LIGO Proved Gravitational Waves Exist and I Helped!

Posted on February 17, 2016 by #ERAUPrescott

Well the cat’s out of the bag: the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory Collaboration, or the LIGO Collaboration, has detected and confirmed the existence of gravitational waves. Finally, I don’t have to giggle to myself as my friends ask why I am doing research on a project that had such a small chance of success. Finally, I don’t have to keep secret about one of the biggest discoveries in the modern science, something I have known about since September when it was detected. It is an exciting time, not just to see the amazing results of a project that I am a small, insignificant part of, but also because that means that a completely new field of research has just opened up, gravitational wave astronomy.

Gravitational wave

First, let me explain a bit about gravitational waves, if you haven’t already seen the countless videos. Gravitational waves were first predicted by Einstein in 1916 when he formulated the idea of general relativity.

Blackhole

Collision

In essence, they are the perturbations, or ripples, in the fabric of space and time. They are emitted from massive systems, like coalescing two black holes converging and merging into one, which is actually what LIGO detected, or giant cataclysms like supernovae. They are a confirmation of a theory we have been using for a century, but they are also a new tool we can use to probe the universe. As the comparison goes, “As Galileo’s telescope opened our eyes to the universe, gravitational waves have opened our ears.”

The best part is that I can be a part of the research during this era of discovery, even though I am only an undergraduate student. Embry-Riddle is a host to many esteemed faculty that do research and encourage their students to do research, and there is an entire department dedicated to student research in the form of the Undergraduate Research Institute run by Dr. Anne Boettcher. In fact, three professors in the physics department – Dr. Michele Zanolin, Dr. Brennan Hughey, and Dr. Andri Gretarsson – are involved in the LIGO experiment, and actually are the only scientists in the whole Four Corners area (Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, and Colorado) that are pursuing this research.

Research for undergraduate students is incredibly important, but also highly demanding. I work ten hours a week, reading papers on high-level statistics, writing proofs, learning to code, and analyzing data. It requires a lot of concentration and persistence, especially since I have had to learn a completely new set of skills and knowledge. And it means that as a student, I have to take initiative and follow through on something I am not receiving a grade for. But in the end, I don’t regret it, since I was able to sit in the conference room at 8:30 am and watch the live press release of something amazing. Since I was able to be a part of something bigger than I was. Since I have learned so much about something so fascinating that otherwise I would have known nothing about. And in the end, we discovered gravitational waves!

Sophia Schwalbe is a Junior in Space Physics, in Air Force ROTC and the Honors Program, and has participated in research with LIGO.

Happy Valentines Day Everyone!

Posted on February 12, 2016 by Cherie

It’s the time of year again that we all anticipate or dread: Valentine’s Day! The only holiday that exists to celebrate the simplest human emotion and the relationships that bind humanity together whether it be as friends or significant others. No matter what you do this Valentine’s Day just remember to have fun! The day isn’t made for single people to mope and complain but to celebrate the friends that they have. So if you are in the single group get over it and go have some fun!!

For those people who aren’t single enjoy the company of your significant other or partner. You don’t necessarily have to go out and do something elaborate you can still have fun just watching a movie or doing something else you enjoy together.

As college students, a lot of dating happens on campus and sometimes people are lucky enough to find their life partner here at Embry-Riddle. For example, I recently heard of a couple who met day one of orientation their freshman year and became instant friends. They are still together as seniors! Sometimes you just know when you find the right person and hopefully all of our readers already have or will soon! Maybe some of our incoming freshman will be that lucky, you never know unless you take the chance.

Whether we all find that person or not, just remember that Valentine’s Day is for everyone, so no moping!!!! Thanks for reading everyone, enjoy all the candy and fun with friends 🙂

Study Abroad: A Semester in Italy

Posted on February 12, 2016 by Adventures

Hi I’m Briana Martinez, a student in GSIS at Embry-Riddle but am spending a semester in Florence Italy attending an Italian university through International Studies Abroad. I thought you might like to hear about some of what I’ve experienced so far…

Florence Italy

The academics are very much different here. Very more relaxed and in depth then I was expecting. For instance, one of my classes is in an Italian Prince’s palace inside of a ballroom. The ballroom is filled with plush couches and amazing art pieces. I’ll be sure to send you a pic on Monday. The professors are very passionate about what they are teaching, (not that American ones aren’t) and really draw you in. One thing I noticed is that they are very personable and accommodating to international students and they really want us to feel comfortable and really want us to understand the material they are teaching. Very much reminds me of Embry-Riddle. However, they take class attendance very seriously (going to class is important, I know that). If you miss up to two classes then you will be failed. So, going to class is a must here and very very important.

Gelato!

Piazza della Signoria

Sculpture everywhere.

A street scene.

Duomo, the Basilica di Santa Maria dell Fiore

365 Days Ago – Decision Time.

Posted on February 12, 2016 by Megan

A year ago today I made one of the best decisions of my life. A year ago today I visited campus for the first time. A year ago today I made the decision to attend Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott Arizona. I was not one of those students who waited till decision day in May to make my decisions. I was lucky, I had already been accepted to all of the schools I had applied to and had narrowed down my list. One in state and one out of state, it was decision time for me. After numerous visits to Washington State University, it was time to take the flight and come visit Embry-Riddle.

Before this trip, I had never been to Arizona and thought it was a place where everything was poisonous and wanted to kill. I was wrong. I was shown the glorious cactuses, the Disney-like rock formations in the Dells, and the wonderful sun of Arizona. After a day on campus, I was sure that this was my home. My tour guide gave me a glimpse into the school, and the students I met on campus loved their majors and were excited to tell me about the school. Seeing the green grass in front of the student union and the dorms where I would be living showed me what life would be like at Embry-Riddle. The thought of moving states away and leaving my family was hard, but once I walked on campus, I knew this would be my home for the next four years.

Looking back on the past year and all the changes, blessings, and challenges I can only smile. The stress of packing up my life and moving to another state (I flew to campus with my parents and fit everything I needed in 3 boxes and 2 carry ons), dealing with homesickness, and falling in love with my major, I could not imagine being anywhere else. Late night adventures, early mornings, and a new family here have made me even more thankful for this decision I made 365 days ago.

As acceptance letters keep rolling in during these next few months I urge you to visit all the schools you are seriously considering. Seeing campus on a computer and seeing it in person can make a world of difference, or at least it did for me. So as you keep going on this adventure, the odds are in your favor that you’ll find the perfect school for you. I am sure that you all will find a home at university, Embry-Riddle or not, and have the ability to look back a year from now and smile!

The Important Things On Campus — FOOD

Posted on February 9, 2016 by Megan

I love food. I am one of those people who eats seven times a day because if not I get “hangry.” Hangry means I get angry or very unhappy if I do not eat. Thankfully, for me there are plenty of food options on campus. From WOW in the Student Union, the dining hall Earharts, Simply to Go the shop, and Scholars café I never run out of food options.
Freshman are required to have the all access meal plan which allows us to have about 500 meals at the dining hall a week, three transfers a day, and $100 dinning dollars a semester. This means we have access to unlimited food on campus. If you are not a freshman and interested in a meal plan there are lesser meal plans that offer great benefits as well.
Earharts offers eggs, sausage or ham, and pancakes, waffles, or French toast. There is also fruit, cereal, and toast available for breakfast. There are many lunch and dinner option available including salads, sandwiches, pizza, stir-fry, and another chief’s choice which provides many options and a variety. They also have vegan and gluten free options.

When you want something different, there is WOW. WOW offers American style cooking, fried chicken, chicken sandwiches, and other restaurant type of foods. It’s a nice treat that adds more dining options on campus. At WOW, students use transfers which are part of their meal plan to pay for their meal, they get three transfers a day that can be used within each meal period.

Caffeine is a large part of being in college. From coffee to tea, everyone is thankful that there is Scholars Café in the library. Scholars provides Starbucks coffee and a limited food menu to the students, it is great. What makes it better is that it is included in the meal plan! A drink from Scholars is one transfer. Therefore, if you plan accordingly you can have three Starbucks drinks a day.

Simply to Go is the last food option on campus. It offers granola bars, chips, candy, and frozen meals for those days when nothing at the dining hall looks good. Simply to Go uses dinning dollars which all freshman have $100. Personally, I forgot I had $100 dinning dollars last semester and stocked up on snacks before the rapidly approaching end of the semester. It is common to walk into Simply to Go and leave with a bag of snacks and treats to share with friends.

Overall, the food options on campus are endless for freshman. If you are like me and are constantly hungry, you will not be disappointed! In addition, don’t worry about the freshman 15 we have a wonderful gym on campus that is free for students to use, and plenty of hikes and outdoor activities to do as well!

6 Steps to Surviving & Succeeding in Pilot Training

Posted on February 3, 2016 by #ERAUPrescott

Attention all future pilots!

So you want to become a pilot. Like myself, most of you probably want to become a professional pilot. Or maybe you just want to fly for fun. Whatever your story is, the road to becoming a pilot of any kind is long and winding, yet exciting and unforgettable. You will be challenged like never before, and your motivation will be put to the test. Despite this, I can guarantee you will have an amazing time throughout your training process. You will see things you’ve never seen before, try things you’ve never tried before, and feel things you’ve never felt before. I can say that my flight training journey has been an utterly unforgettable experience so far, and as I wrap up my commercial single-engine training and transition into multi-engine, I am more than excited to see what the next chapter of my story will include.

If you’re ready to embark on your flight training journey, there are a few things you should be familiar with in order to be successful as a student pilot. Here are six important things you must know in order to survive becoming an aviator:

#1: Find the Right Instructor

The most important person that you’ll work with throughout your training is, of course, your instructor! It is crucial that you find an instructor you know you’ll work

The Flight Department

well with both on the ground and in the airplane. Ideally, your personalities should mix well and you should feel comfortable with your instructor’s teaching methods. A good instructor is a person who doesn’t intimidate you or make you feel stupid. If you are assigned to an instructor who clashes with your personality or your learning style, your training process will be slower and less enjoyable. If you don’t enjoy spending time with your instructor for any reason, don’t be afraid to switch to another instructor who will work better with you! You will find that working with the right instructor will make your training so much more productive and exciting.

#2: Communicate with your Instructor

If you don’t completely understand something for whatever reason, make sure you let your instructor know! He/she will gladly re-explain the topic to help you fully understand.

#3: Study Outside of Oral Lessons/Ground School

Perhaps just as important as finding the right instructor is making sure you study outside of your one-on-one ground lessons with your instructor. It may seem like a lot of work, but studying on your own will make training easier and faster. Simply taking notes while your instructor teaches a new topic just won’t “fly”. You must go home and review those notes you took, or get together with some friends and have a group study session in order to make that brand new information really stick. In addition, at the end of a lesson most instructors will give a preview into what you’ll be learning about next time. Use the time in between lessons to study up on the next topic. That way, once you meet with your instructor again, you’ll impress him/her with your newfound knowledge (not to mention it will make his/her job easier!) Studying outside of lessons will also decrease the money you spend for your training. The more you study, the less time you’ll have to listen to your instructor re-teach things you’ve already learned, and the less money you’ll have to pay!

#4: Use ALL Available Resources to your Advantage

Throughout your career as a student pilot, you will have countless resources at your fingertips to help you master whatever it is you’re currently studying for. Take advantage of them! All ERAU computers have the entire Gleim FAA Test Prep software to help you study for your FAA Knowledge Test. Over at the flight line, there are 3 Cessna 172 CPTs (Cockpit Procedure Trainers) to help you master those checklists, and multiple simulators that students can check out whenever they feel the need to get some practice without paying for the actual airplane. Not to mention your instructor will always be happy to answer any questions you might have!

#5: Fly as Much as You Can!

Make sure you keep your availability as open as possible so you can fly multiple times a week. The more frequent you fly, the better you’ll retain the skills you learn and the less you’ll have to repeat the lesson you’re on. Besides, who doesn’t want to fly several times a week?

#6: Don’t Forget What First Brought you to Flying

You’re training will get tough at times. You may even feel like giving up (I’ve sure been there). But it’s during these challenging times that you must remind yourself why you decided to become a pilot in the first place. We were all bitten by the flying “bug” at some point, and as your training progresses, it gets pretty easy to forget why you were drawn in to the world of aviation. Think back to that first discovery flight you took, or the first time you saw an airplane up close. John Glenn once said, “I was sold on flying as soon as I had a taste for it.” What sold you on flying? Make sure you never lose sight of it

Snow Day Feb. 01 2016!

Posted on February 2, 2016 by Jeffery

The Terraces Apartments in Prescott Valley, AZ

My balcony covered in snow!

My shoes covered in snow!

I have been living here in Prescott, AZ now for a little over 3 years. I’ve experienced three Northern Arizona winters and I can say without any hesitation that this year’s winter season has been the most active winter in the regards to snow fall and consistently cold temperatures in all the three years I have been living here. Some may say it’s too cold or it’s been too wet but no one can complain when you have 3 back to back two hour delay starts to the morning or what we had this Monday which was our very first snow day of the semester! It’s is also my very first snow day at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and I am a senior this year!

After last year’s very disappointing winter this one has definitely made up for it. This recent snowstorm was more unique than the others we had roll through the area earlier this winter season. This storm brought with it blizzard like conditions with winds gusting at about 40 mph and heavy sleet turning into consistent snow fall dropping about 4-6 inches on the town of Prescott and Prescott Valley resulting in a Snow Day for everyone in the Quad City area.

Being from New Orleans, LA this is something I thought I would only get to experience vicariously through actors in movies. Now I know what you’re thinking… the only reason I love snow days so much is because of the fact that all classes are cancelled for the day but I enjoy it so much because most people that attend this campus are from places in the United States that don’t experience even a single inch of snow fall or a real winter so being able to see everyone’s inner kid come out to run around campus throwing snow balls at each other, or trying to build the most unique snow man, or sledding down the lower soccer fields, to even having my friends come over to my apartment for some English Tea, a nice bowl of Taco Soup next to my fireplace and just relaxing and enjoying each other’s company is what makes a Snow Day a true Snow Day.

Snow just has a way of making everyone so happy in this town (mainly because it melts really quickly so you don’t have to deal with the hassle of it for too long) and it’s just a great feeling to share that joy with all of the people that help you get through those long hard days when you just want to curl up in your bed and hide out until the semester is over. This snow day I had the time of my life and I am very optimistic and incredibly excited to see what Mother Nature has in store for us the remainder of this winter season.

Here are more photos from students around campus who went out in the snow!

Snow prepared!

Pedro and friends’ Giant Snowman

A snow break.

Snow in the pines

Even the fur beasts got in on the fun!

The Rare Phenomenon known as Thunder Snow

Posted on February 2, 2016 by Jeffery

I was visiting a friend in Flagstaff, AZ this weekend at NAU (Northern Arizona University) (Flagstaff is an hour and a half north of Prescott) and we were working on homework Sunday night when all of a sudden we heard a loud BOOM! For a second we were both incredibly confused seeing that there wasn’t any chance of a Thunderstorm in the forecast for Northern Arizona and it wasn’t even raining outside in fact it was snowing! Image result for NAU snow

We ran to the door of the apartment to peak outside to see other NAU students anxiously looking out into the dark cold cloudy skies of Northern Arizona wondering if we weren’t all losing our minds. A few seconds later that’s when I realized what was actually taking place. I noticed off in the distance a series of lightning strikes flashing around the San Francisco Peaks followed by a mild rumble of steady thunder filling the silence of a quiet cold windy Sunday night — Thunder Snow!.

I have a passion for weather. Being a pilot, it’s something I’ve learned to check periodically throughout my day so being able to witness the very rare phenomenon known as Thunder Snow had to probably be one of the most rewarding experience I have been able to witness while living here in Northern Arizona! 635898787435863929-lightning-strike2-ThinkstockPhotos-469850273

The definition of Thunder Snow is an unusual kind of thunderstorm with snow falling as the primary precipitation instead of rain and occurs in regions where a strong upward motion is present within the cold sector of an extratropical cyclone (Wikipedia). This is one of the many reasons I adore the state of Arizona because you have a front row seat to some of the most amazing and most unique weather events that you may not have the luxury of experiencing in any other states in the United States. All you have to do is step outside and look up!

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!

John Marbut: Mapping the Ecuadorian Rainforest with UAS in Study Abroad

Posted on February 2, 2016 by Adventures

John Marbut is a guest blogger on a study abroad program through UAS7 which is a full-year, full tuition program in Germany. In the fall students take classes at the University of Applied Sciences and in the spring participate in an internship in a lab or institution with hands on work on a project.

Starting from the left in the lower row its: Severin Mainz, Niclas Purger, Benjamin Bachmeier. The second row from the left is myself, I don’t know the name of the two tribe members, then Mascha Kauka, Domingo (President of Shartamensa), Dr. Siebold, and Dr. Krzystek. In the last row is Fabian Braun, Christoph Oberndorfer, and Jonas Wilhelm.

I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to join a research team and senior thesis project at the Munich University of Applied Sciences, the major focus for the project was mapping the Ecuadorian rainforest. The group was actually invited to do the mapping through their partnership with Amazonica who works with the tribes to help improve their quality of life by improving education and providing medical supplies. The planned project required us to modify the UAV/Drone (it can fly autonomously or via remote control) from the last AUVSI competition. We needed to be able to get high resolution photos of the rainforest in order to be able to generate a 3-D map of the area we flew over, so the team installed a new payload containing more batteries, room for the camera, and an infrared trigger to start the camera. The antenna used to update the information about the drone’s had a range of about 5 miles, however the autopilot could fly without making contact with the homebase and the drone had a maximum flight time of just over an hour. The picture above is from our last flight in Shartamensa, home to some of the Achuar tribe.

We left for Ecuador in early November, leaving early in the morning we took a fifteen hour flight from Munich to Quito where we met with our guide Mascha Kauka.

Shartamensa

After another day of traveling we finally made it to Shartamensa. We had chosen November because it is the dry season for the region that we were mapping. We were able to use the village’s empty hospital as a staging area for the assembly, it took a day to get everything setup. The second day in Shartamensa we started to doing test flights, we found that after about 2pm the rainstorms roll in which makes flying impossible. The third day I joined the Geoinformatics team on a trek into the rainforest to the big tree which stood at about 60 meters tall. We pushed through a swamp and had to hack through the underbrush to get there but the tree was absolutely incredible to see. The tree was about the size of a car and towered well above the normal canopy. The Geoinformatics laid out a gps points that made the mapping for the area accurate down to a few inches. We managed to get back to the village just before sun down and prepped for our second trip the following day.

Image by Christoph Oberndorfer, a student at Hochschule München

On the second day of exploration we left quite a bit earlier and so we actually had lunch at a temporary camp that was set up just off the river. The flights went really well, we only had a couple of hard landings but the damage wasn’t too bad. The stay was actually incredible pleasant, we got to see a lot of the Achuar culture, including a lunch on the river, demonstration of their formal greetings, and we got to try a lot of local food. Some of the more unique food and drink was cauim (a traditional type of beer) and roasted grubs. We got to take a trip to a sacred waterfall which is visited anytime the village is struggling. They believe that washing your hands in the waterfall can cleanse your soul. On our last day we spent time with some of the locals playing volleyball and soccer and participated in a cultural exchange between the team and the village. After the week in the Amazon half of the team returned to Pujo while the second half remained in the Amazon to track down the aircraft after a failure occurred in the autopilot causing the UAV to go down 2 kilometers into the rainforest. Those of us who went back stayed in a city called Baños which is well known for its volcanic hot springs. We spent a day in Baños and waited for the other half of the group to join us before heading to the hot springs. We actually got the opportunity to see a small eruption as we headed away from Baños. We wrapped up the trip with a few days in Quito checking out the Equator, the Equator park, the crater, and the Basilica. The city was beautiful and I would love to go back. My understanding is that team might be going back map the Galapagos, and I encourage anyone who is going to Munich next year to try and join the team.

-John Marbut