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Astronaut/Alumna Nicole Stott to Speak at Embry-Riddle Commencement

Daytona Beach, Fla., April 23, 2010 -- The spring commencement ceremony for 746 students of Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach campus will be held at 10 a.m. Monday, May 10, at the Ocean Center, 101 N. Atlantic Ave., Daytona Beach. Commencement weekend also includes Air Force, Army, and Naval ROTC commissioning ceremonies and an alumni welcome reception.

The commencement guest speaker – astronaut and Embry-Riddle alumna Nicole P. Stott – will receive the University’s Distinguished Speaker Award in recognition of her professional accomplishments and national prominence.

Stott made her first trip into space in August 2009 as a mission specialist aboard space shuttle Discovery and spent three months on the International Space Station (ISS) as a flight engineer. She and another Embry-Riddle graduate, B. Alvin Drew, will be crewmembers on the next-to-last space shuttle mission, STS-133, scheduled to launch to the ISS in September 2010. Five current astronauts and one former astronaut are Embry-Riddle alumni.

Stott is a frequent speaker at Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach campus, a member of the College of Engineering’s Industry Advisory Board, and in 2009 received the Alumni Eagle of Excellence Award. She holds a B.S. in Aeronautical Engineering from Embry-Riddle and is an instrument-rated private pilot. Her official NASA bio can be viewed at www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/stott-np.html.

Families and friends who cannot attend the commencement ceremony can watch a live streaming broadcast of the event at the senior class website, www.eraugraduation.com, on the day of the ceremony and for a period of time afterward.

Saturday, May 8

Army ROTC Commissioning Ceremony
10 a.m., Willie Miller Instructional Center auditorium, Embry-Riddle
The ceremony will be followed by a reception, also in the auditorium. For more information, call (386) 226-6473.

Sunday, May 9

Air Force ROTC Commissioning Ceremony
10 a.m., ICI Center, Embry-Riddle
Thirty-nine students will be commissioned as second lieutenants in the U.S. Air Force. Preceding the ceremony, refreshments will be served at 9 a.m. For more information, call (386) 226-6880.

Alumni Welcome Reception
7 p.m., Daytona 500 Experience, 1801 W. International Speedway Blvd., Daytona Beach Each graduate and up to four guests may enjoy free, unlimited use of all Daytona 500 Experience attractions, including Acceleration Alley, Dream Laps, and Speedplay. Light hors d’oeuvres and beverages will be served. New alumni should RSVP through EaglesNest at www.eraualumni.org before the event to receive a special leather portfolio gift at the reception. For more information, call Edmund Odartey-Williams at (386) 226-6155.

Catholic Mass
7 p.m., Interfaith Chapel, Embry-Riddle

Monday, May 10

Naval ROTC Commissioning Ceremony
2:30 p.m., Willie Miller Instructional Center auditorium, Embry-Riddle
Ten graduating midshipmen will be commissioned as ensigns in the U.S. Navy and eight as second lieutenants in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world’s largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, offers more than 30 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in its colleges of Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business, and Engineering. Embry-Riddle educates students at residential campuses in Daytona Beach, Fla., and Prescott, Ariz., through the Worldwide Campus at more than 150 campuses in the United States, Europe, Canada, Asia, and the Middle East, and through online learning. For more information, visit www.embryriddle.edu.

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