Spring 2011 - Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Alumni

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CHATTERNEWS & NOTESEmbry-Riddle studentWilliam Haupfear participatesin the new CleanEnergy Systems track.The Clean EnergySystems trackat Embry-Riddleis our responseto the growinggreen energymarket and thenational call forthe productionof abundant andeconomicalclean energy.GREENER BY DEGREESClean Energy Systemstrack charges up studentsEmbry-Riddle engineering students are nowable to convert their passion for renewableenergy into a degree, thanks to a new trackin Clean Energy Systems. The program,offered to mechanical engineering majorsat the Daytona Beach Campus, teachesabout turbines that convert wind and waterpower into electricity, systems that make energyfrom the heat of the sun, earth and ocean, andsystems for storing energy.“The Clean Energy Systems track atEmbry-Riddle is our response to the growinggreen energy market and the national call forthe production of abundant and economicalclean energy,” says Maj Mirmirani, dean of theCollege of Engineering.Students take courses and complete projectsrelated to hybrid vehicles, solar lighting, greenengineering and eco-friendly aviation. They learnfrom faculty researchers who are designing alow-emission hybrid automobile, engineeringgiant wind-power turbines, developing systemsto harness electric power from the Gulf Stream’scurrents, testing unleaded biofuel for generalaviation, and building a zero-emission aircraft.“Students in this track gain the knowledgeand skills to help address society’s energy needsand demands,” says Darris White, a professor ofmechanical engineering who helped develop thenew program. “They will become innovators andentrepreneurs in the energy sector and nationalleaders on energy issues.”Ph.D. in EngineeringPhysics lifts offStudents in Embry-Riddle’s new andunique Ph.D. program in EngineeringPhysics are taking courses in spacephysics, planetary orbits, solar wind,remote sensing, spacecraft dynamics,and more.The new Ph.D. builds on the undergraduateand master’s degrees inEngineering Physics and on the university’ssolid program of space researchfunded by NASA, NSF, U.S. Air Forceand other agencies. At Embry-Riddle,faculty researchers probe Earth’s upperatmosphere for clues about globalwarming, as well as space weatherevents like solar storms that can compromisesatellite systems and disruptpower grids and pipelines. Others conductstudies of spacecraft dynamicsand control, space robotics, cosmologyand star formation, quantum optics,and the physiology of space travel.“This degree is a blend of physicsand engineering, and its focus on thespace program is a rare combination,”says John Olivero, professor and chairof the physical sciences department atthe Daytona Beach Campus, whereit is offered.According to Olivero,President Obama’s new focusfor the U.S. space programmeans more money will be spent onspace science research, resulting inmore job opportunities for those withthe Ph.D. in Engineering Physics.“Commercialization of space hasbeen going on for 20 years,” Oliverosays. “Satellites are being sent up bycompanies, and microgravity is bigbusiness. The buzz about space tourismis not just about rich people travelingto the edge of space. Scientistscan hitch rides on suborbital spaceflightsfor less money than they nowhave to pay on government launches.”Ph.D. students in Embry-Riddle’sEngineering Physics program willhave opportunities to conductcutting-edge, upper-atmosphericresearch using student-designedrocket payloads like Sampler (left).4LIFT SPRING 2011 WWW.ERAUALUMNI.ORG
BOUNDLESSUAV: Photo courtesy of USAFUAS research flyinghigh at Embry-RiddleBY DALE SMITH AND BOB ROSSUnmanned Aerial Systems(UAS) are popping up likedrones in the atmosphereat Embry-Riddle’s DaytonaBeach and Prescott campuses.With UAS and UnmannedAerial Vehicles (UAV) increasinglybeing considered and used for newpurposes both military and civilian,Embry-Riddle is advancing its researchprogram to include a variety of projectstargeted at better understanding howthese systems and vehicles will changethe way we take to the air.MANAGING NATIONAL AIRSPACEIn partnership with the FAA, Embry-Riddle is leading a team of partners,including Lockheed Martin, HarrisCorp., General Electric and GeneralAtomic, to find ways to allow UAS tooperate safely in the national airspace.“The current phase of the demonstrationprogram, Task E, is one of aseries that will explore incrementaladvancements toward what we needto do to efficiently integrate unmannedaircraft into the national airspacesystem,” says Todd Waller, NextGenproject manager at Embry-Riddle’sDaytona Beach Campus.The demonstration program willtest a variety of factors, including therole of ADS-B (automatic dependentsurveillance-broadcast) in remotelycontrolling the UAV and the implicationswhen the remote pilot loses voicecontact with the UAS’sspotters or air trafficcontrollers.Another group ofresearchers, led byKelly Neville, associateprofessor of humanfactors and systemsat Embry-Riddle inDaytona Beach, islooking at the wayremote pilots interactwith the UAV controlin order to find and fixpotential breakdownsand weaknesses.“Our research is all about improvingthe interaction between peopleand technology. Where are the weaknessesand breakdowns?” says Neville.“We need to find them before we canfix them.”EYE-TO-EYE WITH HURRICANESOn another “front,” a team of Embry-Riddle engineers is developing aninnovative unmanned aircraft systemThe UAS named Gale will collect dataon temperature, humidity, pressure andwind as it flies through storms.A U.S. Air Force RQ-4AGlobal Hawk highaltitude,long-enduranceUAS on approach toland at Edwards AirForce Base, Calif.that will fly through a storm to collectdata on pressure, temperature, humidityand wind, and send it back to themother plane and the ground.The aircraft, nicknamed “Gale,”features foldable wings that pop outwhen the vehicle is dropped from aP-3 airplane.Gale will get its first real test duringthe 2011 hurricane season when itis dropped from 10,000 feet into theeye of a hurricane. It will then fly in aspiraling descent to 100 feet, transmittingstorm data to theP-3 that dropped it.In a more ambitiousfollow-up test,the researchers plan torelease the UAV insidethe hurricane’s eyeand then let it breakaway and fly into thestorm itself, to seewhat happens.The project isfunded by theNational Oceanicand AtmosphericAdministration’sUnmanned Aircraft Systems Program.Gale has other potential uses besideshurricane sensing. As a firefighter’s tool,the UAV could safely loiter over aforest fire, measuring the heat with aninfrared camera. Following a majordisaster like Hurricane Katrina, Galecould be an eye in the sky to spot survivorswho need to be rescued. Thedevice also could be used for borderpatrol and military surveillance.WWW.ERAUALUMNI.ORG SPRING 2011 LIFT5
Page 1: SPRING 2011LIFTThe alumni magazine
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Page 8 and 9: WINGS OF LEGACYJACK HUNTCOLLAGEINST
Page 10 and 11: FLIGHT PATHASHLEE ILG (’03, DB)TH
Page 12 and 13: BY CHARLES MCNAIRPHOTOGRAPHY BY BRA
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Page 22 and 23: ALUMNI IN ACTIONBY JAKE POINIERform
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Page 30 and 31: CLASS NOTESLloyd TerryDaniel Pradel
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Spring 2011 - Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Alumni

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