What Are You Thankful For?

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Hello everyone! It’s that time…it is the day before Thanksgiving break! I don’t know about you, but I am so excited! I really need this break.

It has been a crazy week full of tests, quizzes, and final assignments. It seems like everyone is trying to cram everything in before the Thanksgiving break. Luckily for me, a lot of my classes have wrapped up yesterday or today. This allows for a good two weeks of doing nothing but studying for my Calculus final and my final tests/essays for my classes. It worked out perfectly!

Everything has been coming along really well! However, I know I am not the only one begging for this break to come. This semester has been a long one for all of us. It is well needed.

Over this thanksgiving break I am hoping to see my family. Josh and I are having a BBQ tonight with a few friends as a goodbye before break. It will be a nice way to start the celebration. All us Riddle kids have worked our butts off. It is not easy going to college here. It is demanding and you have to put a lot of hard work in. But it is so worth it. I really enjoy going to school. Butttttttttttttt it is time for a break! Haha.

Since we are going on Thanksgiving break, I am going to take a second to reflect back and say what I am thankful for.

Over the past few years, my life has been a crazy rollercoaster. The big crazy rollercoaster has led me to what I am thankful for and it has made me who I am today. For starters, I have a HUGE family. Four sisters and one brother on each of my parents’ side. Unfortunately, I don’t talk to my dad’s side of the family anymore. Due to certain circumstances let’s just say they did some things to try and tear my family apart but it didn’t work. My parents, my sister and I are stronger than ever!

3 and a half years ago, my mom had brain surgery. Turns out she had an aneurysm behind her right eye on her optic nerve. Yeah, it sounds crazy. It was. It was scary seeing my mom with her head cut open and seeing her in pain was probably one of the worst thing I have ever been through. However, all my experiences, good or bad, have made me a stronger person and have made me the person I am today.

I am thankful for my family, my friends, my life, and my future. I am very hopeful to see what the future holds and I am hopeful this will be an amazing Thanksgiving.

Don’t forget to hug your loved ones and be grateful for everything you have.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

NBAA 2015

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LAS VEGAS, NV – Last week, a group composed of about 50 Embry-Riddle students and faculty from the Daytona Beach campus attended the 2015 NBAA Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition in Las Vegas. This three-day event brought together 26,000 key aviation contacts from all around the globe, including current and prospective business aircraft owners, manufacturers, and customers. This year, the convention welcomed 1,000 exhibitors and more than 100 aircraft on the static display.

View of the many Bombardier Business Aircraft on the Static Display.

View of the many Bombardier Business Aircraft on the static display at Henderson Executive Airport.

Most of our group traveled from Florida to Nevada on Monday, the day before the convention. Since NBAA 2015 is a large event with much to cover, each student made their own schedule. The exhibitors were divided in two concourses at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The static display of aircraft was located at the Henderson Executive Airport which was a 30 minute bus drive from the convention. NBAA  also offers many general information sessions, educational sessions for students, and social events.

I did not attend many of the information sessions I planned to go to because I did not have time. I wish I could have attended  “Engaging Airport Management on Key Issues” and “The Future of Planes and Flying.” I was an intern at the Montreal Airport last summer so I thought the session would be interesting. Knowing what aviation will look liken the future  is intriguing.

I spent most of the time walking between the many exhibitors present. This convention was a great opportunity for students to connect with people of the industry and exchange business cards. My friend and I had the chance to talk with the Manager of Customer Service Communications at Dassault Falcon. We discussed the new Falcon 8X product which is currently in development. We also went over the FalconResponse program, which was launched in May 2015. It is designed to support the AOG (Aircraft on Ground) more rapidly. The manufacturer has 2 Falcon 900 available 24/7 to carry technicians, parts, and tools needed to return an aircraft back in the air.

The province of Quebec (the province where I come from) had a booth which reunited many aerospace companies based in Montreal. I was surprised to learn that that the Government of Quebec had an office in Atlanta, GA.

My favorite general session was during the second day of NBAA. Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, known as the hero of the “Miracle on the Hudson,” spoke to the audience about his experience on US Airways flight 1549. It was very interesting to know about  how he felt during the eventful flight. Even though the crew was stressed and obviously not calm, he told us that discipline helped him get through the flight. He knew he did not have time to do all the checklists, but he decided to perform very well the items with the highest priorities. At the end of his speech he said that it is important to be professional: “remember why we are doing this: because our passengers deserve it, our colleagues expect it, and our profession demands it.”

Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, hero of the "Miracle on the Hudson" shared his experience with the audience on the Second Day General Session of NBAA.

Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, hero of the “Miracle on the Hudson” shared his experience with the audience on the Second Day General Session of NBAA.

It was my second time in Las Vegas, but the last time I visited was ten years ago so it has been a long time. The first thing I felt as I exited the aircraft after landing was the cold temperature of the desert. When I made my way to the terminal and to the baggage claim carrousel I noticed that there were slot machines at the boarding area and at the arrivals level. There are casinos almost everywhere you are at the airport!

We stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino for the week. We did not really have much time to visit because the convention ended late on some days and we were really tired. At around 3:00pm I was already exhausted and wanted to go to bed! During my last night in the Sin City, I went out with some friends to explore the city. We went to the famous Las Vegas Strip where all the action happens. For me, it felt like Times Square on a smaller scale. There were many outdoors screens and lights everywhere. We visited the Paris Las Vegas hotel and it was actually fascinating. Inside, it is like an indoor city with numerous restaurants and boutiques. We ate dinner at BurGR, a restaurant for burger lovers that I recommend you stop by if you plan to visit Las Vegas.

View of the "Las Vegas Strip" from our hotel.

View of the “Las Vegas Strip” from our hotel.

The Bellagio Hotel and Casino and its exceptional front water fountains.

The Bellagio Hotel and Casino and its exceptional front water fountains.

NBAA 2015 was a great experience and I already look forward to NBAA 2016 in Orlando! For now, I need to get back to work since I missed an entire week of school. I have many projects and presentations that are due before and after Thanksgiving break.

Until next time!

Nicolas

 

Introducing President Skye

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Hello everyone!

What a crazy week it has been! Final projects, exams, and assignments are starting to weigh heavily on everyone’s shoulders here at Riddle. The tension is tight! I don’t know about you but I am ready for this semester to be over! Recapping on last week, I went to my Society 4 S.P.A.C.E. (S4S) meeting. It was fun!

Playing the Video for 15 Years on the ISS as a part of “Space News with Skye”

I did my final segment of “Space News with Skye” for the semester! I spoke about how November 2nd, 2015 marked 15 years of continuous human presence on board the International Space Station, I even showed a cute little video, 5 Fun Things to Do in Microgravity, and NASA’s soon to be new astronaut class. For the 5 Fun Things to Do in Microgravity, NASA just released 5 gifs of fun things to do while astronauts were in space. They included eating, drinking, flying, playing games, and going out for a walk. The members really enjoyed it. In the more recent news, NASA announced it was going to start accepting applications for the new astronaut class. Unfortunately I do not have enough qualifications. However, I will eventually!

Following “Space News with Skye,” we gave out goodie bags and I got an award of excellence. I was pretty excited haha.

With all the excitement, it only got better. At the end of the meeting, Fran announced that he was stepping down and that I was taking over as President for S4S. Everyone congratulated me and it was now official! It was a great semester with S4S. I can’t wait until the next one!

I will surely have BIG plans for next semester. Trips, projects and more! Hey space nerds: come to S4S!

Have a great day everyone!

 

Skye

A week in the life of Lindsey

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This week is a huge week for me! It has been very busy so far, with more to come! Although, it is expected, since it is the end of the semester. Once Thanksgiving Break hits, I will be almost free! So, I’ve decided to give you an update on what a week in the life of Lindsey looks like. Here it goes…

Monday: Mondays are always great days for me. Most people seem to dread them, however, I always look forward to them, since my sorority has chapter in the evenings! Besides getting to see all of my sisters, I also only have two classes, which makes Monday much easier. However, when I was not in class, I was focusing on my three final projects that all are due next week!

Tuesday: Tuesdays are normally a lot busier for me. Classes are an hour an fifteen minutes long on Tuesdays and Thursdays, as opposed to fifty minutes on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Because of this, Tuesdays always seems to drag on. Once classes were finished, I had meetings scheduled to discuss the upcoming Farmer’s Market Tri Sigma is putting on. We had to discuss last minute logistics, since the Market is on Friday! After the meeting, my afternoon was filled with sending emails, writing a report, and running around campus picking up and delivering various things. We also have our weekly Women’s Ambassador Program meetings on Tuesdays. We are in the process of hiring new girls into the program, so I am super excited! After that meeting, I had an RA meeting, where we discussed closing procedures for Winter Break! I cannot believe it’s that time already!

Wednesday: Once again, Wednesday is going to be comprised of more meetings. I have a Women in Aviation meeting to attend, in which we are discussing our upcoming conference in Nashville, TN. I am stoked about this conference, so I cannot wait to start planning for it. Next, I will have several meetings for the sorority. I accepted a Treasurer position for the 2016 year, so I will be learning how to fulfill all the duties of the Treasurer. I am grateful for the opportunity to be able to serve on the Executive Board for Tri Sigma. Once all of my meetings are over, I will be headed to Orlando for the night!

Thursday: Thursday will be a huge day for me! I have an interview with United Airlines in Chicago, so I will be flying out early Thursday morning. Once I get to Chicago, I will have a few hours to get downtown, before my interview. After the interview, I will meet up with my Dad, since he happens to be in Chicago for work at the same time! I am so excited to see him, since I haven’t seen anyone in my family since early August. Then, I will be catching a flight back to Orlando that night. It will be the first time I am flying non-rev (meaning I am flying standby), so I am hoping that there will be seats available! I am looking forward to being back in Chicago, even if it is for a couple of hours. It is such a beautiful city.

Friday: Whew! If I make it through Thursday, then Friday should be an even bigger challenge! The Tri Sigma Farmer’s Market is from 8am-2pm, and I am the coordinator of it. I will be getting back late Thursday night, and then waking up early to setup for the Farmer’s Market at 5am! I think I am starting to go crazy, already. Although I will be exhausted, it is totally worth it. The Farmer’s Market is one of my favorite events of the year, since about 30 vendors come onto campus to sell produce, homemade items, and jewelry. All the proceeds of this event will be going to children in hospitals in Florida, and the Domestic Abuse Council. Since the event is so close to the holidays, all of the vendors are putting holiday twists on their merchandise! I cannot wait to see how it turns out!

Saturday: Time to go SCUBA diving! I started a SCUBA course last weekend, and on Saturday, I will be doing my first real dive in a spring. We are waking up early to go to Alexander Springs, where we will complete three dives. I am very excited to get to dive in a natural habitat, rather than a pool.

Well, that is my week for you. Add in some homework, presentations, and studying, and it sounds about normal! I know it will be overwhelming, but I love to stay busy. If all goes well, it should turn out to be a very fulfilling week! I will update you on how it goes!

Until next time,

Lindsey

S4S & The Power of Words

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Good morning everyone! Another day here at Riddle. I hope your Monday wasn’t too bad! I actually had an unusually busy Monday yesterday. I had two meetings in the morning, my calculus class, and then two more meetings and an event to go to. I’m not complaining, it did keep me busy.

One of the meetings I went to yesterday was for Society 4 S.P.A.C.E. We are having our final meeting of the semester tomorrow! I can’t believe it is time for the final meeting! This semester has flown by! Anyway, I go to see the new research lab S4S has. It is SO much bigger than the tiny one we had in Canaveral Hall. We moved up to the big leagues! We are now in COAS! It is a super nice lab and I can’t wait to see it all come together.

One of the main reasons I had a meeting with the president yesterday is because…

I am happy to announce that I will be taking over as President of Society 4 S.P.A.C.E!

I have known for a couple of weeks now, but now that it is out there, I am so happy I can announce it! I could have only dreamed of becoming the president of S4S down the road, but here it is in my lap for the taking! I will be taking December to not only prepare for the coming Spring semester but I will be taking the time to completely revamp S4S. I am so excited!

Last night, my COM 122 teacher hosted an event in the IC center: “The Power of Words: Political Correctness.” She told all of her classes about it and if we went and stayed for an hour (which we all did) we would get 25 points extra credit. I had no idea what I was getting into but it was actually pretty interesting. We talked about political correctness, gender identity, statistics of the population, and much more. The talk ran over an hour so I could not stay for the whole thing, but for the hour I did, it was actually really interesting!

I thought it was really cute how her mom came too! You can tell just from the look on her face that she was proud to see her daughter up there doing what she loved.

Tonight, Prof. Searcy is hosting another event “Take Back the Night: Speak Up Against Sexual and Domestic Violence.” If her students go and take a selfie and stay for an hour we get another 25 points extra credit. Tonight will be a tougher night to get through seeing that there will be actual stories people are telling but I am interested to see how the night goes.

Don’t worry! I will write about it! Hope you all have a great day!

Skye

The End of the Semester is Approaching… Bring on the Stress

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It is the middle of November, and it seems like classes are speeding up, rather than winding down. With three projects due the day before Thanksgiving, weekly assignments, and endless meetings, I feel like I will never make it to Winter Break. However, it is a refreshing feeling knowing that once I make it to Thanksgiving, I will be stress-free.

That being said, where has the semester gone?! I feel like I have been in Daytona for two months, not four! It seems like each semester flies by faster than the last one did. I cannot even imagine how fast my senior year will go by…

I know this time of year is full of a lot of stress, so I wanted to share some ways I am coping with the stress. I believe it is so important to do something for yourself at least once a week, whether this be going out for ice cream, going to the beach, or just watching a good movie. Taking time for myself helps me to forget about my stress for awhile, and focus on having fun.

Lately, I have been doing active things to keep my mind off of school. Last weekend Tri Sigma had our Fall Sisterhood, which was bio-luminescent kayaking at Mosquito Lagoon. We went kayaking in the dark, in the middle of nowhere. It was so amazing to see the water light up every time your oar hit the water. The stargazing was also incredible! However, just like the name, I ended the night with 60 bug bites all over my leg, and am still recovering. Getting out into nature was just what I needed to kick-off the month of November.

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This weekend I started my open water diving scuba certification course. The first day was spent in a classroom learning information, while Sunday was spent in a pool learning skills. I am not going to lie, I was pretty scared when I first went under water, however, I got used to it, and actually really enjoyed it. I cannot wait until next weekend, when I get to dive at both Alexander and Ginnie Springs. I will be completing the course, while diving at two beautiful springs in Florida!

Being busy and active on the weekends has helped me to have something to look forward to, besides due dates for final projects! When I look at my planner and see a full week, I know I have to plan in something fun to do on the weekend. This strategy has helped me throughout my three semesters in college, and I would recommend it to you, as well! For now, I will say good luck with any finals you have coming up, and I hope you are not stressing out!

Until next time,

Lindsey

The Tuesday That Feels Like Friday & College for Seniors

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Good morning everyone! Hope your week is off to a great start! Today is the last day of classes before our break for Veterans Day. It will be nice to have the day off and thank all of the Veterans who served our country. Since today is the Tuesday that feels like a Friday I am excited to finally have some friend time! A couple of friends and I are going to have a night out on the town. The plan is to go see a movie and have a great time. Although the plan for the night is to have fun, I still have to get some homework done before the fun begins.

Now I know the thought of college is crossing every senior’s mind. With the senior year practically halfway over seniors will start wrapping up their ACT and SAT scores and deciding on what college to attend. Not everyone finds the perfect college the first way around. I know I didn’t. Before the whole astronaut thing, I was in love with musical theater. I wanted to be a performer. When I was in my junior year at Coral Springs Charter School, I went on College Tour. We visited multiple colleges throughout a few days. My cousins all went to the big schools UF, FSU, and USF. I ended up having lunch with my cousin and he told me all about FSU. I fell in love with the school. I loved the history and how it was all brick. It shows character. I walked into the bookstore, got a sweatshirt and sweatpants and got back on the bus. I remember calling my parents and telling them that I was going to go to FSU and study Musical Theater. They were happy. They never thought I was going to go to college.

Now I know some of you may be thinking how I ended up at Riddle. Well, surprise surprise. My life changed when I found Kennedy Space Center. Like I wrote in my first blog, it really changed my life. I made the decision to go to ERAU after I decided I wanted to be an astronaut. I did my research and read all about the school. I ended up touring it and fell in love.

For every senior, making that decision to go to college is tough. You don’t know if you’re making the right decision or not. How do you know? Well here is a few tips.

 

  • First – find what you are interested in. Ask yourself “What degree is right for me?”
  • Second – Search colleges in-state and out of state that offer that degree program.
  • Narrow it down to your top 3
  • Tour the school and/or call
  • Make your decision from there

 

There are very basic steps to follow. Almost like a guide. You can add the in-between steps like application and what is needed but that depends on where you would like to put those steps.

Choosing what college to go to and let a long deciding that program to pursue is hard enough. My best advice to you is to take your time and make sure you are picking something you love. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and put yourself out there. That is what I did and now I am on top of the world loving what I am doing.

Lastly, don’t be afraid to reach out to your parents. They want to see you succeed and would love to help.

I wish all the seniors the best of luck! You can do it!

 

Have a great day!

Skye Schwartz AKA “Astro Skye”

Veterans Day

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Veterans Day. A day that we take to thank the people who fight for our freedom. It is days like this where we take the time to reminisce on what our lives consist of. The time to be grateful for what we have and learn not to take what we have for granted. What does Veterans Day mean to you?

For me, Veterans Day holds a special place in my heart. My grandfather served in World War II and some of my other family members have served in the Air Force. Along with my boyfriend who was in the Navy for 8 years, I took the time to thank him and others who have served this country. Whether it was enjoying a meal or sitting down talking about the days in the military, it really opens up my eyes to realize that these people fought for my freedom. They put their lives on the line to save the lives of others. People that they may not even know and they fight for them every day 365 24/7. I thank them for their service and for allowing me to live free.

Besides going to lunch with Josh, I did get the chance to watch four military movies with my best friend. Those consisted of “Behind Enemy Lines,” “American Sniper,” Stealth,” and my all-time favorite “Top Gun.” It was nice to spend time with her and watch the military movies. The reason being so special is because I wanted to join the Navy. I still do. Before I came to Riddle, I seriously was considering joining the Navy. I was going to do NRTOC and then go into service after my degrees. When I spoke to my parents about it, they were worried like every other parent out there. After 8 months of talking and deciding I said I was going to get my undergraduate degree first and then consider going into the Navy. This is what I am doing.

Life throws you curveballs and I have seen quite a lot of them. However, I still am thinking about going to OCS, Officer Candidate School, and serving this country in the Navy while I get my graduate degree. Anything can happen and I am keeping an open mind.

For those who currently serve our country and those who have lost their lives, I thank you for your service to this country. Don’t forget to thank a Veteran. Not just on Veterans Day but anytime you may run across one. It is not just on Veterans Day that solders fight, they fight 365 24/7. They fight for us.

Happy Veterans Day.

November & An Update or Two

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Hello hello everyone! It is finally November! Sorry I have not written anything in a while. It has been crazy busy on my side! School has been coming along. We are almost done with the semester. We have a little bit less than a month left. This is when all your final projects and final assignments are due. I finally figured out what my MATLAB final project is going to be, a NASA database! I got the idea from a friend, Julia. She knows how much I like NASA so one day we were sitting in class and she happened to mention the idea. I sat down and did some planning with my professor and he loved the idea. I must have been in his office for about 2 and a half hours just planning. He gave me some really good ideas and we brainstormed the project. I am really happy with what we came up with so now I just have to execute it and I have a month to do it!

For my CATIA project it is moving along! We are going to measure and model 10 parts tomorrow since my caliper that I ordered finally came in! I am really excited to get working on that because like I said before, I am doing a space shuttle pullback toy. Yes, NASA again!

November is going to be full of schoolwork, schoolwork, and more schoolwork. But there is still a break for Veterans Day coming up on Wednesday and Thanksgiving Break later on in the month. I will also be going to Kennedy Space Center later in the month. It has been too long! I miss my second home!

I almost forgot! Besides the craziness of school, during one of the Society 4 S.P.A.C.E. meetings, we had a guest speaker, Ronald Caswell, who worked on the ISS and Shuttle. He spoke for about an hour and a half about the Colombia and Challenger disaster. Let me tell you, being a space nerd myself, I knew a lot of information about the two disasters but I learned a whole lot more! It was a pleasure hearing him speak about his work. I loved how passionate he was. It was like nothing was stopping him from doing what he loved. It was truly a great experience to hear him talk.

Life has been flying by really fast lately. Final projects and last semester as a freshman. I have even started looking for a place for next semester. Time has flown by since the Fall Semester started. I cannot believe it is almost over. With all the craziness of school, I have taken time to relax and have fun. I have hung out with some friends and had a Netflix day where I sat and watched Netflix all day. Yes, it was a nice break from all the school craziness and stress. With a little less than one month left, it is time for the big push. One more month and the craziness of fall is all over!

Hold on Riddle kids! We are almost at the end! Have a great Monday everyone!

I Should Be At A Rocket Launch Right Now

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Hello, hello! Things have been crazy the past few days and it’s only going to get crazier from here on out.

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10/10 will do again. Thank you Newman!

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This Embraer E-175 was only 15 days old when I took this picture last week.

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The cockpit is very stylish and somewhat roomy!

For the last two weeks, a friend of mine, who happens to be a flight instructor for Riddle, had been coaching me in the flight simulators that we have here on campus. He put me through engine failures, landing patterns, IFR approaches, and stalls. As someone who really enjoys flying but cannot afford to do so in reality, this is a great substitute, and I really do appreciate him doing that for me. Plus, having a flight instructor guide you through everything makes flying the simulators a lot more fun and meaningful.

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I didn’t understand Rachel Week’s costume. She told me who she was dressed as and now I feel stupid.

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This guy’s costume was the best I don’t care what everyone else said.

This Wednesday, I covered Tri Sigma’s 8th annual fashion show which was very interesting. Because I’ve never covered the fashion show before, I was technically going in blind when I accepted the task. At the end of the day though, I was able to capture some memories that will last a lifetime for everyone involved, and I got practice in shooting fashion shows: a win-win if you ask me.

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Actually this guy was the funniest.

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ERMERGERD ITS A ROCKET. ERMERGERD.

Probably my biggest highlight so far was that I was cleared by the Air Force to cover ULA’s (United Launch Alliance) IIF-11 launch that was supposed to happen today (Friday). Unfortunately, the launch was scrubbed until Saturday because of a leak in the water suppression system. It’s also because of the scrub that I won’t be able to cover the Stewart Airshow that’s happening this weekend as well.

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“Oh so artsy b&w image.”

Regardless, I had a blast on Thursday going out and setting up remote cameras out on the launch pad. I got to meet some really nice people and saw some familiar faces from the last time I was at Cape Canaveral which was back in April for SpaceX’s CRS-6 launch. I was also amazed at how close ULA let us media credentialed individuals get to the rocket. I was definitely a lot closer to the Atlas V than I was to the Falcon 9.

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Lens flairs so unnecessary they call me JJ Abrams.

With this semester coming to a close in just 4-5 weeks, (I know right?) I find it hard to believe that we’re now at this point in the semester. Actually, let’s just forget that the end is near and look towards my next update. Sounds like a good plan. Cheers!