Turkey, Family & The National Dog Show

Posted on December 1, 2015 by Rachel

I am back from Thanksgiving break! I am so thankful for the fact that I was able to get three days off of school so I could go home and spend the Thanksgiving holiday with my family and friends. It was definitely a break well-needed.

In classic Thanksgiving fashion, my mother made a turkey and my grandparents came over to my house to visit. While my family was making food, I got to watch The National Dog Show (a personal tradition of mine), and I was so impressed by the winner. The dog that won the “Best in Show” title was a Skye terrier named Good Time Charlie and he was so cute!

My mom and I kissing my 100 year old Grandpa Bob!

After Thanksgiving dinner, my mother and I went early Black Friday shopping and I was able to get new clothes. I also bought a Darth Vader mug (I love Star Wars), but I couldn’t find it when I was packing up for Daytona, so I guess my mom hid it away for Christmas.

Connor and I at Universal Studios

On the day of Black Friday, I decided to stay away from the malls and instead go to Universal Studios with one of my Sigma sisters, Connor! Although I work at Universal, this was really exciting for me because I never get to go there during the holiday season. The best thing about going on Black Friday was that since everyone was out shopping, the park wasn’t too busy and we were able to go on all the rides we wanted to!

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving break and is ready to tackle finals!

Change is Good!

Posted on December 1, 2015 by Rachel

As the fall semester comes to a close, it is time to start preparing for the spring! You may think it’s crazy that we’re already getting ready for something that is still months down the road, but that’s college for you. The end of the semester is when students start deciding what classes they want to enroll in and what leadership positions they want to take on. After finding out about my classes and my positions, all I can say is that I’m excited for the spring!

One of the things that excites me for the spring is that I will finally be starting my Engineering Science classes for the Aerospace Engineering program! These classes will include Dynamics, Fluids, and Solids, which are the three classes that are the building blocks for all of the engineering fields. These classes are also three of the most difficult classes on campus and when they are taken together they are known on campus as “The Gauntlet”. It is called this because it is the last true test and once you get through “The Gauntlet”, you can get through anything. I’m looking forward to taking this challenge head-on!

Next spring I will also be taking on a leadership position in my sorority, Tri Sigma. I will serve as Eta Tau’s 2016 Vice President of New Member Education, which is one of the most important positions on the Executive Board. This is because I will be responsible for educating all of our new members for the spring and fall semesters about everything Sigma Sigma Sigma! This excites me because I will be able to share my passion and knowledge for Sigma with our new members and hopefully they will love it just as much as I do. The position will also bring me closer to my sisters, which will be great. Kealey and Lindsey, who are other My Life @ Riddle bloggers, will also be serving on the exec board! Kealey will be Vice President of Operations and Lindsey will be Treasurer. I’m looking forward to spending more time with these two, as exec members and sisters!

Another organization I had the honor of being selected for is the Women’s Ambassador Program. This program’s goal is to strengthen the bond between prospective female students, current students, and alumni while also creating a healthier and more diverse University atmosphere. Since Embry-Riddle’s female population makes up about 18 percent of the student population, the program aims to increase female student enrollment and retention. I’m so excited to be a new ambassador because it was something I have wanted to do since coming to the campus, and now I will be able to positively impact the college experiences of young women!

The spring semester will be bringing on many changes, and I couldn’t be more excited! It will be the semester where I will grow as not only an engineering student, but as a leader as well. I guess change really is good!

Change Quote

Thanksgiving Break

Posted on December 1, 2015 by Nicolas

For some, the American Thanksgiving is a time of the year where families and loved ones reunite at a table and have a big meal. For me, it is totally different since my family is not American!

I still go back home for the break which is nice, but we do not celebrate any type of festivities. Our Thanksgiving (Canadian) is actually on the second Monday of October and we only have that Monday as a holiday. For us, Thanksgiving is not as big as in the United States. Our biggest holiday is Christmas and this is the time when we eat turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, pie, and all the good stuff.

During this break I mostly spend time with my family and see my friends from home. I also have free time to do school work since the finals are approaching very quickly. When I come back from the break, I will only have four days of classes left. Then the finals are the following week. I will be busy during the last week of classes. I will have three presentations to deliver and a group project to submit along with other assignments. I was supposed to have three back to back finals but I was lucky that one of my professors changed the schedule and put the exam during regular class time.

After I take my last final, I will fly back home for the long winter break. This year, the holiday will be longer than last year. Embry-Riddle added a week of vacation in January! This is awesome for students but it also mean that we will end the spring semester a week later in May.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Nicolas

The Four Year Plan

Posted on November 25, 2015 by Jack

As a first year students, you will have to take University 101, Business 101, or AS101; these classes are designed to help introduce you to being a college student at Embry-Riddle. At times, the class may seem a bit redundant, but it is definitely a worthwhile class.

One of the projects you will work on is to create a four-year plan based on your degree requirements; honestly, I would say this was one of the most beneficial thing that I got out of the class because it is a great guide to help you when it comes to planning classes to ensure you take the right classes and graduate with all of the credits you will need.

Now, your four year plan is not set in stone so you can change it should a class not be able to fit in your schedule.

Earlier this month, I met with my new advisor in the College of Business to go over my four year plan and to get my hold off to register for classes; having the four year plan was a huge help as we were able to look at my credit progress into my degree program as well as to make sure that I am taking all of the prerequisites.

Even before you start your career at Embry-Riddle, I highly recommend that you start talking to your advisor to ensure that you take the right classes, especially your first semester. You definielty do not want to still be taking math classes in senior year if you don’t have to!

Until next time,

Jack

Almost Crunch Time

Posted on November 25, 2015 by Jack

It’s almost crunch time, and as Thanksgiving approaches, I can feel it more than ever. Even though it is a quick two day week since we get Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday off, I still have two tests, several homework assignments, work, a speech next week, and other miscellaneous stuff to accomplish before classes are over the next two weeks.

It’s crazy to think that there are only five class days left before finals; luckily, it has been a strong semester so far so I am not quite concerned, but there is definitely a lot going on that has my head spinning as I try to wrap everything up before the end of the year.

Meanwhile, it is cold in Florida! This morning, it was 46 degrees; while to some in the north it might seem that I am exaggerating, both of my roommates who are from the Midwest and Northeast will tell you its cold. Since returning to Florida in August, there have been practically zero days that it has been below 65 so you get use to it almost always t-shirt and shorts weather.

Luckily, I get to head home Tuesday night for Thanksgiving; it’ll be nice to be home for a few days to see my family and see several of my high school friends that I have not seen since we left for the fall semester! Besides being thankful for a hot chocolate from Starbucks this morning that helped me warm up, I am very thankful for the opportunity to attend Embry-Riddle and for all of the people on campus and others in my life that played a role in helping my dream turn into a reality; plus, I am thankful for having the opportunity to blog about my experience as well as the opportunity to work with all of the wonderful people in Career Services.

I hope you have a very Happy Thanksgiving,

Jack

Weekend Update

Posted on November 24, 2015 by Skye

Hello folks! Hopefully this week was a good work week for all of us. Finally the weekend! Something us college kids look forward too. Yesterday was Friday the 13th so it was apparently was a “must watch scary movie day.” And I am the one that hates scary movies! Hope that Friday wasn’t too creepy for you! This weekend for me so far has been busy busy busy. Since all the clubs and organizations are coming to a close within the next couple of weeks, final meetings and preparations are being made to go out with a bang!

MEERS, The Mobile Extreme Environment Research Station has been moved into a hangar finally! As the Community Outreach Coordinator it is nice to see things are being accomplished with MEERS. The tasks for me this weekend regarding MEERS include finishing up the summary for our sponsors. I decided to get creative with the sponsorship level names… Orion, Mercury, Gemini, and all the other classic space program names. Why not? Space is awesome. Next semester, MEERS should be up and running by January. Or that is the plan at least. I am excited to be working on it full time.

As for my life with Society 4 S.P.A.C.E., things are going really well. Bunnell Blast is taking place today and some of the officers and students are blasting off our homemade rockets! That is super exciting! I can’t wait to see the pictures roll in! The most exciting part about this upcoming week is our final meeting. Today and tomorrow I am making preparations from that. Presentations, activity books, gift bags, baking goods and a whole lot more. I can’t wait to see it all come together on Wednesday.

Besides the organization stuff, school is still coming into play. I finally finished my excel spreadsheet for my MATLAB project. Since I am doing a NASA database, I created an excel sheet with three sub-levels. The first level is all about the Astronauts. Each astronaut is given an ID and within that ID the Astronauts name, date of birth, and education history are stored. The second level consists of the data from space missions. Within the Mission ID the crew, launch and landing date, as well as crew size are recorded. The final level shows the mission and the mission type. It only took me about an hour or so to input all the data. Yeah I have a little (aka BIG) obsession with space. I am excited to finally start the skeleton code for the project. I plan on researching this weekend and re-watching some of the videos so it is fresh in my mind.

Speaking about school and final projects, for my Sensation and Perception class, my group and I are talking about Vestibular system. I get to talk about Space Adaptation Syndrome or SAS. Which basically is space sickness. About half the astronauts who go to space get SAS. I am really excited to do a presentation about that on Thursday.

So far, my life has revolved around school and space. NO complaints. I am happy where I am at. I can’t wait to finish all the planning and organizing. I will be sure to write about it when it is all done!

Have a great Weekend!

What Are You Thankful For?

Posted on November 24, 2015 by Skye

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

Posted on November 23, 2015 by Nicolas

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 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.

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.

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

Posted on November 23, 2015 by Skye

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!

: “Space News with Skye”

: Members

: Fran & Myself

: S4S Officers for Fall 2015

: My Award of Excellence

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

Posted on November 18, 2015 by Lindsey

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