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Embry-Riddle and NSF Scholarships for Electrical, Computer Engineering Students

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has given Embry-Riddle nearly $600,000 for scholarships available for 13 new students in the electrical engineering or computer engineering degree programs at the university’s Prescott, Ariz., campus starting in the Fall 2008 semester. The NSF Scholars will each receive up to $10,000 per academic year for up to four years. They also will receive at least $5,000 per year in other scholarships and grants from Embry-Riddle. With the combined financial aid, a student could receive $60,000 over four years. Students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents, enrolled full time, academically talented, in need of financial help, and Pell Grant eligible are invited to apply for the NSF scholarship. The deadline is April 15, 2008.
For information, e-mail pradmit@erau.edu or call Debra Cates at (928) 777-6600.

Students Move into Apollo Hall

Embry-Riddle opened its newest residence hall, Apollo Hall, on the Daytona Beach, Fla., campus in time for the Fall 2007 semester. The four-story suite-style residence hall houses 256 sophomores, juniors, and seniors and includes group study areas on each floor, lounge areas, laundry rooms, and views of the campus and Daytona Beach International Airport.Technology includes wireless connection in study and lounge areas, data jacks in individual rooms, keyless entry, and building security.

Legendary MiG Test Pilot Visits Daytona Beach Campus

Colonel Georgy Mosolov, chief test pilot for MiG fighter jets in the late 1950s and early 1960s, visited the Daytona Beach, Fla., campus Sept. 25. Mosolov held two world speed records and one world altitude record piloting the world-famous MiG-21. Like his close friend Yuri Gagarin, the first cosmonaut, he received the Hero of the Soviet Union Gold Star, the Russian equivalent of the U.S. Medal of Honor.

Mosolov was hosted by Rodney Rogers, professor of aeronautical science, and Shirley Waterhouse, director of the university’s Centers for Teaching and Learning Excellence. His tour of the College of Aviation Building and the flight department was led by aeronautical science students Ryan Larosh and Kavita Patel. He was also the guest at a luncheon hosted by Cass Howell, chair of the aeronautical science department. Mosolov’s stop at the campus preceded his induction Sept. 29 into the Society of Experimental Test Pilots in Los Angeles.

Workshop Draws Space Science Researchers

The Space Physics Research Laboratory at Embry-Riddle hosted an Antarctic Space Sciences Workshop Sept. 27-28 at the Daytona Beach, Fla., campus. The meeting was sponsored by the National Science Foundation.

The workshop brought together nationally renowned scientists who conduct space science research at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station and other sites in Antarctica. Scientists reviewed their research, identified scientific criteria for future investigations, and talked about increasing visibility for space science research in Antarctica.

Researchers attended from Augsburg College, Colorado Research Associates, Dartmouth College, Embry-Riddle, National Science Foundation, Oberlin College, Raytheon Polar Services Co., Siena College, and SRI International. Scientists also came from Stanford University, University of California Los Angeles, University of Colorado, University of New Hampshire, University of Saskatchewan, Utah State University, and Virginia Polytechnic Institute.

Embry-Riddle’s Space Physics Research Laboratory designs and operates passive electro-optical instruments in the Arctic and Antarctic regions to remotely sense the near-Earth space environment for research led by professors Abas Sivjee and Irfan Azeem.

Symposium Addresses Homeland Security Challenges

Embry-Riddle hosted its third annual National Security and Intelligence Symposium Oct. 22 at the Prescott, Ariz., campus. The purpose of the symposium, sponsored by the campus’s global security and intelligence studies program, was to educate and engage Arizonans about homeland security challenges. Topics included Arizona’s homeland security strategic plan, counterintelligence, terrorism, technology and intellectual property transfer, the scientific validity of profiling, and border security. Panelists were Lisa Morrison, director of the Arizona Department of Homeland Security; Lynn Anastasia, special agent with the FBI; Phillip Pounds, vice president of the Arizona chapter, Association for Intelligence Officers; and Philip Jones, professor and director of global security and intelligence studies at the Prescott campus. Richard Bloom, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, was moderator.

Embry-Riddle Keeps Top Spot in U.S. News & World Report Rankings

Embry-Riddle remains at the top in the 2008 “America’s Best Colleges” guide published by U.S. News & World Report magazine. In the specialty category of “Aerospace/Aeronautical/Astronautical Engineering Programs” at schools where the highest degree is a master’s, the Daytona Beach, Fla., campus took first place, followed by the U.S. Air Force Academy in second, and Embry-Riddle’s Prescott, Ariz., campus in third.

The university, which has one of the largest aerospace engineering programs in the nation, has won the top spot every year since the category was introduced in 2001. In the overall category of “Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs” where the highest degree is a master’s, both campuses rank in the top 20. The Daytona Beach campus is ranked 9th, tied with Villanova University. The Prescott campus is 20th, tied with Baylor University, Bradley University, Santa Clara University, and Valparaiso University. Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach campus is 13th in the overall category of “Best Universities – Master’s” (South Region).

$2.5 Million ‘Seed’ from Scotts Miracle-Gro

CEO James Hagedorn, chairman and CEO of Scotts Miracle-Gro, the lawn and garden products giant, has pledged $2.5 million to Embry-Riddle to help build a new aviation complex on the Daytona Beach, Fla., campus. The gift from Hagedorn, who received a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical science in 1979, is the largest from an Embry-Riddle graduate. “Jim Hagedorn’s generous gift is yet another example of his dedication to the continuing growth of his alma mater,” said Embry-Riddle President John P. Johnson. Previously, Hagedorn funded three endowed student scholarships at the university, and in 2006 he served as the spokesman for “Raise the Rate, Just Participate,” an alumni giving campaign. He also serves on Embry-Riddle’s Board of Trustees.

The aviation complex will add 95,000 square feet to the campus’s College of Aviation Building. One new building will house flight planning and dispatch areas, classrooms, bays for instructor pilots, and offices. In a second building, a hangar will house maintenance operations for the flight training fleet, and a conjoined hangar for labs, offices, and equipment for the aviation maintenance science degree program.

After graduating from Embry-Riddle, Hagedorn served in the U.S. Air Force for seven years as a captain and F-16 fighter pilot.

University Fills Key Positions

The appointment of several distinguished individuals to key leadership positions in the past six months highlights Embry-Riddle’s growing focus on research and scholarly excellence.

Richard Heist is the new provost and senior vice president. He oversees appointment and promotion of faculty, curriculum development, and research activity. Previously, he was dean of engineering at Manhattan College and associate dean for graduate studies at the University of Rochester’s College of Arts and Sciences and School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. His research involved nucleation, aerosols, and other ultra-fine particles. Norval Pohl is the new chancellor of the Prescott, Ariz., campus. He joined the campus of more than 1,650 students and nearly 400 employees from the University of North Texas, where he served as president for six years and provost and executive vice president for two years.

Maj Mirmirani, the new dean of engineering, Daytona Beach campus, oversees the aerospace, civil, computer, electrical, mechanical, software engineering, and engineering sciences departments. Previously, he chaired mechanical engineering and was a researcher at California State University, Los Angeles, where he developed software for robotic calibration, created an automated manufacturing and robotics lab, a flight dynamics and control lab, and a $6 million research center.

Christina Frederick-Recascino was promoted to vice president for research and institutional effectiveness. She leads efforts to increase research and graduate enrollments and programs. She oversees strategic planning and the development of a university research park. Previously, she was an associate professor of human factors, assistant dean of arts and sciences, assistant provost for research and graduate studies, and interim provost.

Daniel Montplaisir, the new vice president for institutional advancement, responsible for planned giving, major gifts, grants, alumni relations, annual giving, and a capital campaign. He had been director of alumni relations and development for Rollins College’s Crummer Graduate School of Business.

Irene McReynolds was promoted to vice president for human resources, responsible for employee recruiting, hiring, payroll, benefits, compensation, training, and employee relations. The university employs 4,546 faculty and staff at campuses in Daytona Beach, Fla., and Prescott, Ariz., and at its Worldwide Campus.

William Minor is the new assistant vice president for marketing and communication. Previously, he was senior director of marketing for continuing and distance education at Penn State University and held senior account management and marketing positions at Ohio Casualty Insurance and ad giants J. Walter Thompson, Tracy-Locke/DBB, and Young & Rubicam.