Issue 12 Fall 2011

Tuesday December 6, 2011

Volume CXXXII Issue 12

The Mars Science Laboratory lifts off May Chan

Staff Reporter An important step towards landing humans on Mars began at precisely 10:02am (Eastern Time) on November 26, 2011 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

As spectators stared nervously at Launch Complex 41, the MSL spacecraft, which carried within it NASA’s car-sized Curiosity rover was lifted into orbit aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541.

The Atlas V launch vehicle that helped MSL escape Earth’s gravity is powered with a sixton Russian-built RD-180 twochamber engine that produces about 860,200 pounds of thrust at sea level.

Four solid rocket boosters, manufactured by Aerojet in Sacramento, California, assists the Atlas V launch vehicle in its

heavy lifting.

Each of these boosters measures about 67 feet long and 5 feet in diameter and is jettisoned after a 92-second burn.

“There’s a bit of anxiety at liftoff and launch,” Aerojet’s Executive Director of Space Launch Systems Pete Cova admitted during the kickoff of the long awaited mission to explore the possibilities of existence of microbial life on the Red Planet. “It’s fun, but it’s also stressful.”

The blunt-nosed cone-shaped aeroshell payload fairing that made up the upper stage of the launch vehicle brought the total vehicle height to about 197 feet.

16.5 feet-diameter aluminumhoneycombs and a graphiteepoxy structure encapsulated both the Centaur second stage, which is powered by a svelte 370-pound Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne RL10A-4-2, and the MSL spacecraft.

RICHARD WEAKLEY,/AVION

The Centaur’s engine, producing 22,300 lb of thrust, fired about 10 minutes after the launch, and then burned for seven minutes and shut off as scheduled to ensure the spacecraft goes into a 19-minute coast phase, before burning for another 8-minutes to send itself into the planetary trajectory.

The planetary trajectory places the MSL on its way to Mars after splitting with the Centaur booster as the spacecraft enters the 44th minute of its flight.

The crowd at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center burst into euphoria, cheering and applauding as the screen capturing the MSL and its route came alive. “We are now seeing nice, clean telemetry data” said the NASA announcer. NASA finally confirmed good contact with the MSL spacecraft as it entered the 53rd minute of its flight.

RICHARD WEAKLEY,/AVION

EcoEagles take unique car to competition

PHOTO COURTESY ECO CAR TEAM

PHOTO COURTESY ECO CAR TEAM

Samantha Jewell Guest Reporter

Over the past few years, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) has made huge steps toward becoming an eco-friendly university. From the added solar water heaters on the roof of the Student Center to making all new buildings on campus eco-friendly, ERAU is going “green”.

But it is not just the university that is going “green,” the students are taking the initiative too. More specifically, the members of the EcoEagles have started the EcoCAR 2 competition sponsored by U.S. Department of Energy, General Motors (GM) and Argonne National Lab, to name a few.

Throughout this three year

Campus . . . . . . . . . . A2 Student Government . . . . . . .A3 Student Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A4 Opinions . . . . . . . . . . . . . A4 Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . A5 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B1 Entertainment . . . . . . . . . . . . C1 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C3 Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C4

competition, which began in August 15, universities compete to prove they have the best environmentally friendly design.

The EcoEagles have received their first choice architecture and are now able to continue to the next stage of the competition which includes designing models and simulations. Due to rules of the competition, specific details of their architecture cannot be released at this time.

EcoEagles team leader, Brian Harries, said, “We are very excited we got accepted for our first choice architecture and we can move on with the design.”

In the first year, each team chooses three different architectures that they will propose for their design. Each team must submit monthly deliverables to the Executive Steering Committee to ensure they

are on time with the Vehicle Development Process (VDP). At the end of the first year, teams show off their designs and compete at a tradeshow.

In the second year, GM will donate a 2013 Chevy Malibu to each team. Each team will modify the car to their specific design. The goal of each team is to have a working prototype by the end of year two. They will then take their prototype and compete at GM’s Yuma Proving Ground.

In the third year, each team will refine their vehicle to 99 percent production ready. In the automotive world, this means the car is refined to a level where it would be suitable for a showroom.

In the only competition of its kind, the EcoEagles are stepping up this year in a big way and

Runway 7L Construction Finished!

Campus A2

distinguishing themselves from the rest of the competition with their unique designs.

What is different about the EcoEagles’ design that stands out from their competition?

Expanding their first design in EcoCar 1, their EcoCAR2 design is a biodiesel Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV).

“Only prototypes have been attempted of this design, but currently there are no cars like this on the market,” Harries said of the biodiesel PHEV. “PHEVs allow a customer to charge at their house, enabling all electric driving.”

But the EcoEagles aren’t stopping with their unique design.

They are taking it one step further by creating their own biodiesel fuel.

Led by Mechanical Engineering Graduate student

Michelle Rodio, this project started a year ago in her Clean Energy Systems class, where her group created projects on the benefits, emissions and environmental factors of biodiesel fuel.

Today, she continues to work on perfecting the biodiesel fuel, which will have about “10 percent less energy than diesel, but 100 percent less carbon emissions,” Rodio said.

She said her plan is to “make B100 but put different mixes into the facilities vehicles,” which will be used primarily in tractors that are used to mow the lawn at ERAU. “I plan to start out at B20 mix, which will be used in the EcoCAR2 competition, and then gradually work my way to higher amounts of biodiesel.”

Her goal is to have biodiesel in a tractor by the end of January 2012.

The EcoCAR2 competition allows students to explore different opportunities. Harries said, “There is a big learning process that you go through that comes with building something that you can’t learn in class.”

ERAU is one of two private schools in the competition and Harries said it is a “big platform to display what your school can do.”

Dr. Marc Compere, the faculty advisor for EcoEagles said, “We have experience, support from the school and a great team of students—we are in it to win it!”

Anyone is welcome to join EcoEagles. There are engineers that work on the designs and business students that make business plans, blogs and budgets.

“We have an open door policy,” said Brian Harries.

Gallant, Olafs, Olsen earn academic honors

The Avion would like to congratulate our following members on graduating!

Sports B2

Thank you for all the years of hard work and all the best for your future!

Tilford Mansfield Richard Weakley Nicholas Candrella Andrew Zaback PHOTO COURTESY WARNER BROS. PICTURES

Campus Runway 7L construction finally finished Page

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The Avion, December 6, 2011

NICK CANDRELLA/AVION

Andrew Zaback Staff Reporter

In Nov. 2010, a large volume of trucks and construction equipment began massing at the approach end of runway 7L-25R at Daytona Beach International Airport (DBIA). The goal: to completely rehabilitate the eastwest primary 10,500’ runway and its systems.

The project was planned to be done in six separate phases spanning over a time period of approximately 300 days.

Thirty-seven of these days were to have around-the-clock work done, and the rest were standard eight hour shifts.

Throughout the year-long construction process DBIA was able to keep the runway open, however, certain issues had to be overcome.

Special considerations were given to the ever present concern of noise in surrounding communities and useable run-

NICK CANDRELLA/AVION

way length for commercial and transient traffic landing and taking off out of the airport.

DBIA received numerous complaints of noise from neighborhoods and communities during the summer months when the central portion of 7L-25R was closed significantly reducing useable length.

As a result airliners were using the secondary runway that runs north and south, runway 16-34. Once the central portions were completed however, air traffic operations returned to normal east-west departures and arrivals of large jets.

A year after the construction began, DBIA has successfully rehabilitated and fully reopened runway 7L-25R. Among a long list of improvements made, perhaps the most noticeable is the new pavement and the ILS system added to runway 25R. The process of resurfacing the runway was much more intricate than laying down a new layer of concrete and asphalt.

Before the project commenced, studies were done on the runway that showed the underlying structure slowly deteriorating from normal usage over time.

Several cracks were found in the top layer of concrete that, if left untreated, would cause the runway to become unusable.

To repair and resurface, the top 2-2.5 inches were removed from the runway. The millings from this process were recycled in other parts of this and other projects.

Once the old concrete was removed, new asphalt was added to replace and raise the overall elevation of the runway.

The profile of the runway was increased between seven and eleven inches compared to prerehabilitated data.

Another noticeable improvement and addition completed during the project are the new approach lights and Instrument Landing System (ILS) installed and aligned with runway 25R.

In the past, when runway 25R was active for arrivals, pilots would use the opposite end of the 7L ILS approach system, the back course.

This method uses the same equipment as the ILS for 7L and is considered less accurate and is therefore a non-precision approach.

Runway 25R is now equipped with a Category I ILS which includes all the same equipment and capabilities as the 7L system. Features include a Localizer, which provides lateral guidance on center line, a Glideslope indicating vertical guidance on approach, Distance Measuring Equipment (DME) and Medium-Intensity Approach Light System with Runway Alignment Indicator Lights (MALSR).

All of these tools provide pilots with precise data and situational awareness when landing in poor weather. Officials at DBIA predict that the new ILS system and surface will last at

least 20 years into the future.

To supplement the new ILS and pavement, nearly 700 brand new LED lights were installed to assist pilots when taxiing at night. Lights were installed along the runway center line, the touchdown zone, runway edges and along the taxi ways.

To finish the project, approximately $20 million was spent over 384 days.

The majority of funding came from the Federal Aviation Administration at 95%. The remaining 5 percent was split evenly between the Florida Department of Transportation and DBIA. An interesting fact is that none of the money used was taken from local tax dollars. The airport is considered self sufficient and used its own reserve funds to pay for its share of the project.

In the past 24 months, commercial airline traffic has increased for 23 of them. Airport officials hope to continue that

trend into 2012 and beyond.

Officials are currently in talks with multiple new airlines in hopes of adding more traffic and destinations from Daytona Beach International Airport.

In addition to more commercial traffic, student pilots from surrounding flight schools and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University will have more opportunities to practice instrument procedures on either end of 7L-25R. The Florida Department of Transportation performed a study on DBIA’s economic impact in the area and found impressive statistics. The airport has impacted 8,340 jobs with a total payroll of $237,414,200.

Accounting for those jobs and pay scales, DBIA has a total economic impact of $741,319,500.

With the newly upgraded runway, the airport will continue to have a positive impact on the local economy and maintain its position as one of the top three airports in Florida.

enhance teaching and learning.

A few weeks ago, 40 iPads were evenly distributed to faculty throughout ERAU, and the time spent since then has been devoted to training the staff members and researching constructive applications.

Dr. David Pedersen, the Director of the Center for Teaching and L e a r n i n g Excellence, explained several applications that have been f o u n d already.

There are apps to visualize statistics, to graph 3-D equations for Calculus 3 and to annotate documents for paperless homework assignments.

Dr. Pedersen confirmed that these apps, along with subsequent ones yet to be dis-

covered will surely “transform our educational experience from lecture to a more active learning experience.”

Associate Professor of Aeronautical Science Les We s t b r o o k s described his idealized vision for the iPad. “I give all my tests o n blackboard,” he said, “So I would love f o r m y stu-

taught” instead of taking the test outside of the classroom. Professor Westbrooks also hopes that the publication industry embraces this new technology and discounts their price for textbooks on the iPad. This way, he states, “We could all invest in an iPad and not have to carry around a backpack full of books.”

Engineering Program Coordinator Lisa Davids mentioned, “The technology can be useful and engaging, but we have to be careful that we’re not using the iPad just to say we’re bringing technology into the classroom.” It is vital to meticulously research all possibilities before promoting its use. She added that the faculty “hopes to begin implementing the use of the iPad into the classroom this coming spring.”

Before this can happen, several glitches need to be resolved. The iPad cannot run Adobe Flash or handle macros, it does not have a hard disk so it lacks storage

space for files and there are certain connectivity issues to be handled.

Despite these struggles, Dr. Shirley Waterhouse, Director of Educational

Technology, guaranteed that the faculty is ecstatic about the educational opportunity and they all “see this initiative as something that will grow” into a campus-wide achievement.

The Apple invades the Riddle campus Allie Iacovelli

Staff Reporter Many of you have invested in technology’s most popular tablet – the Apple iPad. Apple claims it is “thin, light and fully loaded” with features from a 10-hour battery life to an impressively fast processing speed. You use it for gaming, video chatting and reading books but now iPads are even being used in the classroom.

As an instructional device, the iPad has revolutionary potential. It is an opportunity to take the newest, greatest technology that students love and use it to make learning more enjoyable. Schools across the country have started implementing these ideas, and Embry-Riddle is now joining them in hopes to transform teaching as we know it.

The University has dubbed it the “iPad Initiative” – a program dedicated to finding out how iPad applications can

dents to sit d o w n and take the test right on their iPad in the same environment which they were

Executive Board Editor-in-Chief .................... Costas Sivyllis Managing Editor .................. Austin Coffey News Editor ............................... Peter Tan Business Manager ......... Alena Thompson Photography Editor .......... Anthony Sekine Advertising Manager ...Alanna Wagenblast

Editorial Staff Cont.

Comics Editor ................. Tilford Mansfield Entertainment .....................Nick Candrella

Floyd Perkinson Copy Editors........................Karissa Hewitt

Allie Iacovelli

Editorial Staff Front Page Editor .......................Peter Tan Campus Editor ...........................Peter Tan SGA Editor...............................James Scott Student Life Editor...........Alena Thompson Feature Editor..............................Peter Tan Sports Editor..........................Austin Coffey

Anthony Sekine

Staff Advisor Jessica Searcy, Assistant Director, Programming and Leadership Contact Information Main Phone........................(386) 226-6049 Advertising Manager..........(386) 226-7697 Fax Number.......................(386) 226-6727 E-mail.......................theavion@gmail.com Website....................avionnewspaper.com

The Avion is produced weekly during the fall and spring term, and bi-weekly during summer terms. The Avion is produced by a volunteer student staff. Student editors make all content, business and editorial decisions. The editorial opinions expressed in The Avion are solely the opinion of the undersigned writer(s), and not those of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the Student Government Association, the staff of The Avion, or the student body. Letters appearing in The Avion are those of the writer, identified at the end of the letter. Opinions expressed in the “Student Government” and “Student Life” sections are those of the identified writer. Letters may be submitted to The Avion for publication, provided they are not lewd, obscene or libelous. Letter writers must confine themselves to less than 800 words. Letters may be edited for brevity and formatted to newspaper guidelines. All letters must be signed. Names may be withheld at the discretion of the Editor-in-Chief. The Avion is an open forum for student expression. The Avion is a division of the Student Government Association. The Avion is a member of the Associated Collegiate Press. The costs of this publication are paid by the Student Government Association and through advertising fees. The Avion distributes one free copy per person. Additional copies are $0.75. Theft of newspapers is a crime, and is subject to prosecution and Embry-Riddle judicial action. This newspaper and its contents are protected by United States copyright law. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, in print or electronically, without the expressed written consent of The Avion. Correspondence may be addressed to: The Avion Newspaper, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, 600 S. Clyde Morris Blvd., Daytona Beach, Florida 32114. Physical office: John Paul Riddle Student Center, Room 110. Phone: (386) 226-6049. Fax: (386) 226-6727. E-mail: theavion@gmail.com.

Student Government A3 Student wellness update AT lab hours Page

The Avion, December 6, 2011

Matthew Falkler

COE Representative Health Services would like to remind all students that the next upcoming Immunization Clinic is Thursday, Dec. 8 from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. The clinic will take place in the Health Services building and is sponsored by Health Services and Maxim Health Care. Available vaccines at the immunization clinic include measles, mumps and rubella. Measles, mumps and rubella vaccines cost $75 each. Additionally, vaccines for Hepatitis B and Meningitis will be offered at the clinic. The Hepatitis B vaccine will cost $85 each while the Meningitis vaccine will cost $125 for a single dose. Students with the UHCSR school health insurance will be reimbursed for the required immunizations at ERAU sponsored clinics. Just as a reminder, all of these vaccines mentioned are required

for students to have in order to be enrolled at ERAU. Health Services would also like to remind students that their self serve box in the front lobby is always open for students to pick up some wellness necessities such as antiseptic, bandages, cough drops and thermometer strips. Please also visit the Health Services website at erau.edu/db/health to find helpful links and information such as flu shot clinics that are taking place locally.

With final exam week quickly approaching, the addition of stress often weakens the immune system. With that being said, make sure to monitor your diet, stay hydrated, wash your hands frequently, exercise and get eight hours of sleep every night in order to keep your immune system strong.

If you are feeling symptoms of the flu, you should immediately go to Health Services. Treating the flu when symptoms start reduces the amount of time you

will be sick.

Effective as of now, the Fitness Center Pool will be open from 11:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. On Wednesday Dec. 14, the pool will be officially closed for the season at 4:00 p.m. but will reopen in midMarch. From Friday Dec. 9 through Friday Dec. 16, the Fitness Center will close at 7:00 p.m. The Fitness Center will resume normal hours of operation on Monday January 9.

Additionally, a tentative schedule for Spring Group Fitness Classes has been posted and can be viewed at the Fitness Center. Group Fitness Classes officially start on Wednesday January 11.

On Wednesday Dec. 7, there will be a 5k race at 6:30 a.m.

For more information about the race, please visit the Fitness Center. New equipment added this semester at the Fitness Center includes a Concept 2 Rower which is located on the second floor. As a remind-

er, always bring a towel and your Eagle Card to the Fitness Center. When working out, make sure to wear proper workout clothes and closed toed shoes. Showing good gym etiquette is always appreciated and this includes wiping down the workout equipment after use, re-racking weights after use and not dropping weights on the floor after a set.

The Counseling Center reminds that all students are welcome to make an appointment. It is a secure place to discuss your personal concerns with a professional counselor.

This supportive environment allows you to explore personal issues, challenges and feelings. The Counseling Center’s services are confidential and free of charge. Also, it is helpful to visit the Counseling Center’s website at erau.edu/ db/counseling. The website has helpful tools such as self assessments and various self help resources.

PhD in Engineering, which he felt was a different aspect of the engineering courses he had taken previously. Although he could not discuss some of his experiences because they were proprietary, he related his experiences to the engineering background he received here. He shared how engineering classes taught him to solve problems, but didn’t realize it until he was in training for the Air Force and had to solve them without a pencil or paper. He learned that he loved problem solving and that the solutions that are found, especially when in a time-sensitive situation, turn out being creative and innovative naturally. He encouraged students to go outside their comfort zones and be able to talk with people because in the engineering world, teamwork is incredibly important.

Dr. Reinholtz is a Mechanical Engineering Professor on campus and is involved with the Robotics Association. He discussed U.S. patents and if they are truly

innovative or not. Many people receive patents by changing something that was already patented, which he believed was not very innovative. He also made the point that patents do not give people the right to distribute their own product, but prevent others from distributing it. He brought up that any idea that is written down is copyrighted, without having to go through the process of disclosing a patent. He also talked about creativity and if it is something innate or something learned. He believed it was something that people learned throughout their lives. He presented some of the innovative projects that the students in Robotics Association have developed, such as the unmanned aerial and ground vehicles and the monocopter. It was really interesting to hear about how engineering can be creative in the industry and in the military, and to see the awesome projects that are being developed by our fellow students.

Rachael Isphording

Jennifer Pavone

COA Representative Here at Embry Riddle, we pride ourselves in having state of the art educational tools and resources for our students. The advanced simulated air traffic labs that are located on the third floor of the College of Aviation have attracted media attention and remain a highlight of our school.

In the Air Traffic Management curriculum, a series of labs are implemented in the classes for an enhanced learning experience.

Depending on which class you take, it will require 6-10 hours of extra lab time to be recorded in order to finish the course. A problem that arises with the current schedule are the specific times and days they are offered, many of which are during other class periods. Students have voiced their concerns about the current lab schedule this semester and would like to see more times offered. In order to help you to

our utmost potential it is crucial to collect data and feedback from all Air Traffic students. A survey will be given to all students currently taking air traffic courses that require labs, and it is encouraged for everyone to fill one out.

With this information we can take steps in the right direction to seek a solution for the students. If you have any concerns, questions, or comments regarding this subject please visit the SGA website to submit a suggestion.

COE forum recap HRL forum success Whitney Loubier

COE Representative The College of Engineering Representatives of the Student Representative Board hosted the College of Engineering Forum on Thursday, Nov. 17 at 6:30 p.m.

The theme was “Creativity and Innovation in Engineering”. There were two guest speakers, Major Roberts and Dr. Reinholtz. There was also free pizza and drinks, as well as free prizes for those who attended. Sodexo donated bottles of water and Starbucks gift cards to give away as prizes.

Other prizes included backpacks filled with useful materials such as engineering paper, notebooks, resume paper, sweatshirts or blankets and many other gifts.

Major Roberts received his Bachelor’s Degree in Aerospace Engineering from Embry-Riddle.

He then enlisted in the Air Force and after training, was assigned to work on satellites. The Air Force sent him to get a Master’s and

Eagles FM Daniel Chiericoni

Eagles FM General Mgr. Last week Eagles FM received the new famous WIKD shirts sporting Benjamin Failer’s logo (attached). Plans of doing a full station remodel are being discussed.

Tentatively the remodel would take place over winter break as a supplement to the initial overhaul of automation.

Improvements that would be made with the remodel include new soundproofing, ceiling tiles, desk re-carpeting, StudioHub backbone structure, revised microphone placement, and server rack removal providing for more space within the

studio. This remodel will complement well with the new direction the station is heading having a new studio for the new year.

Future plans after the remodel include the possibility of being featured in Radio Magazine for having one of the most av-antgrade studios for a college station in the country. Other upgrade plans for the studio include the implementation of a new transmitter and shed which will be proposed to the SFB on Thursday December 1, 2011 for a capital equipment purchase. The very image of Eagles FM will be changing soon and these are the first steps we will be taking to ensure we build from a proper foundation.

Vice President November has been the busiest month for the SRB. From hosting student forums to completing many projects, the SRB has been working hard to enhance the Embry-Riddle college experience.

The SRB has held multiple student forums throughout November to educate the student community on issues such as business etiquette and open minds to engineering innovation.

The Environmental Awareness Committee (EAC) planned their 3rd First Friday of the semester, planned an Adopt-a-Road, and sponsored the Homecoming Spirit Sign competition in November.

In the competition, the committee promoted the environment by pushing students to use recyclable material in their spirit signs. They awarded prizes to the organizations that most creatively used recycled materials. The committee also looked into the feasibility of having electric hand dryers in our

campus’ new buildings.

The Progress Committee has also been hard at work throughout November. They are continuing on various projects such as looking to add a color printer in the lab room LB 132. They have also been looking to increase the ATC laboratory hours for students to have a better opportunity to practice.

To better serve students the SRB (through the Flight Line Satisfaction Committee) has been pushing for food to be more frequently offered at the flight line.

Starting in November, lunch is now served every week day at the flight line. The Flight Checklist Improvement Program (that the committee has been working on since September) was presented to the flight department this month.

The goal is to improve the current flight checklists to be smaller and more user friendly to aid in better cockpit resource management.

The flight department is now running trials with the new checklist.

November also saw the signing of a new SafeRide contract. The

On Wednesday Nov. 16, your SGA and ERRSA cosponsored the Housing and Residence Forum. The event was very successful with an attendance of 91 residents.

Mr. Noel Fegumps, Associate Director of Housing was present to answer most questions. However, Miss Kristen Getka (Associate Director of Residence Life), Miss Meagan Elsberry (Assistant Director of Residence Life) and Miss Monica Saldarriaga (Assistant Director of Residence Life) were also present and addressed several student concerns. ERRSA members were also present to assist with the event and answer questions.

One resident asked why students should choose to live on campus. Miss Getka responded by explaining all of the benefits of living on campus, and

vent having unwanted guests or “sketchy people” enter the resident halls. This becomes especially important during race time and bike week, when Daytona Beach experiences a great influx in the population. Concerning the vacant room above Einstein’s, Mr. Fegumps explained how it was currently at the 50% mark in terms of renovations and being reopened to the residents.

At the end of the event, several prizes were raffled off.

We raffled off two SGA ice chests, five SGA sun-blockers, and one iPad 2.

Overall, the event was very successful, and both ERRSA and SGA look forward to the next Housing Forum in the spring.

If you have any comment, questions, or concerns please feel free to stop by the SGA office. Good luck with the end of the semester and have a safe trip home. Thank you and Happy Holidays!

Executive end of year report Justin Fletcher President

Hello everyone! I hope your semester is coming to a successful end. This month I wanted to share with you some information which you may find useful during your student leadership tenures here at Embry-Riddle.

The Board of Trustees recently held one of its biannual meetings. In conversation with many students regarding the decisions made at that meeting, I have found that the role of the Board of Trustees is often misunderstood -- even amongst the SGA. Seeing as they are some of the most influential people here at Embry-Riddle, understanding their role and function is essential to understanding the way that our university works.

The Board of Trustees is the oversight body of the university administration. It is comprised of some of the most prominent figures in the aerospace, academic, and corporate communities. Each trustee brings a wealth

Vice President update Abdul Twahir

HRL Representative

she explained how students who chose to reside on campus generally have a higher GPA on average.

Mr. Fegumps also addressed resident concerns regarding the laundry rooms, exit doors, and the room in the Student Village above Einstein’s that is currently being renovated.

Mr. Fegumps explained how the laundry rooms are in the process of being worked on, and how residents should always submit a maintenance request on the Laundry View website if there is a problem with any of the machines in the laundry rooms. Residents also have the option to request a refund if the machine “eats” their money, does not dry their clothes all the way, or other issues. Mr. Fegumps also explained the reason for many of the doors being “Exit Only” doors in the resident halls.

He explained that it was a safety issue; the other doors are monitored and it helps pre-

new contract includes an increase of the SafeRide zone -- it now includes the LPGA living community of Daytona Beach, FL. Like in previous months, the SRB recognizes members who go above and beyond the goal of the SRB. These recognized SRB members strive to serve the students and continually push each other to do as much as they can for all students. Ms. Whitney Loubier was recognized for her persistent work serving the students as the chair of the Constitution Committee and as the Parliamentarian of the SRB. In her work she has always assured the integrity of what the SGA works for by maintaining their governing documents, and authoring various constitutional amendments that allow the SGA to better serve Embry-Riddle students. She has helped with branch and division bylaw amendments and has provided invaluable leadership to the SRB. Congraluations, Ms. Loubier.

If you have any suggestions, please do not hesitate to call (2266045) or e-mail me.

of knowledge and experience to the table and each has made a significant contribution to our university. The responsibilities of the board include: investment and financial oversight, strategic and capitol planning, and academic management.

The Board of Trustees also includes a group of delegates that represent the needs and concerns of the students and faculty of the university. The student delegates are the SGA presidents from the Daytona Beach and Prescott campuses. The faculty delegates consist of one

faculty member elected from the Daytona Beach, Prescott, and Worldwide faculty. As delegates, we sit on committees as well as with the general board.

This allows us to ensure that decisions made by the board are informed and that the needs of our constituents are met. This is a very unique institution; it is uncommon for the trustees of an institution to allow students and faculty to participate in their operations. This service is one of the primary responsibilities of the SGA president.

It has been my experience

that each member of the board, without exception, is dedicated to improving the quality of education and experience of all Embry-Riddle students. They are passionate, experienced individuals who volunteer their time to make this institution a better place to learn and work.

I hope you find this information useful. As always, if there is every anything that I can do for you, please do not hesitate to come by the SGA office and see me. I wish you all good luck with finals. Enjoy your winter break!

Student Life Eagles FM retrofits Opinion: Is there a for Spring Relaunch future for exams?

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The Avion, December 6, 2011

WIKD updates their studio over winter break Ben Faiiler

Eagles FM This Winter Break, while the student body celebrates the holidays, Eagles FM DJs and engineers will be hard at work in the UC Studio in what may prove to be WIKD’s most extensive renovation since 2005.

The Eagles FM studio is already stateof-the-art, but after winter break, it will be one of the most advanced college radio stations in the country.

At the heart of this rebuild will be a complete digital rewiring utilizing the StudioHub cable system. The radio station will now have a dedicated wireless network system which will allow DJs to access the Eagles FM music database with much faster speeds than the standard ERAU wireless net.

The studio console will also be removed, resurfaced and reshaped. This will allow engineers to remove old equipment and add a new control interface. The studio will feature more room for DJs and their guests, and will also receive new soundproofing and interior decoration.

Although the renovation

does not officially begin until winter break, upgrades have already been installed.

The studio is now equipped with a fully-functional ProTools rig, which allows student musicians to use the room as a professionalgrade recording studio. The Eagles FM office has also been refitted with a brand new, high-performance computer station.

Across Clyde Morris Boulevard, the Eagles FM transmitter site will also be completely revamped. A Dec. 1 Student Finance Board meeting approved construction of a new transmitter shed for Eagles FM. This state-of-

the-art climate-controlled unit will protect a brand new FM transmitter. The equipment in this shed will be connected to the new Eagles FM network, allowing the WIKD staff to access the system from any computer anywhere in the world.

99.1 Eagles FM will be looking for new onair talent to utilize this new equipment.

If you are interested in joining the radio station, join Eagles FM on ERAU Connection or stop by the studio at UC111. The station is free-format; all types of music and talk radio are welcome!

Christopher Heale Staff Reporter

As the semester nears an end most students enter a frantic state of studying and preparation for final exams. Year after year, several courses worth of information is memorized in an in-feasibly small amount of time only to be discarded after the exam. Although most students make it through to the other side, they also find them stressful, demoralizing and a poor way of assessing knowledge.

During the span of an hour students are expected to recall and demonstrate their knowledge of an entire course while often memorizing equations, facts or figures.

Panic can set in and a problem which under normal circumstances would be solvable becomes impossible. It is often said storing and recalling knowledge in this way is not representative of the real world and that depending on the content of the exam, only a small amount of the material is tested anyway.

Written examinations have been the staple of American colleges since the 1830s, but other forms of testing extend back even further. Beginning in the 1640s, Harvard required oral entrance and graduation examinations with students required to memorize and regurgitate a whole series of texts from their studies.

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Written examinations were seen as an efficient way of assessing the knowledge of a large volume of students.

So is the exam still the prominent method of assessing a student’s ability, what other methods have been proposed and are in use and is there an end in sight for the final exam?

S t a t i s t i c s presented in the Boston globe

i n 2010 suggest the trend is changing.

“In the Spring term of 2010 only 259 of the 1,137 undergraduate courses scheduled a final exam, the lowest numbers since 2002”. While at Cambridge, the university assumes no final exams are to be held and any Professor who wants to hold one needs to inform the administration.

One popular alternative to the final exam is the final project. Asking a student to work over a period of weeks on a project which involves aspects from the entire course takes

away the high pressure situation of exams. It also presents a more real world task in which memorization is not required and problem solving and work ethic becomes the focus. The final project is often accompanied by a presentation which tests a student’s ability to communicate their ideas, a skill considered crucial in today’s workforce.

Another popular idea is to simply have periodic quizzes as the material is learned. The cumulative score ultimately determines the final grade. This means that having one “bad quiz” isn’t anywhere near as devastating as having a bad day on the final e x a m .

It also ensures that all elements of the course are tested equally rather than the limited questions during an exam.

This method is also backed up by studies. As the globe reports, a study in J.Daley College Chicago analyzed 1500 students taking algebra and compared the results of those who took weekly quizzes with those who did not. It was found that those who were quizzed weekly outperformed their colleagues by approximately 16% on finals and midterms.

So if exams really are your worst nightmare then sleep safely in the knowledge that they appear to be in decline with many professors assessing alternate, more study friendly approaches to determining ability.

The Avion, December 6, 2011

Peter Tan

Transport Feature • Mountain Bike • Cost: $70-$300 • Skill required: 1 • Speed: 4 • Danger to Self/Others: 2 Most people learned to ride a bicycle as a child and the mountain bike is probably the first image in everyone’s mind when someone says bicycle.

Even if you do not know how to ride a bicycle, it is not too difficult and never too late to learn how to ride one.

Speed ranks fairly high on this and is only outranked by the Road Bikes. A trip from the village to

There are numerous students utilizing myriad forms of transportation and this guide will try to cover them all. To make life easier, this guide will look at the following factors on a scale of zero to five: Cost, Skill Required, Speed, and Danger to self/others.

Cost will be a price range of what you can expect to pay for a brand new product from a low to a mid-high end product.

Second hand prices are easily half the amount listed.

Skill required is determined by the amount of practice needed in order to use the item in a reliable fashion. This means not just being able to balance, but having an adequate amount of control to avoid accidents.

Speed only takes into account the actual traveling speed and does not factor in having to lock up your bicycle or put your shoes back on.

Danger to self/others takes into account whether the item has brakes, what are the chances are of wiping out on your own, and the threat you pose to pedestrians.

News Editor When Zach Kern came to Embry-Riddle in his high school days for the campus sneak preview, he saw many people riding longboards around.

“It seemed everyone was riding one of those and I thought it was pretty cool,” said Kern. “It is a fun and easy way to get around campus and it’s also something I can do in my free time. It’s sort of a double whammy.”

Ever since he started riding around school, Zach has found himself not having to worry about how far away he has to park, because it takes him mere minutes to get anywhere on campus with his longboard.

If any of you are tired of walking, be it to your classes from the dorms of the student village, or the parking lots from the ICI, this story aims to be a quick guide as to what other options are available to you.

Scooters Cost: $30-$80 Skill required: 1 Speed: 2 Danger to Self/Others: 1 The Razor Scooter was a big hit years ago and along with other brands, now provides a relatively cheap, safe, and efficient form of campus transportation.

Simply hold the handlebars and pedal with your foot to get going. With bigger wheels and good bearings, you can get up to a good speed without any of the dangers inherent to the skateboards and longboards because you have a steady brake above your rear wheel.

Apart from walking, it is probably the safest form of transport.

ized tires burst.

For those living at Misty Springs or Emerald Park, this should be the transportation of choice as with the new bicycle path, it is safe to ride to school daily.

The two-mile journey takes maybe 10 minutes, gets you awake for class and saves you gas money.

“I look forward to my bike ride every morning,” says sophomore Reginald Mittlesdorf, who rides five-miles to school every morning. “It only takes me about 15 minutes and I know I will not get stuck in traffic, or have any problems finding parking.”

• Freelines • Cost: $80-$200 • Skill Required: 5 • Speed: 3 • Danger to Self/Others: 2 The hardest items on the list to use, Freelines are basically a RipStik without the stick in between.

Just standing up on these will prove to be a huge challenge, but for those that do master the push-

• Skateboards • Cost: $20-$100 • Skill required: 4 • Speed: 2 • Danger to Self/Others: 3 With a small wheelbase, you need good ankle strength to balance on the board and not fall off.

The top speed is not very high, so it is not as dangerous as some of the other forms of transport, but the small wheels mean you could get stuck in a pavement crack and come to a sudden halt if you are not paying attention.

The lack of dedicated brakes hurts the danger score, but as you wouldn’t be going that fast, it is simple matter of just jumping off the board.

Skateboards are not a big danger to others because of its small size, low speed and maneuverability.

A5 the library can be quite easily done in four minutes.

The ability to go off-road to avoid a collision helps the danger score, and as long as the brakes are maintained, the mountain bike is a fast, safe form of transportation.

The SGA is currently looking to recycle all the abandoned bicycles on campus under their new Blue Bike program to be released in the Spring Semester. This program will allow you to rent bicycles for a very small deposit and you can return it at the end of the semester once done.

• Beach Cruiser • Cost: $70-$200 • Ease of Use: 1 • Speed: 3 • Danger to Self/Others: 1 Beach cruisers are the slowest, yet most comfortable of the bicycles.

No more difficult to use than a mountain bike, the shape of the handlebars make it slightly harder to control, but does not strain your shoulders.

Their top speed is fairly limited as the riding posture is more relaxed than the other two bicycles, limiting your power stroke.

The lower speed makes it very safe, even though most beach cruiser bicycles only come with one set of brakes.

• • • • •

• Road Bikes • Cost: $150-$400 • Skill required: 2 • Speed: 5 • Danger to Self/Others: 4 A road bike is slightly harder to ride than a bicycle because of the more forward posture and thinner wheels, requiring slightly better balance.

The fastest form of transport, it is fairly easy to get up to 15mph, with speeds reaching 25mph possible as well.

Despite brakes, the high speeds makes this dangerous to others, and unlike the other bicycles, road bikes have to avoid going off-road lest the highly pressur-

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• Rollerblades • Cost: $60-$200 • Skill Required: 3 • Speed: 3 • Danger to Self/Others: 2 Some skill is required to be able to glide around smoothly and maneuver around obstacles, and with practice, you can get up to a good speed.

Brakes ensure that you do not crash into people and once you pass the initial stage, you don’t wipe out very much.

The school also has a rollerhockey team which is open to everyone should you be interested.

ing and pulling motion that propels you, Freelines prove to be the most maneuverable form of transport on campus.

Being able to get up to a fairly decent speed but yet turn on a dime leaves the Freelines with a fairly low danger score.

As most accidents are caused by someone not being able to avoid the collision, the nimbleness of the Freelines help it score well.

• Longboards • Cost: $70-$300 • Skill required: 3 • Speed: 3 • Danger to Self/Others: 4 Using the same concept as a skateboard, a longboard is easier to ride because of the bigger wheels, wider wheelbase and longer board all providing a more stable platform.

Longboards come in a few flavors, with some mimicking the feel of surfboards or snowboards, with others focusing on the sport of longboarding.

The bigger wheels also mean you can maintain a higher speed compared to skateboards which also makes it more dangerous

as like skateboards, there are no brakes on this system.

Longboards are fairly dangerous to pedestrians; especially newer riders who are unable to predict which people are those who change paths at the last minute.

The more seasoned longboard riders know how to avoid putting themselves into accident causing situations, but if caught in a crowd, the length on the board means a longboard is likely to hit somebody.

“I love my longboard because I have cut my travel time in half,” said Austin Coffey a junior in AE. “I’ve had about three accidents the whole semester, but they were all minor.”

Welcome to the First Edition of Safety, Training, and By: Blake Kelly Resources (STAR) Director of Aviation Safety A challenge in any organization is communication and information sharing. One common theme in transport category accidents are organizational lapses. These lapses take place when an institutionalized process, procedure, or requirement that allows vital tasks or information to be handled in such a way so as to prevent an accident from being recognized or safety intervention from being initiated. This breakdown could be in the form of a fleet-wide activity that is later found to be deficient, gaps in safety information flowing from one person or organization to another, or key personnel being unaware of an issue because of organizational impediments to the information.

Your safety department is always looking for new ways to achieve our safety values, including “the sharing of information, knowledge, intelligence, wisdom and resources, without reservation, in order to improve safety!”

Your Safety Leaders have taken it upon themselves to help produce this newsletter to help stimulate the flow of information throughout the Flight Department.

This newsletter has contributions from management, staff, instructor pilots, and faculty. There is an abundant amount of knowledge in this organization and I would like to thank everyone who contributed to the first edition of STAR. If you didn’t contribute this time, we want to see your contribution in the next edition! Please send all newsletter submissions to dbavsafe@erau.edu; if you have any feedback regarding STAR, please don’t hesitate to contact me or any of the Safety Leaders.

Blake Kelly can be reached by emailing kellyb5@erau.edu or calling (386) 226-6763.

The Rest of the safety team can be reached by the following email addresses: Dodd Allen

-

allen624@erau.edu

Steve Johnson

-

johnsste@erau.edu

Jason Kiah

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kiah75b@erau.edu

Bob Thomas

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thomasr7@erau.edu

View STAR online & on your smart phone by scanning the QR code below!

Students can contact student safety leader Zoe Cunningham at cunningz@my.erau.edu Or send any other general messages or concerns to dbAvSafe@erau.edu

SAFETY SHORTS DEC 2011

RPM OVERSPEEDS THE CONCERN: We have recorded over 300 RPM overspeeds since the beginning of the semester while only 9 have been reported to maintenance. FDM has shown that RPM overspeeds occurred often and were easily missed by crews. We have even recorded multiple RPM overspeeds on many flights. The average RPM overspeed was 2730 and most were less than 3 seconds.

Many of these recorded overspeeds required no action by maintenance according to the Lycoming service bulletin. However, if the RPM overspeed exceeds 10% (2970rpm), the engine needs to be removed off of the aircraft and overhauled.

Note: This picture was taken in the sim.

Avoiding RPM Overspeeds A common occurrence was that crews were using high cruise power settings which caused an overspeed during an inadvertent descent. Also overspeeds were found more likely to happen during unusual attitudes or other maneuvers where an inappropriate reaction by the student caused an overspeed that an instructor may not detect.



After level off, slowly reduce the throttle as the airspeed increases.



During high speed cruise, constantly monitor the RPM to prevent an overspeed during an inadvertent descent or encounter of turbulent air.

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When performing unusual attitudes, ensure the student fully understands the recovery procedure, especially the appropriate throttle position.



Never let an improper recovery go to far. Take the flight controls and immediately reduce the throttle to prevent an overspeed.



If an RPM overspeed occurs, down the aircraft and file a safety report.

We need more safety reports to help us to determine WHY it happens. We have only received 2 RPM overspeed reports this semester and are looking for more safety reports to help us investigate this issue further.

DID YOU KNOW? The Boeing 747 (all versions) have traveled an estimated 35 billion statute miles, that is the equivalent of 75,000 trips to the moon and back.

Basketball pulls out 79-72 victory over Ave Maria B2

Ross hits qualifying mark at OUC Half Marathon B3

Gallant, Olafs, Olsen earn academic honors B2

Eagles drop conference opener to St. Thomas B3 ANTOINE DAUGNY/AVION

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The Avion, December 6, 2011

Embry-Riddle basketball pulls out 79-72 road victory over Ave Maria AVE MARIA EMBRY-RIDDLE

72 79

Ryan Mosher

ERAU Athletics The Embry-Riddle men’s basketball team took to the road to snap their four-game losing streak, gutting out a 79-72 victory over the Ave Maria Gyrenes for their first Sun Conference victory of the season. ERAU improves to 5-5 overall and 1-1 in league play, while AMU slips to 3-4 and 0-1.

The Gyrenes opened the game with a 9-0 run, capped by a layup from Dylan Fugate, before the Eagles even got on the board thanks to a DeForest

Carter bucket at the 16:39 mark.

The Blue and Gold chipped away at the Gyrene lead until they cut the deficit to 17-15 with 11:35 remaining in the first, but the Gyrenes would go on a 13-7 run to grow their margin to eight points at 30-22.

Embry-Riddle employed a full-court press against the hosts about halfway through the first half and was able to battle to within 36-33 at the halftime buzzer.

ERAU was plagued by early turnovers and poor shooting, averaging just 36% from the field in the first half. ERAU could not seem to find an answer for AMU’s Kiel Lewis in the first half as the Gyrene junior was 7-for-12 from the floor in the opening period, going for 15 points to lead all scorers at the half. Ray Graham and Jeremiah Applin paced the visitors with eight points apiece.

In the second half, the Eagles made a commitment of getting the ball inside as Graham tallied 11 of his teamhigh 19 points in the second period, including ERAU’s first basket of the second half, a dunk that cut the Gyrene lead to 38-35.

AMU kept the lead until the 10 and a half minute mark when Carter buried a pair of free throws to give EmbryRiddle a one-point advantage at 56-55.

After the Gyrenes tied the game at 59-59, Billy Serle hit his third of four three-point field goals to give ERAU their biggest lead of the night. That sparked a 20-13 run for ERAU to end the game, thanks to some impressive ball movement that allowed Eagles to get easy buckets.

The dagger came when Serle hit his final trey of the evening with two minutes remaining, and after a missed shot by Ave Maria, Graham

41 games and registered five goals and seven assists for a total of 17 points. 14 of those points came in 2011 when she was tabbed as a first team All-Conference selection.

Olafs is working towards and undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering and carries a 3.60 grade point average.

The academic honor is the second of the year for Gallant (Mansfield, Texas) who was also selected as The Sun Conference Champions of Character Award winner.

Gallant was the starting goalkeeper in 21 of the Eagles’ 22 games this season. She totaled five solo shutouts and had a hand in five others, and pulled in 64 saves in 1780 minutes in the nets for a 1.06 goals against average.

Gallant was the recipient of one of ERAU’s Champions of Character Scholarships and has volunteered for a variety of community service projects, including working with Habitat for Humanity and speaking at local elementary schools and church functions. She has a 3.87 grade point average in Aeronautical Science.

Olsen was also a first team All-Conference selection for

the second time in her twoyear career. Hailing from Hosle, Norway, Olsen etched her name in the Eagles’ record books and put together one of the strongest offensive seasons in program history in 2011. She eclipsed the old ERAU single-season scoring record (23) set by Elina Johnasson in 2009 and closed out her sophomore season with 27 goals and 10 assists for a total of 64 points on the year.

Olsen was a three-time Sun Conference Offensive Player of the Week and vaulted to No. 4 on ERAU’s all-time game-winners list with 12 after tallying seven in 2011. She has a 3.903 GPA in Business Administration.

In addition to their accomplishments in the classroom, the trio, all starters, also earned Academic All-Sun Conference honors and helped the Eagles to one of the most successful campaigns in program history.

The Blue and Gold set program single-season marks for wins (18), points (210), goals (73) and assists (64) and recorded two victories in national tournament play on the way to the Eagles’ first ever NAIA National Tournament quarterfinal appearance.

Gallant, Olafs, Olsen earn academic honors Alison Smalling

ERAU Athletics The Embry-Riddle women’s soccer team had three student –athletes earn recognition for their work in the classroom.

Senior Bjorg Olafs and junior Lauren Gallant were named to the 2011 Daktronics-NAIA All-America Scholar-Athlete roster, while Martine Olsen garnered Capital One second team Academic All-America honors. In order to qualify for the NAIA Scholar-Athlete Award, student-athletes must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale and must have achieved a junior academic status. The Capital One Academic AllAmerica award is voted on by the College Sports Information Directors of America and requires sophomore or better academic standing and at least a 3.30 GPA to be elgible.

Olafs transferred to ERAU in 2010 after playing two seasons at Armstrong Atlantic.

The Rejkavik, Iceland native immediately worked her way into the Eagles’ starting lineup as a midfielder and never relinquished it. In her twoyear career, Olafs played in

sealed the win with a dunk on the other end. The Eagle defense held AMU to just three points in the final two minutes of play.

The Eagles shot 62.5% in the second half, including a 4-for-7 clip behind the arc while holding their opponents to 2-of-9 shooting from three in the frame. ERAU outrebounded AMU 20-9 in the second half, and shot 65.7% from the charity stripe.

Graham led the Blue and Gold with 19 points and nine boards, while also picking up two steals. DeForest Carter added 16 points, nine rebounds, five assists a block and a pair of steals, while Serle poured in 12 points in just 14 minutes of action.

Lewis led all scorers with 23 points for Ave Maria.

The Eagles’ next contest will be Dec. 16 when they play host to Mount Vernon Nazarene at the ICI Center in Daytona Beach.

ANTOINE DAUGNY/THE AVION

DEFOREST CARTER DRIBBLES PASSED an Ave Maria to add to the Eagles lead. Carter would go finish with16 points.

Embry-Riddle defeated 3-0 in the Elite Eight EMBRY-RIDDLE UTB

0 3

Michael Pierce

ERAU Athletics

take a 23-22 lead and they would go on to capture the first set, 25-23.

EmbryRiddle took a 3-1 lead s e c o n l y

quick in the ond set to see

The Embry-Riddle volleyball team dropped a 3-0 contest (2523, 25-14, 25-20) to No. 2 Texas at Brownsville in an Elite Eight match at the NAIA National Volleyball Championships on Friday night in Sioux City, Iowa. The loss ends the most successful season in ERAU volleyball history; the 2011 squad is the first team ever to complete a perfect season in conference play without dropping a set (42-0) and is also the first to advance to the Elite Eight stage of the National Championships.

The Eagles fell behind early in the first set (5-2) but fought back to tie it at 7-7 when Emily

Klatt, Somprasong named DaktronicsNAIA ScholarAthletes Austin Quinn

ERAU Athletics For the second consecutive year, Embry-Riddle’s Matthias Klatt and Tanapat Somprasong were announced as Daktronics-NAIA ScholarAthletes by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Friday.

Student-athletes are nominated by their institution’s head coach and must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale and must have achieved a junior academic status in order qualify for the honor.

Klatt and Somprasong, who were both defenders on the 2011 ERAU men’s soccer team, were two of 286 men’s soccer student-athletes to earn the distinction.

Klatt, who boasts a 3.71 GPA in Aviation Business Administration, anchored the Eagle defense during his tenure at Embry-Riddle and ends his career having appeared in

75 matches along with garnering numerous honors. With this honor, the Berlin, Germany native is a

t w o time DaktronicsNAIA Scholar-Athlete (201011), a member of the CoSIDA Academic All-District III team (2010), an ESPN The Magazine Academic AllDistrict second team honoree (2010) and a three-time Academic A l l Conference selection (2007,10-11). Just recently, the senior was named to the Capital One Academic All-District II first team and a Capital One Academic AllAmerican. On the field, Klatt also exceled as he was a part of three conference champi-

onships, two elite eight appearances and was a three-time first team AllSun Conference selection.

Somprasong, who claims a 3.77 GPA in Aerospace Engineering, is also a twotime recipient of this honor.

Additionally, the Bangkok, Thailand native is a two-time member of the Academic All-Conference team. (201011). In his two-year career at ERAU he made appearances in six games and played 135 minutes on the pitch.

Jacobson and Adriana Vazquez put up a double block for a point. UTB regained a three-point advantage at 11-8, but once again the Blue and Gold rallied back.

A 6-0 run by the Eagles highlighted by four kills from Abby Hall gave ERAU a 21-18 lead.

The Scorpions weren’t rattled, coming back with a 5-1 spurt to

Brownsville rattle off six consecutive points, give UTB a 7-3 lead. A kill from Jacobson cut the deficit to three (10-7), but that was as close as ERAU would get. The Scorpions didn’t allow the Eagles to go on any runs for the remainder of

Coming in 2012...

the set, winning by the score of 25-14 to take a 2-0 lead.

The Blue and Gold were able to take a three-point lead midway through the third set (107), but a 6-point run gave UTB a 13-10 lead.

Three straight errors followed by a Hall kill put the Eagles back i n front (1413), but that would be their final l e a d of the match.

A 5-1 run gave the Scorpions an 18-15 advantage and EmbryRiddle couldn’t chip away at the deficit at all as UTB took the set, 25-20, and the match, 3-0.

Hall led the Eagles with a match-high 12 kills in her final match as an Eagle while Jordan Holcomb added 11 kills. Taylor Martin led ERAU in hitting at .304 (9-2-23) in addition to picking up eight digs. Vazquez collected a a team-best 30 assists and 12 digs while Nina Kontrec tallied a team-high 25 digs.

Yenifer Calcano and Danica Markovic each totaled a matchhigh 12 kills and Calcano added 12 digs for a double-double.

Ana Guerra added nine kills (.333 hitting percentage) and a match-high 10 blocks (two solo). Amber Brooks recorded match-highs in assists (33) and digs (27).

The Eagles wrap up the 2011 season as the most successful team in school history. Abby Hall finishes her career with 1,713 kills, the most in school history. ERAU ran through the conference schedule and tournament without dropping a set (42-0), the first time that feat has been accomplished in Sun Conference history.

Most impressively, the Blue and Gold reached the Elite Eight this season for the first time in program history in just their second trip to the NAIA National Volleyball Championships.

Sports

The Avion, December 6, 2011

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Ross hits qualifying mark at OUC Half Marathon Alison Smalling

ERAU Athletics Aleiyah Ross (Hummelstown, Penn.) got an early start on the

2012 track campaign at the 2011 OUC Half Marathon on Saturday. Ross was one of more than 2,100 competitors in the 35th renewal of the annual event, which benefits the Florida Citrus

Sports Foundation MVPs. The Florida Citrus Sports Foundation is committed to improving the lives, health, and education of children in the local community.

Currently in her first sea-

son of competition at ERAU, Ross finished second in the 19-24 age group and 13th overall, crossing in 1:30.52 with a 6:55.40 per mile pace.

Her time was better than

the qualifying standard set by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (1:31.00) and qualifies her for the 2012 NAIA Outdoor National Championships.

The 2011 track and field season officially gets underway on Saturday, Jan. 14 when the Eagles travel to Gainesville, Fla. to compete in the Jimmy Carnes Indoor Invitational.

ANTOINE DAUGNY/AVION

Eagles advance to Elite Eight with 3-1 win over Southern Oregon SOUTHERN OREGON 1 EMBRY-RIDDLE 3 Michael Pierce

ERAU Athletics For the first time in program history, the Embry-Riddle volleyball team will play an Elite Eight match at the NAIA National Championships, after

a relatively dominant 3-1 win (25-17, 25-11, 23-25, 25-11) over 10th-seeded Southern Oregon. The Eagles, seeded seventh in the bracket, will take on No. 2 seed Texas at Brownsville on Friday night at 8 p.m. CST. After stumbling against Biola (Calif.) in the final pool play match on Thursday, ERAU came out of the gates strong against SOU, running out to an 8-2 lead in the first set. A kill from Abby Hall extended the lead to 15-7 and Jordan Holcomb pushed the margin to 21-12 with a kill of her own. The Red Raiders

weren't able to mount any sort of comeback and the Eagles ran away with the first set, 25-17.

The second set saw Southern Oregon take the first lead at 4-1, but the Blue and Gold quickly erased that deficit, using an 8-0 run, keyed by three Hall kills, to take a 12-6 lead. Morgan Shattuck and Holcomb put up a double block for a 17-9 lead and Holcomb put down the final kill of the set, giving ERAU a 25-11 win and a 2-0 lead in the match.

The Eagles started set three with a 5-2 lead and appeared

poised to sweep the Red Raiders out of the tournament, but SOU fought back with a 7-1 rally to gain a 9-6 lead.

A kill from Emily Jacobson got the Blue and Gold back on even ground at 15-all, but Southern Oregon rallied again, regaining the lead, 20-17.

ERAU was able to close the gap to a single point at 23-22 and 24-23, but Sarah Holgen put down a kill for SOU to give them the set, 25-23.

Leading two sets to one, Embry-Riddle came out in the fourth frame determined to not allow the match to go to a decisive fifth set. A solo block

from Holcomb gave ERAU a 5-2 lead and a kill from Martin moved the score to 7-4, sparking a 7-0 run to put the Eagles in the driver's seat at 13-4. The Red Raiders were only able to close the gap to five points (1611) before the Blue and Gold finished out the set and match in style with a 9-0 run keyed by five straight SOU attack errors.

Embry-Riddle took the fourth set, 25-11, winning the match, three sets to one.

Holcomb led the Eagles with 15 kills in addition to seven kills and four blocks (one solo).

Martin added 14 kills (.324 hitting percentage), eight digs and

three blocks. Hall and Jacobson each totaled 10 kills, while Hall added six digs and Jacobson chipped in with a match-high five blocks. Adriana Vazquez ran the offense, collecting a match-high 52 assists along with 12 digs as the Eagles hit .291 as a team. Nina Kontrec anchored the back line once again, picking up a match-high 24 digs.

Megan Bartling led the Red Raiders with 14 kills while Holgen added 13 kills and 17 digs. Caryn Westrick recorded a team-high 23 assists while Becky Johnstone registered a team-high 21 digs.

Eagles drop conference opener to St. Thomas EMBRY-RIDDLE ST. THOMAS

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Ryan Mosher

ERAU Athletics Despite an apparent gametying three pointer from Blake Touchard as time expired, the Eagles dropped their 2011-12

Sun Conference opener to visiting St. Thomas, 76-73 in the ICI Center. Touchard's shot was judged to come after the final buzzer sounded, giving the Bobcats their first league win of the year. ERAU slips to 4-5 overall and 0-1 in conference play while STU moves to 2-6 overall and 1-1 in The Sun Conference.

The Eagles opened the game with a 9-2 run, thanks to a some nice inside play from Sam Ford.

Ford scored eight of ERAU's first 13 points and the Blue and Gold pushed their lead to 20-15 at the 7:11 mark.

A 12-0 run by Embry-Riddle

gave the Eagles' their biggest lead of the game at 27-15, but St. Thomas battled back to a 33-31 deficit at halftime thanks to 10 points from Eugene Davis.

Ford and Davis led all scorers at the half with 10 each, while DeForest Carter chipped in six markers and three rebounds for ERAU. Embry-Riddle took advantage of 12 first half Bobcat turnovers, scoring 12 points off them.

The second period featured nine ties and seven lead changes, as well as one of the more exciting finishes of the season.

Twice ERAU had a five-point margin with a chance to stretch

it to more, but STU was resilient, tying the game at 43-43 with 15 minutes left in regulation before taking a three-point lead on a Davis three-pointer.

Over the next few minutes each team took small leads but were unable to increase them to more than six points.

With STU leading 59-53 with more than eight and a half minutes left, the Eagles outscored the visitors 8-2 to knot the score at 61-61. St. Thomas kept going to Davis, and the senior guard delivered, including the final points of the game, two free throws with 10 seconds left.

With the Eagles trailing by three with the possession, Touchard attempted a trey with three seconds remaining, but the shot glanced off the iron and went over the backboard for STU ball. The ensuing in-bounds play went off a Bobcat out of bounds, giving ERAU one final chance with 0.3 seconds on the clock.

Touchard was again the target, and his 30 foot heave from in front of the Eagle bench found nothing but net, however, the referee closest to Touchard ruled that the ball had not left his hands in time, sending ERAU to their fourth-straight

loss of the year.

Davis finished 8-for-12 from the floor and 4-for-6 from the line for 24 points. He also pulled down six rebounds in the win. The Bobcats out-rebounded the hosts, 41-23 in the game, including 14 offensive boards.

Touchard led ERAU with 17 points on 5-for-14 shooting from the field. Ford was a perfect 5-for-5 from the floor and 4-for-5 from the charity stripe for a season-high 14 points.

Ray Graham and Carter also scored in double-figures with 14 and 10 respectively. ERAU shot 42.6% for the game, compared to 52.7% for the Bobcats.

15-17) to No. 9 Biola (Calif.) in the last of three Pool D matches for both teams.

The Eagles finish pool play with a 2-1 record and will be the No. 7 seed in the singleelimination bracket, while Biola wins Pool D with a 3-0 record and will be the No. 6 seed.

ERAU got off to superb start, jumping out to an 8-3 lead early in the first set. Biola responded with an 8-2 run to take an 11-10 lead, but the Eagles quickly rallied with a 7-2 spurt, regaining the lead at 17-13. The Blue and Gold didn't allow Biola to get any closer than three points late in the set, and they went on to win the final five points to

claim a 25-17 win, taking a 1-0 lead in the match.

The beginning stages of the second set saw neither side take a lead larger than two points until an 8-1 run gave EmbryRiddle a solid 14-7 advantage.

Emily Jacobson put down one of her 13 kills to extend the margin to 19-12 and Taylor Martin closed out the set with a kill, giving ERAU a 25-18 win and a 2-0 lead in the match.

The Eagles started the third set well, taking a 6-1 lead on a kill from Martin, but Biola came back quickly to knot things up at 9-9. Martin put down another kill to give the Blue and Gold a 16-14 lead, but from there Biola

caught fire, winning 11 of the final 13 points to take the set, 25-18.

Embry-Riddle once again started strong in the fourth set, taking an 11-7 lead on a kill from Abby Hall. Biola responded in a big way, scoring ten consecutive points to take an 11-17 lead and control of the set. The Eagles cut the deficit to as little as three (20-17), but the margin would prove too great to overcome as BU won the set, 25-20, tying the match at two sets apiece.

In the decisive fifth set, three Biola errors early on gave ERAU a 4-2 lead. A quick 4-0 run brought BU back to the

front with a 6-4 lead, which then expanded to a four-point lead at 10-6. Kills from Hall and Martin brought the Eagles to within two at 10-8, and a kill from Holcomb cut the deficit to a single point at 12-11. Jacobson put together a kill and block on successive points to fight off two match points, tying the set at 14. A kill from Hall tied it again at 15, but consecutive kills by Biola finished the match with BU winning the set, 17-15, and the match, 3-2.

Hall and Holcomb led the Eagles with a match-high 19 kills and Hall added 13 digs for a double-double. Martin

also had a double-double with 12 kills and 13 digs, as did Vazquez with 13 digs and a match-high 58 assists.

Jacobson totaled 13 kills and a match-high .500 hitting percentage and five blocks (one solo) while Nina Kontrec picked up a match-high 29 digs.

Amy Weststeyn led Biola with a match-high 19 kills and hit .484 for the match, while Sarah McAtee added 15 kills. Gracee Gallarda (30 assists, 16 digs) and Nicolette Douglas (23 assists, 15 digs) each recorded double-doubles, while Tara Rallis picked up a team-high 16 digs.

Eagles lose heartbreaker to Biola in five sets EMBRY-RIDDLE BIOLA

2 3

Michael Pierce

ERAU Athletics The fourth-ranked EmbryRiddle volleyball team stumbled on Thursday afternoon, losing a heartbreaking five-set match (25-17, 25-18, 18-25, 20-25,

A

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December 14, 2011

Entertainment “I Hate Hamlet” Tyketto in concert Page

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Christopher Heale Staff Reporter

On Dec. 9 the IC auditorium was transformed from its usual lecture space into a New York apartment, as the stage was set for the Riddle players production of “I Hate Hamlet”.

“I Hate Hamlet” is a comedic light hearted look at the world of acting and the clichéd decision they face in choosing art or fame and fortune. The play was originally written in 1991

by Paul Rudnick and opened at the Walter Kerr Theatre on Broadway.

The play, directed by players’ member James Glenister, tells the story of successful TV star Andrew Rally (played by Stan Letchev) who is considering moving into the apartment of legendary American stage actor John Barrymore (played

by Aaron Larsh). In attempt to woo his chastity-obsessed and

The Avion, December 6, 2011

hopeless romantic girlfriend Deirdre (played by Lauren Massey), Andrew is convinced to take on the role of Hamlet by the ghost of John Barrymore, despite being a less than convincing actor. Upon viewing the apartment Andrew’s ageing agent Lillian (played by Anne Stokes) reveals that during her younger years she had a fling in the very same apartment Torn between the large pay checks and fame of TV work and the art of Shakespeare, Andrew slowly develops into the role under the guidance of Barrymore. Summoned during a séance suggested by Andrew’s over enthusiastic realtor Felicia (played by Rebecca Woodburn), Barrymore is unable to leave until Andrew takes to the stage to live the role. Meanwhile his Hollywood producer Gary (played by CT Boesser) tries to talk him out of it and back to LA. Despite all his coaching

Andrew does not perform on the night, and returns home dejected. Nevertheless Deirdre is happy due with his valiant effort, and Lillian gets one last soiree with Barrymore. Andrew turns down the offer to return to LA and takes the apartment.

The play closes with Barrymore showing Andrew the correct way to take a grand final bow.

Despite a few opening night nerves and odd sound effects, the production is a great example of an organization getting together and doing what they love.

The Riddle players put on a show every semester, with previous productions including “Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog” and “Miss Reardon Drinks a Little”. The choice of play is voted on by members who meet regularly on Monday at 6 p.m. in IC201. For more information or to join the Riddle players please contact Rebecca Woodburn at woodburr@my.erau.edu.

Photo Courtesy RPTC

Immortals, sword & sandle Floyed Perkinson Staff Reporter

Immortals

Immortals is a new Greek hero epic, adapted to the sil-

ver screen, and shown in 3D. Although not the same as 300, Immortals was produce by the same people and was made in the same style of action as 300.

Immortals was filled with scenes of battle and plenty of dead enemy bodies. Once the action started in Immortals there were hardly any scenes that did not involve any action.

Watching Henry Cavill pound enemies into pulp as Theseus and seeing Greek legions fighting made Immortals one of the best movies to hit theatres this season.

The action in Immortals was not the only great part of the movie the graphics of Immortals were excellent. All of the effects in the movie added to the action of the film as 3D weapons came out of the screen and splattered blood into the theatre. The war machines and legions shown

in 3D made the effects of the movie stand out and brought the film to life.

As big of an action film as Immortals was, it was also filled with scenes of terror and gore. The scenes in Immortals were so horrifying that anyone watching them would squirm in their seat.

The disturbing part of Immortals was how creative the script was in bringing nightmares to the audience.

Great graphics of ancient weaponry and warriors, blood pumping action, and horrifying gore that give nightmares made Immortals a movie definitely worth eight dollars and 4 stars out of 5. If you’re looking for a movie that delivers sword clashing action and disturbing scenes like no other then Immortals is definitely a movie to see.

Photo Courtesy of Relativity Media

Ben Failer

Guest Reporter On Nov. 26, 2011, a group of about fifty people crowded into a tiny studio in New Jersey for a historic event. Webcams mounted all over the room focused on a small stage as five musicians took to their instruments. The cameras were broadcasting to pay-per-view customers worldwide on virtually every continent, eager to see history in the making as one of their favorite bands prepared to reunite.

The band is called Tyketto, and in the early 1990s they stood poised for what promised to be a meteoric rock n’ roll career. Their first album, “Don’t Come Easy”, was released by Geffen in 1991, and the band enjoyed a taste of stardom. They had music videos on MTV, hit singles on the radio and they played in front of packed arenas all over the world. The band consisted of Michael Clayton on drums, Brooke St. James on guitar, Jimi Kennedy on bass and lead vocalist Danny Vaughn.

Just when Tyketto was on the cusp of worldwide fame, the world of rock n’ roll came crashing down.

Nirvana released “Nevermind” in late 1991, and the record companies abandoned album-oriented rock and glam metal almost overnight. Struggling to keep their

sound alive, the band recorded one more album, “Strength in Numbers”, before the original lineup disbanded in 1994. But Tyketto did not die there.

After the turn of the 21st Century, album-oriented rock and melodic rock began making a serious comeback. Bands that hadn’t toured or released material in nearly two decades suddenly began to find themselves in huge demand. Rock festivals like Firefest began to occur, and Tyketto found themselves at the forefront of this renewed interest. They began to sporadically tour with partial lineups, and the band released an album of previously-unheard demo recordings in 2007. But their dedicated fan base wanted more.

In 2011, two decades after their first taste of stardom, Tyketto reunited their original lineup and returned to the studio to record a new album, “Dig in Deep”, which is set to be released in the U.S. through EMI in early 2012. To promote this much-anticipated release, the band got together in New Jersey for a unique worldwide webcasted concert last week.

Joined by their new keyboardist Bobby Lynch, the original lineup took the stage in front of webcams and a small crowd for ninety minutes of good rock and roll. Playing classics and new material, the band took requests and even answered e-mail questions from their fans.

According to lead vocalist Danny Vaughn, the concert was viewed in at least 16 countries: the United States, England, Ireland, Gibraltar, France, Japan, Germany, Holland, Spain, Greece, Australia, Brazil, Italy, Sweden, Finland and Zanzibar.

Listeners from every continent in the world except Antarctica tuned in to hear Tyketto, uniting fans worldwide.

The author’s own listening experience was unique. As a classic rock DJ with Eagles FM and a personality on Nightspots Radio in Detroit, I have had the privilege of interviewing Mr. Vaughn several times and corresponding with him via e-mail.

I was invited by the band to come to New Jersey and see the show in person, but was unable to travel due to other obligations. Instead, I visited a friend and regular listener of mine, Danny’s mother Patricia.

From her Daytona Beach apartment we gathered round the computer and watched as her son performed live from nearly a thousand miles away. The experience provided me with some unique insight into the band, the singer and rock n’ roll in the early 1990s.

As Tyketto returns to Europe for more touring, their fans eagerly await the release of “Dig in Deep” and the coinciding U.S. tour dates yet to come. For more information, visit the band’s official site at www.tyketto.de.

Photo courtsey of www.ttyketto.de

Congratulations

from the Flight Department to the following students for receiving their:

PRIVATE PILOT CERTIFICATES: Andrew David Lubarski Joshua Jerome Phillips Arjun Nitu Gupta Jorge Antonio Quintero INSTRUMENT RATING CERTIFICATE: Donald Joseph Riley Christopher Allen Hayward Russell Robert Bunn FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR INSTRUMENT CERTIFICATE: Christopher John Cikel Matthew John Kehr Mark Maloney Koch

COMMERCIAL MULTI-ENGINE ADD-ON RATING: Mark Peter Barbalato Aaron James Henderson COMMERCIAL PILOT CERTIFICATE: Andrew John Cegla Peter Niklaus Weber K Steven Daniel Moshinski Andres Martin Thomas Haze Deloach FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR AIRPLANE CERTIFICATE: Timothy Kevin Bessell

The Avion, December 6, 2011

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