor program. She hires all the tutors who are ready to help you!! You can find her information in the campus directory that current students have access to under people search.

Flyer for Finals Breakfast And of course you need to eat well and de-stress during finals. The Finals Breakfast event is the perfect way to fill up on pancakes and have some fun too!

Hope this helps, good luck studying for those finals everyone!! Also, if you want some more info on our Academic Support check out their website!

Take Advantage of Black Friday & Cyber Monday

Posted on December 1, 2014 by Cherie

Black Friday and Cyber Monday is the prefect time of year to get those big purchases out of the way at a lower price, and for college kids or our soon to be college kids, this is an excellent time of year to update your technology. Search well because some stores may even have additional discounts for students.

In need of a new laptop? Best Buy always has some great ones available at just the right price!! If your parents will be gifting you these items, be sure to send them to our FAQ for parents that details what you should bring to ERAU including technology. For current students, check out half price books online for those textbooks you need next semester. You might find some awesome discounts!

Amazon is also a great resource for finding discounts on technology or textbooks, so keep that in mind as well. For college students Amazon Prime is free during your first year so and you can get great deals with free shipping when you sign up! As a student you will find this service invaluable.

Happy Holidays and happy shopping everyone, just remember to stay safe out there, no discount is worth your safety. Thanks for reading everyone!

I’m So Much More Than a Number at Riddle

Posted on November 26, 2014 by athletics

Being a student at Embry-Riddle has made me realize that what I can achieve in the future is going to be great.

I knew that coming to a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) and private school would differ from any other school, but I was unsure how it would be different. After the first week of classes, I realized what the difference was. The main difference was that everyone from admin to professors to staff care about the success of every student. I heard stories in high school from colleagues whom were in college about how they felt as if they were just a number since the university was so large. Here at Riddle I surprisingly enjoy the smaller student population since the classes are more interactive and I feel as if I am not just a number, but also a student who is striving to achieve similar goals as my colleagues.

I know that those who decided to attend here had a certain goal in mind whether it is for engineering or any of the other majors and it makes attending Riddle more enjoyable because fellow peers are going through the same journey together. The small student population indicates a tight-knit community throughout the university and in the close community there are numerous people that share the same love for aviation as I do. What I did not know is that quite a few people also share a common passion for robotics as do I.

I look forward to more great things that will surprise me about being a student at Embry-Riddle!

Kaila Romero, Women’s Softball

Embry’s Biggest Surprise — The Tight-Knit Community

Posted on November 25, 2014 by Colton

Ever since I was a kid, I had a passion for anything aviation. My aunt was in the Navy and my grandpa was a private pilot with a V-Tail Bonanza. I loved to be surrounded by people who shared the same passion as I had. When coming to Embry-Riddle, I knew I would be surrounded by a community of students and faculty who also loved aviation (since it is an aeronautical university), but I had no idea how tight-knit that community would be. Embry-Riddle is just a large family, with all its members having one common passion and drive: aviation. Not only is everyone pursuing a career in a similar field, but many also share the same extracurricular interests. By the third day of orientation, my suitemates and I built an airplane out of a broken printer we found in the dumpster (no we weren’t dumpster diving) and proceeded to launch it off our third story balcony.

Silly as it seems, the building and launching of the ‘printer plane’ started the formation of a strong bond between my suitemates and I, and made life long memories before school had even started! And the adventures aren’t limited to gliders created from old electronics; within two weeks I had built friendships with several other guys who shared my love for remote control aircraft. Since then, we have built combat airplanes, built and flown multirotors such as hexacopters and tricopters, have had plenty of crashes, and have made tons of memories.

It’s that sense of family that surprised me most about Embry-Riddle, and I think it’s a unique community you won’t find at any other university

If you’re interested in seeing the “Printer Pelican 1”, you can watch the video I made at this link. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JA1GviCfwlw

High Altitude Balloon Launch

Posted on November 24, 2014 by Cherie

High Altitude gondola image taken by an Embry Riddle Student’s Satellite

Last Tuesday, several teams in the Experimental Space Systems course launched weather balloons to test preliminary designs of Satellites. These Satellites collected data about the upper atmosphere and filmed their journey. The launch was the culmination of an entire semester of research, fabrication, and over 7 hours of testing in Embry-Riddle’s very own Space Systems Laboratory. This lab is a unique state of the art facility housed inside the Aerospace Fabrication and Experimentation Building known as AXFAB. It is complete with two vacuum chambers and what most students call “the chiller” which is a small highly insulated piece of equipment that has the ability to simulate the temperature conditions of the upper atmosphere.

The curvature of the earth and rays of the sun in the upper atmosphere as recorded by the satellite

All of the students were very excited to launch and chase down the satellites as the wind carried them across the upper portion of Northern Arizona. If you happen to be visiting us for a campus tour, stop by and meet the teams. They will be in the Space Systems Laboratory, which is one of the stops on our campus tour 🙂

If you would like more information or have any questions please leave me a comment below and I’ll get back to you ASAP. Thanks for reading everyone!!!

— Do not duplicate. All images are property of Juan Gutierrez, Serafino Bohrer-Padavos, Jenna Humble, Sung Saengpetsiriphan, Joseph Christensen; team members on the high altitude balloon launch project.

My Favorite Class at Embry-Riddle has been Study Abroad

Posted on November 19, 2014 by Vishra

As a business student, it’s incredibly hard to pick just ONE class that has been my favorite so far. Taking classes in different countries can change one’s view on the subject or even enhance it because of the experience of living and studying in another country, so, by far study aboard classes have been my favorite.

This past summer (July 2014), I was fortunate enough to go to Paris to take BA 425 Trends and Current Problems in Air Transportation and EC 399 Studies of Economic Thought. The classes were full of information and I felt like I gained an extensive amount of knowledge in our multiple field trips, while exploring other cultures and religions. I was never bored in any of my classes and there was endless enthusiasm and I’m eager to learn more and more. Probably the best part is that I’m studying Global Business so I’m making great network connections every time I visit a company with my study abroad class. And of course I’ve gotten to know my fellow students in a way that I’ll always have good memories from. I highly recommend study abroad!

Community Service

Posted on November 19, 2014 by Cherie

This past week Embry-Riddle Prescott’s Air Force ROTC Arnold Air Society and Silver Wings hosted a food drive for the Prescott Homeless Shelter in support of their Thanksgiving Feast. This event is just one of many that AFROTC and other campus organizations host to support our community.

jih Arnold_Air_Society_(coat_of_arms)

In total there are over 80 different student organizations on the Prescott campus ranging from inter mural sports, fraternities, sororities, and the list goes on!!

Autism_Speaks_Logo

All of our organizations participate in some service project. For example, one of the sororities on campus supports the nonprofit “Autism Speaks” which helps the families of Autistic children.

Another organization, The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers volunteers to tutor naturalized citizens who are pursuing GED’s. This is just barely scratching the surface of how Embry-Riddle students give back to their community.

If you would like to join us in doing so we would love to welcome you here!! If you are interested in visiting click here and if you are ready to apply our application page can be found here.

Thank you for reading everyone!!!

Planning My Final Semester at Embry-Riddle

Posted on November 19, 2014 by Mike

Hello Everyone! My name is Mike Cruz, and I am excited to be posting my first blog! I am now a senior expecting to graduate in the spring with a Bachelors degree in Aeronautical Science and a Minor in Applied Meteorology. Furthermore, I am almost done with my flight training at Embry-Riddle, just finishing up the last bit of CFII (Certified Flight Instructor Instrument). If any of you have any questions please feel free to contact me and I will do my best to help you further understand what it is like to be a student and pilot here at Embry-Riddle. Here goes!

You would think that by the time you become a senior registering for classes is a piece of cake. Well it is and it isn’t. In the beginning, as a freshman, you have this huge grocery list of classes you have to take, and really it is the pick of the litter as they say. However, now as I register for my final semester, each class is a calculated choice that fulfills the final requirements for my degree. Which excitingly are going to be, AS411 (Airline Transport Systems), AS420 (Flight Technique Analysis), and AS408 (Flight Safety). Furthermore in order to get the reduced ATP minimums and have credit for an ATP ground school to that the written exam, I am also taking FA420 (Airline Flight Crew Technique and Procedures). A mouthful I know, and they sound more complex than they really are. The classes listed above are basically very specific classes to help you understand the ins and outs of what it is like being an airline pilot!

The process of registering for classes is really easy. Everything is done online, like shopping on Amazon. You have a “shopping cart” which is were you place the classes you would like to register for. Once in your cart and all you have to click is “enroll.” Very easy system!

Timing is the another factor when registering for classes! You are in the middle of your current class load for the fall semester, — you’re focused, you’re determined, when all of a sudden BAM! You receive the email that it is time to register for spring classes next week. Being a college student really should be called “time management student.” Besides walking out of here with a degree you will become highly skilled in managing your time to the best of your ability. Which is an awesome accolade to have going out into the work force.

With all that being said I have successfully registered for my final semester here at Embry-Riddle on time and very excited. Check out some of the classes I’ve taken and ones that you will take as an Aeronautical Science student here!

Talk to you soon, and stay warm up in the north!