Avion Issue 8 Spring 2018

Issue 8 | Volume 149 | March 27th

Find us on social media!

A: Campus Life B: Industry and Technology C: Sports and Motorsports

theavion.com (386) 226-6049

A DEVINE PERFORMANCE I got it when I did so I didn’t die in a fiery Lamborghini explosion.

AN: How did the accident when you were 11 affect your confidence among your peers and did this roll into affecting your life and career today?

AD: As a kid, comedy sort of was a defense mechanism. My legs were mangled and they were pretty gross looking.

Some kids would make fun of you, but they were just amateurs. Going through something like I had to go through, especially in middle school when kids are their meanest, was hard. I would go home and write down notebooks full of rebuttals and slams. I would just find things out about them and throw it back like, ‘well, yeah, but your dad died from a heart attack f**king a hooker. I can’t walk but I will be able to eventually. But your dad will always be dead from f**king a hooker.’ So that worked. I definitely wouldn’t be doing this if it wasn’t for the accident.

Rajan Khanna/The Avion Newspaper

Events This Week March 27

3/27 - 4/2

SGA Debate, 6 pm – IC 101 Pull-A-Plane, 5 pm – Q Hangar

March 28

Faculty/Staff Kickball, 4 pm – West Lawn Push/Pull: Bench & Deadlift Contest, 5-8 pm – Fitness Center Riddle Players Theatre Club performs Almost, Maine, a play by John Cariani and produced through a special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service Inc., 8 pm – IC 101

March 29

Collin Anderson and Payton Muglia Managing Editor, Advertising Manager On Sunday, March 25, students, faculty, staff, and the general public flocked to the ICI Center to kickoff Blue and Gold Week 2018 with the comedy show featuring Adam Devine. The excitement was palpable as wave after wave of people entered the gymnasium an hour prior to the start of the show.

The show opened with up-and-coming comedian Adam Ray. After a hilarious 15 minutes, it was time for the headliner to take the stage. Adam Devine started strong and maintained his momentum for the entirety of the next hour.

After the crowd had faded into the night, The Avion Newspaper was privileged enough to conduct an interview with him.

Blue & Gold Fun Fair, 10 am 2 pm – West Lawn Space Jam Block Party with VR Gaming, 4 - 8 pm – Connolly Quad and Flight Deck TNG Outdoor Movie: Star Wars: The Last Jedi, 8:30 pm – West Lawn

The Avion Newspaper: As a boy growing up in Nebraska, how did you get into comedy and acting?

Adam Devine: I was always told I had a squishy face. I guess squishy face equals comedy. I was always told my face was just funny.

Casino Night, 8 -10 pm – Student Center

AN: Who is your comedic role model that you strive to be like?

AD: I like guys that create their own stuff like Seth Rogen, Will Ferrell, Ben Stiller, and Adam Sandler. I like guys that write their own material and not only do stand up, but also do movies as well and produce their own stuff.

March 30 March 31

Riddle Players Theatre Club performs Almost, Maine, a play by John Cariani and produced through a special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service Inc., 2 pm and 7 pm – IC 101

April 1 Happy Easter!

For Upcoming Sports, See Page C2

AN: If you died tomorrow, what would you want your legacy to be?

AD: I think about this every day. What would I want to be known for? Maybe Pitch Perfect 3 the deleted scenes. I don’t

This Week’s Waves

Daytona Beach, FL

know. You don’t necessarily want to be known as the guy who has his d**k out in Game Over, Man. In life I’ll be known as that. In death I want to be, “He was a good son, and friend.”

AN: Of the productions you’ve starred in, which has been your favorite?

AD: Probably Game Over, Man because it was 100 percent ours. It was so fun and we wanted to do it for a long time. It was pretty fun being action stars. And going out the window on the ironing board was really cool. Also, d**k being out; freeing.

Didn’t have to hide behind these pants!

The first Pitch Perfect movie was really cool because it was the first movie I was really a part of. It was a singing movie and I was known for Workaholics at the time so I kept wondering if it was going to be the worst movie ever. I kept wondering if it was going to be like Baywatch. Baywatch was really bad. Mike and Dave was right up there too because we shot in hawaii and it was the first time I was really the star of a movie. And we got to ride ATVs. I rented a motorcycle and didn’t know how to ride one so I kept crashing it. The producers had to pull me aside and tell me I wasn’t allowed to ride motorcycles because if I get hurt I’ll ruin the whole production.

And they were right.

AN: Did Pitch Perfect inspire you to take on more musical roles?

AD: Sure. I didn’t know how I would like it. I’ve always been a musical person but I never pursued it. In my high school that was the dorkiest thing you could do would be to join swing choir. The choir teacher would beg me to join swing choir and I was like, “I just got over this cement truck thing, I can’t do swing choir in high school.” But I do really enjoy it and Pitch Perfect was a real surprise for me that I enjoyed it as much as I did.

All in all, Adam Devine was a laid back and down to earth guy. Just as he is on stage, he is as funny and relatable one on one and simply a regular human being.

His sense of humor doesn’t change either.

As said by him, he is a nine-year-old trapped in a 34-year-old body.

AN: If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?

AD: You’re hitting me with the hard ones. It’s all kind of working out the way I hoped. I’m glad I got successful when I did. I was 25 when I got Workaholics.

So, I was old enough to handle it. If I had gotten it when I was 19, I would have bought a Lamborghini and had a heroin needle hanging out of my eyeball. I’m glad

M

4-6ft

T

4-6 ft

W

5-8 ft

T

5-7 ft

Rajan Khanna/The Avion Newspaper

F

2-3ft

S

1-2 ft

S

2-4ft

27 Campus Engineering Tomorrow March

Page

A2

TH

2018

The Avion

Executive Board Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor News Editor Business Manager Photography Editor Advertising Manager

Henry Neiberlien Collin Anderson Rajan Khanna Samantha Stirmel Vipul Telang Payton Muglia

Page Editors Front Editor Campus Editor SGA Editors Air Show Editor Opinions Editor Feature Editor I&T Editors Sports Editor Comics Editor Copy Editors

Editor Name Mike Shekari Keenan Thungtrakul Victoria Jordan Sean France-Beckford Emily Rickel Madaline Eitniear Jaclyn Wiley Andrew Bronshteyn Jorja Gwaltney Samantha Stirmel Brandon Collins Sarah Fairchild Jordyn Taylor

Staff Contributors Reporters Abigail Johnson Brandon Collins Keenan Thungtrakul Michael Weinhoffer Alexander Lee Mike Shekari

Photographers Saktiswaran Jeyaganesh Jorja Gwaltney

Correspondents Noah Soderquist, Christopher Weil, Olivia Brett

Staff Advisor Jessica Murphy, Avion Advisor

Contact Information Main Phone: (386) 226-6049 Ad Manager: (386) 226-7697 Fax Number: (386) 226-6016 Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor News Editor Business Manager Photography Editor Advertising Manager

editor@theavion.com managing@theavion.com news@theavion.com business@theavion.com photo@theavion.com advertising@theavion.com

Website: theavion.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 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.

Samantha Stirmel Business Manager Saturday, March 24, 2018, the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) took over the Willie Miller Instructional Center (IC) and the College of Business (COB) on the Embry-Riddle Campus to put on their most significant event yet; Introduce a Girl to Engineering Workshop (IGEW). Over 300 girls aged 8 to 11 from around the Daytona Beach area filled up their Saturday by doing various science experiments lead by Embry-Riddle students and SWE members. Some of the girls’ favorite activities of the day included making thermochromic slime, oobleck, and a device to save an egg from breaking after it has been dropped.

In past years, IGEW has pulled in about 100 girls, but the executive board of SWE, in connection with their President, Natalie Hahn reached out to local schools and pushed the event to make that number skyrocket. They added more modules, like making oobleck, and brought in donors to help support their event like Rockwell Collins and Boeing. The group of over 300 was split into 10 Module groups, five were in the COB, and the other five were in the IC. Girls received a chance to build bridges to learn about tension and weight distribution. To learn about impact and energy dissipation, the girls constructed structures

around an egg of cotton balls and other odds and ends before dropping them from the second floor to the first in each building. Exploring changing temperatures and why they impact colors specific ways was examined in thermochromic slime making. Lastly, non-Newtonian liquids and the forms of matter were experimented with by making oobleck.

Hours of work from volunteers and the executive board of SWE went into making this event a success. Mandatory training sessions, background checks, and Hahn's favorite activity of buying Walmart and Publix out of cornstarch all went into setting up a fun environment for girls to learn about STEM. Throughout The

Avion's reporting, a conversation about why this was only a program for girls happened between a volunteer and one of the children. The volunteers of that module explained to the girls that the reason why they do this is that they want to drum up interest in girls at a young age for STEM because there are so few women in the area comparatively. Girls explained to volunteers throughout the day that they wanted to be Chemical Engineers, Electrical Engineers, Doctors, Scientists, a million different things.

SWE instilled in these girls that they could do anything and promised to them that next year this event would happen again and that they would pull in even more girls.

Rajan Khanna/The Avion Newspaper Members of the Society of Women Engineers introduced girls to engineering via IGEW activities.

2017 Study Abroad Photo Contest Winner!

Julianna Martorella Office of Global Engagement The winner of the Office of Global Engagement's 2017 Study Abroad Photo Contest has been decided, and the winner is Andrea Martinez! Andrea is majoring in Aerospace Engineering, and she took advantage of the fantastic opportunity to study abroad this past summer.

She participated in the Munich, Germany program led by Professor Anthony who taught Space Mechanics and offered an additional upper-level social science in German Language and Culture.

This program, among many others, is offered to all students on a first-come-first-served basis, so long as the student fulfills minimum requirements. Financial aid is provided for all students to cover any and all expenses for the trip. Did you know that studying abroad is cheaper than staying in Daytona for the summer? We've done the math: not only are the memories you make more cost-efficient, but they are also worth every penny spent.

If the thrill of new and exciting international experiences doesn't

excite you, then consider how the impacts of studying abroad can positivity affect your future career. Employers are currently looking for internationally-minded students who can work, adapt and thrive in different cultures.

Studying abroad not only builds your resume, but tests a student's problem-solving capabilities.

Andrea's photo was taken at the Bavarian Alps in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Germany and shows her representing Embry-Riddle. She will have her

name forever on a plaque in the Office of Global Engagement, her photo displayed in our campus Starbucks as part of their Global Photo Exhibit, and receive a $50 Houligans gift card. Interested in competing next year? Submit a photo of your choice from your study abroad program, whether you've participated in a spring, summer, fall or winter program, showcasing your favorite view and ERAU! We'll choose the best photo considering your school spirit and the fantastic view you want!

Photo Courtesy: Andrea Martinez Andrea Martinez shown in the Bavarian Alps in Germany.

Page

A4

The Avion

SGA Elections

March

27 2018

TH

The Race for SGA President, Vice President, and Treasurer Giovanni Cavallini

Chad Stearns

Rajan Khanna/The Avion Newspaper Left to right: Kyle Dudley (for Treasurer), Giovanni Cavallini (for President), and Faith Torcuator (for Vice President).

Giovanni Cavallini General Manager, WIKD Hello and welcome! Do you love your Student Government Association? Do you think they are really the voice of the students? Do they have your best interests at heart? The SGA elections are coming up very quickly and you have the opportunity to make a change!

We are one of the SGA’s Executive Ticket for President, Vice-President, and Treasurer in 2018. My name is Giovanni Cavallini, and I am running for the Student Government Association’s President. To my left, and your right, is my Vice-President, Faith Torcuator. To my right, and your left, is my Treasurer, Kyle Dudley.

We are planning on bringing positive change to this campus through more on-campus jobs, a more accessible SGA office and officers, and lastly a strong sense of school spirit. We want to make the student life more enjoyable for everyone here at Embry-Riddle. Bigger concerts, better comedians, more free food events, an increase in the SpeakER Series, and more dynamic events to help take everyone’s mind off the busy life of a student.

I am a Junior in the Homeland Security field, and I have been a part of the SGA for about three years. I am currently the General Manager of the WIKD 102.5 FM and have been since Fall 2017. The radio station has over 50 members and seven other executive members which I must oversee all day, every day. The station does not sleep, we are on-air 24/7, which means I must be on my toes and ready to work day and night. I have been on this Executive Board since Fall 2016, where I started as the Entertainment Coordinator. I oversaw 20 DJs and coordinated over 180 events on and off-campus until I was elected to be the General Manager. Since being elected as the General Manager, I have had the pleasure of sitting in on the SGA’s current Executive Board meetings under the current SGA President, Dustin Gibson.

My goals, if elected, are to increase

the school spirit, get the SGA more involved with the students, and lastly to ease the transition for student clubs and organizations moving into the new Student Union this upcoming semester.

Faith is currently a sophomore in the Aerospace Engineering field and serving as thew College of Engineering student representative. She has hosted two forums for her college and served in several leadership positions since coming to Embry-Riddle. She was the Panhellenic Delegate for her sorority, Sigma Sigma Sigma.

She ran the First Year Initiative program for the SGA, where they help freshmen transition into leadership roles in the SGA. She wishes to work more closely with her representatives and get them more involved with the students of their respective colleges. Her goals are to come up with new projects and achieve goals to improve the college community.

Kyle is a junior studying Business Administration with a minor in International Relations. He is currently a member of the Student Finance Board (SFB) and works closely with the current treasurer, Katelyn Wentworth, to allocate money to all organizations and clubs. He has been on the inside of being a treasurer and knows how the process works already. He has been actively involved in the school, being a member of numerous organizations such as Touch-N-Go Productions, the WIKD 102.5 FM, and a brother of the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity. He wishes to make the allocation process more efficient and timely. His goals are to increase the teamwork inside the SFB and help those members be more available for the students.

As you have read, we each have a lot of experience in our fields and have been working diligently to make the student life more enjoyable. We would like to continue doing so while being more available to the students and giving them the attention they need and deserve. If we are elected, we will zealously pursue change that We The People will only grow from and enjoy while attending Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach.

Billy Nguyen/Student Government Association Left to right: Rob Consolo (for Vice President), Chad Stearns (for President), and Lauren Hanbidge (for Treasurer).

Chad Stearns Director of Operations, SGA Hello everyone! You can read our bios below, but we are Chad Stearns (Presidential Candidate), Rob Consolo (Vice Presidential Candidate), and Lauren Hanbidge (Treasurer Candidate). Together, we want to accomplish the following: • Transition to the new Student Union as smoothly as possible.

• Increase transparency of the SGA and the students, and between administrators and the students.

• Utilize the new SGA Fee to expand our efforts across campus.

• Look into new ways the SGA can accommodate and support the students.

• Increase the SGA’s administrative presence to ensure the student’s voice is being heard from bottom to top.

• Continue to improve student life on campus utilizing new funds and a “boots on the ground” mentality.

Chad Stearns is from Brentwood, Tennessee, and is majoring in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting and Finance. He also has minors in flight and forensic accounting.

He is currently the Director of Operations for SGA, a Resident Advisor, a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, Phi Beta Lambda, and Business Eagles. He is running for President to make changes across the SGA, including, but not limited to: budgeting, efficiency, transparency, and more importantly, the student experience. He will continue to be a student voice to administrators on campus and off campus.

Robert Consolo is from New York, New York, and is a graduate student in Mechanical Engineering. He has a B.S. in Commercial Space Operations and a B.S. in Human Factors. He is currently a member of SGA’s Student Finance Board, Psi Chi, an alumni advisor for Phi Delta Theta Fraternity, a peer mentor for First Year Programs, and the System Safety Manager for Embry-Riddle’s

EcoCAR Team. Previously Rob served on SGA’s Student Representative Board as the College of Arts and Sciences Representative and as Chair of the Progress Committee where he brought the SGA funded car vacuum and air pump to campus and began the groundwork on many more projects that were followed through with the next semester. With two years of SGA experience and many years of experience on the Daytona Beach campus, Rob looks to run for Vice President to work with the SGA in creating new ways to improve student life, act on students concerns, and see to it that students remain proud to be an Eagle.

Lauren Hanbidge is a sophomore majoring in Homeland Security with minors in Cybersecurity and Terrorism Studies. She is from Lake Tapps, Washington. She is also currently a member of the SGA Student Finance Board, a Resident Advisor in the New Residence Hall, a member of the Orientation Team, the Vice President of Operations for her sorority, a Peer Mentor for University 101, and works part-time in the Office of Development. She also has previous experience being treasurer for her sorority and has loved getting to learn about the financial process of the SGA during her time on the finance board. Having been a treasurer and a member of the Finance Board, she understands both sides of the allocation process. She is excited for this opportunity to run for Treasurer and is eager to be more involved in the Student Government Association.

SGA Elections are open from April 2-6. Make your voice heard and vote! Vote online via Connections.

March

27 2018

TH

SGA Elections

Page

A5

The Avion

The Race for SGA (cont.)

Graham Fox

Abigail Johnson Senior Reporter Springtime brings a change of leadership at Embry-Riddle. As we prepare to elect new students into the student government, it is essential to know who and what you are voting for when electing a party into office. This is a message that Graham Fox, a presidential candidate, is trying to present to the university. Fox, running with Andrew Wood (vice president) and Lauren Doss (treasurer), wants to inspire the student body to expand the involvement of student government for a different, yet exciting mindset that could change the way students achieve success here at Embry-Riddle.

Q: How connected have you been on campus?

Graham Fox: Since Freshmen year I have always been doing something with a club on campus. Honestly, I never really kept to myself. There has not been a time during my college career where I have not been active in the ERAU scene.

When I first got involved, one of the organizations I joined was the Embry-Riddle Future Space Explorers and Developers Society (aka ERFSEDS). The thing with ERFSEDS is whatever you put in is what you are going to get out of it, and I put all of my spare time virtually into it.

I was elected as public relations officer and vice president of the club. I helped oversee this club, which launched rockets into the cusp of space, go from being almost disbanded to one of the largest organizations on campus. Getting to say that I played a significant role in that makes me proud.

Outside of ERFSEDS, I try to go on rides with the Riddle Riders motorcycle club, my primary vehicle is a motorcycle so getting the opportunity to roll out with other riders is a pretty nice break from the constant studying I have to do.

Q: Why does your party solely consist of engineers?

GF: A significant part of my campaign has been representing the technical side of campus. Most of the time, students pursuing a Bachelors in one of the engineering majors do not have a lot of spare time.

Those who manage to have some put it towards what they get a lot of enjoyment out of: A club, their group of friends, sleep,

but hardly ever does that thing involve the SGA. What ends up happening is that the engineers on campus do not get a proportionate amount of representation in the SGA. This has led to us feeling disenfranchised, especially for those of us involved in professional clubs.

Q: Why should Riddle students elect you to run their student government?

GF: All the candidates are, in my opinion, good people, they all want to solve problems on campus, and they know how things are currently done. What I believe sets me apart from them is that I know what the issues are and I know how to solve the problems in a way we all want. I have three fundamental all-encompassing goals: transparency of the SGA, improving student quality of life, and a re-prioritization of professional clubs. All three candidates talk about transparency but ironically have stated how to go about it or what they want to do. The SGA needs to be more beholden to the students. I want to be able to find any and all information related to SGA online.

There is fundamental transparency that is not happening which begs the question just how in the dark are we? Transparency of operations is a necessary component in upholding the integrity of any organization, and it is something we lack here, that makes me woefully uncomfortable.

If I am elected, you are going to know what we are doing, how we are doing it, and why we are doing it. You would be able to come in and have someone who wants to help you or, if you do not want to come into the office, the SGA website will be resurrected and contain all the information concerning the SGA and its operations.

I want the SGA held to high standards and for it to exceed student expectations.

I know my team can accomplish this and I believe we are the only ones on the ballot capable of doing this, that is why Riddle students should elect me.

Q: What is your motivation for running?

GF: My motivations for running were just wanting to fill a leadership void I saw. The core idea of leadership is caring about the well being of those you are leading. Honestly, we should all be continually striving to make a positive impact. I like this campus, I care about this cam-

Saktiswaran Jeyaganesh/The Avion Newspaper Left to Right: Graham Fox (for President), Andrew Wood (for Vice-President), Lauren Doss (for Treasurer).

pus, and I want to see everyone succeed.

So when I look at this void in leadership in conjunction with my understanding of what leadership is and my sentiments towards Riddle, there is not any other choice for me but to run.

Q: Why do you believe you and your party can make a difference here at riddle?

GF: Aside from the fact we are motivated, and we have executive experience from our clubs, we are a team. We came up with and developed these goals together and when I say we I do not mean Andrew, Lauren, and myself. I mean we students. I have close to 30 people on my active campaign team. So when you ask why I believe our ticket can make a difference here at Riddle, it is because the student body will be involved in it. A select few will not be making the difference, all of us will be working together to create a better campus environment where we do fantastic and inspiring things.

Q: What are some things you wish to accomplish if elected into office?

GF: There is a lot I want to accomplish, and the details for some of it is still being figured out so rather than go into fine

detail here is an idea of what I want to do concerning my three primary goals.

Transparency of the SGA: Open access SGA information both in-person and online, public bulletin boards regularly updated, update feeds containing workflow information and announcements, broader use of campus TV's and A-Frames Improving student quality of life: Create a way for off-campus students to apply for an SGA Fee waiver, work with ERRSA to reinstate a broader rental program, push campus stores to offer more convenience store/grocery options or provide options ourselves. We also want to find a way to provide free healthcare items for men and women in restrooms, get approved to negotiate a pilot program for smart parking and have vending machines with student voted objects within them, and put together a test bank with old course material for students to use when they study.

Re-prioritization of professional clubs: Figure out a way to get more money injected into the technical clubs on campus with a focus on budgets corresponding to population, the SGA can provide resources and assist in the raising of funds for organizations as well.

Page

A6

The Avion

Melbourne Air Show

march

27 2018

TH

Behind the Yoak of Quick Silver Collin Anderson Managing Editor This past weekend marked the 5th anniversary of the Melbourne Air and Space Show at Melbourne International Airport. Spectators both young and old flocked to see several static displays and performers. Statics displays included the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, two C-130 Hercules’, a KC-135 Stratotanker, an HH-60 Pave Hawk, and several other aircraft.

Some of the performers were Scott Yoak in his P-51 Mustang, Neil and Chris Darrell in their jet-powered semitruck called Shockwave, the extremely rare B-2 Spirit, “Spirit of Mississippi”, and, of course, the USAF Thunderbirds. The Melbourne Air and Space Show was the inaugural show for the Thunderbirds' 2018 show schedule and was a rousing success.

After the Thunderbirds had landed and the crowd had dispersed, The Avion Newspaper went to the other side of the airport to interview P-51 pilot, and EmbryRiddle alumni, Scott Yoak.

The Avion Newspaper: You are one of the more involved alums Embry-Riddle sees on a regular basis. Would you say it is essential to be involved with your alma mater after you graduate?

Scott Yoak: Absolutely. I am shocked at people who graduate and do not give back. This year will be my second on the Industry Advisory Council for [Aircraft Maintenance Science]. I am also an advisor for my fraternity chapter of Phi Delta Theta.

AN: On the topic of Phi Delta Theta, knowing brothers on campus, one of the highlights of their recruitment video is cleaning the P-51. That is pretty indicative of your involvement with the chapter as an advisor.

SY: Definitely. In World War II, the P-51 had a crew of about five. I am one guy so I welcome any help I can get. I will reach out to them and say, ‘Hey, I would love for you guys to help me clean the airplane. I will buy pizza and soda, and we can just chill doing that.'

Being an advisor to this group of guys is amazing, and I love being involved, but I am not going to hold their hand and tell them what they can and cannot do. They need to make their own mistakes, learn from them, and know that I am always a phone call away from

answering any question.

AN: The show announcer gave us a taste of some facts about your P-51 Quicksilver. Can you give us a more detailed backstory both from the aircraft and family perspectives?

SY: So my dad was in the aircraft restoration business, and I grew up in the shop. My father and I wanted a project, so we built Quicksilver. This plane has parts salvaged from Mustangs all around the globe. The tail is from one in Israel, one wing is from the Dominican Republic, and the other is from Switzerland. There are parts from 200 P-51's in this one and the reason I say 200 is because that is when we stopped counting. My grandfather worked at Rocketdyne and holds patents on components to the Apollo program, and my father worked for Lockheed Skunkworks on the SR-71 Blackbird. To my knowledge, I am the only third-generation North American aircraft fabricator.

AN: Out of all the planes to build, you and your dad picked the P-51. Why that plane specifically?

SY: They are readily available. This kind of plane takes time, but you can see it through because parts are not too hard to find. If you take up a project like the B-29 where parts are tough to come by, you will be bankrupt within three months. Another reason I picked the P-51 is because nothing sounds as good as the Merlin. The crowd reactions keep me motivated. Just the other day, some little kid walked in who had only seen the Mustang in video games and was in awe at the size of it. The plane went from conception to flying in 120 days, so it is also quite the engineering feat.

AN: You said your grandfather worked on the Apollo program, your dad worked on the Blackbird, and now here you are. Would you say that aviation is in your bloodline?

SY: Oh yeah. It is definitely in my DNA. We have tried to get it out, but nothing has worked.

AN: You live this fantastic life and get to fly at airshows and amaze hundreds of thousands of people every year. Would life have been the same had you not gone to Riddle?

SY: I can tell you, with absolute certainty, that I would not be sitting at this table in front of you today had I not gone to Riddle. In fact, I became interested

Vipul Telang/The Avion Newspaper Scott Yoak, ERAU DB ‘08 and pilot of the P-51 Mutang, performs in airshows all along the East Coast.

in flying for airshows at the 2003 Wings n' Waves. I had originally come to Riddle to play baseball. After the show that day, I told my dad I wanted to fly for airshows, and he said he would help me but that I would have to do it his way and get every rating at Riddle. Throughout my freshman year, I flew the T-34. Fuel was expensive, so I would take air traffic controllers up in exchange for fuel.

I flew the T-6 during college as well. I started flying the Mustang senior year.

Establishing those connections early on helped me later. People in the industry know the name Embry-Riddle. I give massive credit to Riddle for helping me get to where I am today.

AN: Last question, if you could go back and change anything that you've done, what would you change?

SY: I would have gone to Riddle solely for flying. I would not have done baseball at all and focused only on flying.

Scott Yoak is trying to bring back the Wings n' Waves airshow. Trying to revive the event that sparked his career has been nothing but an uphill battle, but he is hoping to have a small show in 2019. In the off season, Scott inspects airplanes, specializing in warbirds.

Nicole Stott is another alumni who is highly involved on campus and sits on the Board of Trustees. When asked about it, Scott has said that if offered a position on the Board of Trustees, he would gladly accept because he strives to give as much back to the university and its students. Scott Yoak's drive, passion, and character are what make him the embodiment of what it means to be an Eagle.

Jorja Gwaltney/The Avion Newspaper A lateral shot of P51-D Mustang #45-11439, Quick Silver, taxiing off the runway as pilot Scott Yoak waves to the audience after a spectacular performance.

March

27 2018

TH

Melbourne Air Show

Page

A7

The Avion

Collin Anderson/The Avion Newspaper The United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM) parachute team opened the air show. The Para-Commandos are comprised of volunteers from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and U.S. government civilians.

Collin Anderson/The Avion Newspaper Northrop Grumman’s B-2 Spirit bomber made a rare appearance at the 2018 Melbourne Air and Space Show only on Saturday, performing three flyovers before departing to continue a training exercise around Florida.

Vipul Telang/The Avion Newspaper The B-17 Flying Fortress “Memphis Belle”, famous for its role in the movie “Memphis Belle,” visited Melbourne on both Saturday and Sunday, offering air show attendees a chance to ride a piece of history

Collin Anderson/The Avion Newspaper The United States Air Force Thunderbirds perform The Delta, one of their best known maneuvers during their performance. The Delta is a display of aerial teamwork and is the perfect way to end the air show.

Jorja Gwaltney/The Avion Newspaper ERAU graduate John Black waits for his smoke canisters to empty after landing. Black can spend nearly two minutes inverted in his American Champion Super Decathalon during his performance.

Collin Anderson/The Avion Newspaper The Shockwave Jet Truck driven by Chris Darnell wows the crowd before a solo high-speed run that saw the custom-built truck reaching a top speed of 321 miles per hour. The truck is powered by three J34-48 Pratt & Whitney jet engines that give the truck nearly 36,000 horsepower. Later in the show, Shockwave raced against Scott Yoak in his P-51 “Quicksilver.” Shockwave holds the world record speed for semi-trucks at 376 miles per hour.

Opinion

Page

A8

The Avion

March

27 2018

TH

Assassin’s Creed Rogue Remastered Brandon Collins Copy Editor Massively overlooked when it first released, Assassin's Creed Rogue is the successor Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag deserved. It is the perfect blend of Assassin's Creed III and Black Flag. It takes the location of Assassin's Creed III (New York and parts of New England) and adds to it the naval combat simulation that Black Flag introduced to the series. For fans of either, this is the perfect game to play.

Dubbed the "darkest chapter of the Assassin's Creed franchise," Rogue follows the story of the Irish-American Shay Patrick Cormac, an assassin brother under the tutelage of Achilles Davenport, the Colonial Assassin Mentor who taught the creed to Connor in Assassin's Creed III. Cormac is an assassin who is trying to make a mark on the brotherhood, but following a devastating event caused by the Assassin's which leads him to question the beliefs he held so dear. He eventually turns his back on his former comrades and joins the Templar Knights to seek revenge and prevent other devastations.

Throughout the game, you see a plethora of connections to other Assassin's Creed games. From Otso Burg's analyst of various antagonist throughout the series to seeing past allies and enemies while delving through Shay's memories, players see many familiar faces during the game, including Achilles and Haytham Kenway from Assassin's Creed III, and even Adewale from Black Flag.

Fans of the modern world part of the game will significantly enjoy Rogue.

Much like in Black Flag, players are Abstergo Entertainment employees who are sifting through the memories of an old assassin's who have to get Abstergo back online due to a virus that the brotherhood caused. While fixing the servers to continue seeing Shay's memories, players can find tablets with memos and emails from Abstergo discussing other potential projects. Players can also hack other computers to find out more about Otso Berg as well as other Templar related projects and events.

The remaster of the game saw improved graphics, performance, and resolution. The resolution now has a base at 1080p and can go up to 4K visuals on the Xbox One X and PS4 Pro. The frame rate is also now set to a base 30 fps on all of the current-gen consoles.

One of the most significant changes graphically was the water in the sea and rivers. In the original version of the game, the sea looked very flat and had sharp reflections of the sky on it.

However, in the remastered version, the sea is much more realistic with various ripples and tiny waves that cause the sea to have a more brokenup and realistic reflection of the sky.

Another graphical change was the smoke in game. When firing the cannons on your ship, the cannons now produce smoke from the gunpowder, which is what occurs in real life.

If fired enough, players will be unable to see while aiming with the cannons because the smoke will be too thick and dense to see through. A similar action occurs with guns, but it does not affect players since the game is in third-person.

Rogue also saw various textual overhauls in some areas. For one, the remastered version had improved lighting, both indoors and outdoors. Along with this, the game saw better shadows and improved levels of details across the game. The shadows are now more detailed than before and now move along with the sun with than just stay in the same place no matter the time of day.

This game is not just all praise though.

There are a few negatives, one of them being the "there is so much to do, it is almost too much" thing that a lot of Assassin's Creed games have seen. From hundreds of collectibles to tons of side missions, Rogue is packed full of things to do. And all though most are enjoyable, you get to the point where it is almost a grind for those completionists out there.

But the good thing is, that you do not have to do the side missions or collect all the collectibles if you do not want to do so. Sure, it improves your stats, but you can still beat the game by doing the bare minimum of each. Another issue a lot of fans have mentioned is that it feels like a step backward from Origins, which redid a lot of the gameplay mechanics that fans loved. And although I agree that I should be able to climb that cliff, I still rather enjoy the throwback and nostalgic feeling that the game brings. Back to when combat was counter-based, and I first fell in love with the series.

Overall, this game is the perfect throwback. It may not be the Assassin's Creed game we needed like Origins was, but it is the Assassin's Creed game we wanted. Combining the best of the games we loved and breathing new life into them,

Assassin’s Creed Rogue

this game is a must for any fan, and I highly recommend it to anyone, both those who have already played it and those who have not. The remaster of Rogue released last Tuesday, on March 20 for the PS4 and Xbox One. The game comes with all of its downloadable content as well as the original game's pre-order bonuses and is definitely worth the buy.

The Avion Newspaper was provided a review copy by Ubisoft Studios and would like to thank them for the opportunity they provided us to review the game. The game was reviewed using an Xbox One X.

The Bright Future Behind Busyness Busy busy busy. That seems to be the motto of modern life. We get caught up in all sorts of activities: school, work, personal matters, and get-togethers with friends. A lot of these events coincide. We receive assignments that span a few days, then plan other activities that overlap that span. Soon days that we initially set aside for assignments are lost to other things. Before we know it, due dates creep up on us, and we scramble to complete what is due before it is too late. It is as if we are conditioning ourselves to take on more than we can handle and then push ourselves to the limit to satisfy all the obligations that we put on ourselves. We do all this to sell our-

“

It is as if we are conditioning ourselves to take on more than we can handle and then push ourselves to the limit to satisfy all the obligations that we put on ourselves.

“

selves to potential employers, to show off resumes that we pack with project and work experience in the hopes of getting those coveted high-paying careers that we dream of achieving. Inherent in this pursuit is a fierce competition between students. Students sacrificing

much-needed sleep to take part in many resume-building projects and trying to best others by having more things on their plates. But, is this kind of competition worth the energy and time?

There is a common saying that there needs to be a balance between work, play, and rest. I am a champion of that idea and am doing all I can to achieve that balance. Since coming into Embry-Riddle, I strived to ensure that I was not putting too much on my plate at any given time. I sought a balance between school, homework, and time with friends. The workloads I have been dealing with have been manageable, though I am fully aware that others do not have such luxuries.

Nonetheless, I feel we should strive to maintain some form of work-life balance so that we are not always stressed out or super tired all the time. I find that managing my busyness each semester is challenging, since there a lot of stimuli to deal with as a student. Organizations recruiting students, campus jobs hiring, career advice that tells you to work more, etc. The list just goes on and on. Before long you wind up having over 30 things to juggle all at once. That is just asking for a mental freeze or a mental breakdown. We are not wired to multitask, at least not efficiently. We try, but then we have to determine the priority of each task on our plate. Set the wrong priorities; you set yourself up for stress. What I like to do is focus on whatever is due first, then move down the list. If there is

a lot to do, I try and separate the tasks with small breaks to let my brain cool down before jumping on to what's next.

Even with this system I still find myself unable to accomplish all that I need to in the time that I have. My mind wears out, something more urgent pops up and eats away at my time, or a frustrating situation takes up more time than I thought it would. Then I find myself unintentionally procrastinating on things because of lack of time. This has been happening since the week before spring break.

Midterm exams were occurring, milestone projects were due, study abroad plans needed attention, plans for next year required consideration, all this stuff in just one week. How am I supposed to do all of this within a super short timespan? I just can't, and even trying to wears me thin. Is there really some benefit to this endless stream of work?

People I ask about this topic say that the hard work will pay off eventually.

Well, how long is "eventually?" Is it the end of the semester? End of the year?

End of college? The constant stream of work is taking a severe toll on my motivation. I am typically motivated by internal forces, and when my mind feels like giving up, it wants to give up, even when I want to keep going. I tell my mind to push through so it can rest at the end of each day. The cycle restarts the next day, and the next, until the weekend. Even so, our weekends are typically filled with mundane routines. Every so often we would get a chance to hang out with our

buddies, but the relaxation we get from that is only temporary. There needs to be

“

I think the treasure to be found behind all of this madness is a bright future that will provide us with all that we need to propel ourselves forward while maintaining our quality of life.

“

Keenan Thungtrakul Senior Reporter

a more efficient way to relax our minds so the busyness won't wear us thin. No matter how hard I try to balance each day, there's no stopping the stream of work. I can only whittle it down slowly by tackling it one piece at a time. I take part in various stress-relieving activities spread out over the course of each week, and while those help mitigate my stress level, there are still those deadlines that sneak up on me. If only I had a better way to deal with them! My suggestion: use the Reminders app and the Calendar app. Stay on top of all your due dates and remind yourselves of essential tasks, that way you know to do them before it's too late. The busyness may not see an end until retirement, but I think the treasure to be found behind all of this madness is a bright future that will provide us with all that we need to propel ourselves forward while maintaining our quality of life. So soldier, keep moving on. The future looks bright, no matter how busy you might be in the present.

March

27 2018

TH

Feature

Page

A9

The Avion

Remembering Stephen Hawking Michael Weinhoffer Staff Reporter On March 14, 2018, word broke around the world that renowned cosmologist Stephen Hawking had passed away at his home in Cambridge, England, at the age of 76. Remarkably, Professor Hawking passed away on Pi Day, and on the 139th anniversary of Albert Einstein's birth.

Let us reflect on the life and work of Stephen Hawking, who had defied medical odds and inspired millions to pursue the sciences and reach for the stars.

Stephen Hawking was born in Oxford, England on Jan. 8, 1942, the 300th anniversary of Galileo's death. Hawking did his undergraduate work at the University of Oxford, and although it is one of the most selective universities in the world, he supposedly found his coursework to be "ridiculously easy."

Hawking was also the coxswain of a rowing club at Oxford. After barely qualifying due to an average grade on his final examination, Hawking was admitted to the University of Cambridge in Oct. 1962 to begin his graduate work in cosmology.

Cosmology is a branch of theoretical

physics that involves understanding the large-scale structure of the universe, its origin, and its fate. Shortly after being admitted to Cambridge, Hawking was diagnosed with a slow-progressing form of ALS, which soon made it difficult for him to speak clearly and walk properly.

He was given two years to live. After a bout of depression, Hawking finished his doctoral work and earned a Ph.D. in applied mathematics and theoretical physics in May 1966. He also married his first wife, Jane, in 1965. His doctoral thesis, "Properties of Expanding Universes," was published Online for the first time in Oct. 2017, and the amount of readership crashed a Cambridge website!

Hawking proposed in his thesis that the universe was once a single ultra-dense point called a singularity. Singularities are found at the center of black holes, which are so powerful that not even light can escape their forces. Hawking's proposal was revolutionary because it showed that the universe had a definitive beginning and will likely have a definitive end.

After graduating from Cambridge, Hawking shifted his focus exclusively to black holes and made sev-

Photo Courtesy: NASA Stephen Hawking, renowned physicist in zero gravity during a flight on a modified Boeing 727.

eral significant contributions to our understanding of them, all while becoming more immobilized by ALS. Hawking discovered that, contrary to all popular beliefs, black holes emit radiation. He further realized that, given the right characteristics, black holes could simply evaporate over time.

This radiation and evaporation effect is aptly called "Hawking radiation." His discovery meant that black holes were not the eternal monsters that physicists thought they were. Like all things in the universe, they have a beginning and an end.

Although Hawking was having great success in the field of black hole thermodynamics, his disability continued to rear its ugly head. While on vacation in Geneva in the summer of 1985, he developed pneumonia and a resultant infection, and was on his deathbed. In order for him to survive, a tracheotomy was performed, which resulted in a ventilator being attached to his throat. This operation removed his ability to speak.

Fortunately, a speech synthesizer was installed on his wheelchair one year later, which allowed him to communicate by using a remote to type words into a screen, which would then be spoken out loud by a computer. With this state of the art technology, Hawking was able to finish editing his first book for the general public, A Brief History of Time, which published in 1988. The book instantly became a bestseller and is still a very popular and accessible read.

The last few years of Stephen Hawking's life saw a significant amount of book and paper publications. Hawking and his colleagues were working to solve the black-hole information paradox. In its purest sense, the paradox concerns the fact that black holes are predicted to destroy every characteristic of every particle of matter, but the physics principle of conservation of mass states that mass cannot be created or destroyed.

So where is the conserved information?

Hawking and his colleagues theorized that physical information is indeed con-

served in a black hole, but it is stored in other insignificant particles. So black holes, as Hawking put it in "A Brief History of Time," "are not so black" after all.

This theory is just one possible solution to the paradox, but it is a significant step forward in solving the biggest mystery in the field. Hawking's most recent co-authored paper was published on March 4, 2018, just ten days before he passed.

He and a colleague proposed a new perspective on the multiverse theory.

It seems that Hawking was a firm believer in the multiverse model, which argues that our universe is just one of a possibly infinite number of universes. The beginning of our universe could have been merely the end of another if the result of every universe is a singularity. Professor Hawking was a passionate researcher to the end and had a lot more to discover from the ground about our resident universe.

Hawking was known for his sense of humor despite his disability, appearing multiple times on shows such as The Simpsons and The Big Bang Theory.

His inability to speak or write forced him to explore the universe with his mind and make groundbreaking discoveries along the way. It is quite likely that Professor Hawking made discoveries because his disability forced him to think about the mysteries of the universe in a new way.

His work helped redefine one of the most powerful monsters of the universe.

Of course, a simple article is not enough to adequately cover Hawking's life. For more information on Hawking's personal life and disability, make sure to watch the free documentary "Hawking" on YouTube, and the acclaimed movie: The Theory of Everything."

Hawking defied his disability for more than fifty years by adapting to it and living as though each day was his last. His life and work are an inspiration to millions to, as Hawking put it, "look up at the stars and not down at your feet." He will be truly missed by all who want to know more about their place in the universe.

Florida’s Updated Gun Legislation Alexander Lee Distribution Manager

The legislation includes many aspects with the most prominent shown below:

Considering recent events around the nation, Florida has recently updated legislation on firearms within the state. The gun legislation is in response to the most recent shooting in Florida at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

The shooting involved a single perpetrator who was taken into custody on 17 charges of pre-meditated murder.

The assailant had known issues affecting their mental health and had been reported to authorities multiple times before the shooting as to their psychological state and the weapons possessed.

The perpetrator entered the school and pulled a fire alarm to draw students out of the classrooms and opened fire in the hallways with an AR-15 killing 17 and wounding 14 others.

Many of the students from the High School have garnered national attention in pushing for an update of gun legislation.

This push reflects itself in the current legislation update in Florida.

•School Marshal Program to Arm and Train Teachers to have Firearms in the Classroom along with $67 million to fund this program.

•Increase in the budget for school security for the buildings as well as increase armed school-based police officers.

•Increase in the budget to address mental health in schools as well as allow police to confiscate guns from anyone deemed mentally incompetent by a judge for up to a year.

•Court Issuance of Search Warrants for Firearms of people deemed “significant threats.”

•Raising the age requirement for ALL firearm purchase to 21 years of age.

•Expand the present three day wait period to include all Firearms unless the purchaser is a holder of a Florida Concealed Carry Permit.

•Ban the use of Bump Stocks, which allow for semi-automatic weapons to have an increased rate of fire.

Updated Legislation:

Rejected Ideas:

•“Assault Weapons” Ban (Military/ Tactical Style firearms such as the AR-15) •Creation of a Gun Registry •Allowing Greater Local Law Autono-

my Beyond State Legislation •Prohibition of the Sale of High Capacity Magazines •Required Background Checks for Purchases Outside the State

Vipul Telang/The Avion Newspaper

B2

TH

2018

The Avion

Airshow Center Marvel of Flight Fly-in & Expo DeFuniak Springs, Fla. April 06 - 07, 2018

• Marvel of Flight is a two-day event designed for real-world pilots and their friends and family. Immerse yourself in the sights, sounds, and latest technologies of general aviation. Anything is possible at Marvel of Flight and the sky is not the limit! _________

Space Coast Warbird AirShow 2018 (TICO Warbird Airshow) Titusville, Fla. April 06 - 08, 2018

• Every year for the past 41 years, the Valiant Air Command, Inc. has hosted the “TICO Warbird AirShow” at the Space Coast Regional Airport.

This year, while the name has changed, it is still the same wonderful AirShow experience that our fans have come to expect. _________ Aviation Day Page Field Fort Meyers, Fla. April 07, 2018

• Aviation Day 2018 will be held on Saturday, April 7, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with free admission and parking. Aviation Day is an annual community event hosted by the Lee County Port Authority with the purpose of increasing awareness of our airports – Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) and Page Field (FMY). _________

Tavares Seaplane-A-Palooza Fly-In Tavares, Fla. April 07 - 08, 2018

• “America’s Seaplane City” invites YOU to join us Saturday, April 7 & Sunday, April 8 for SEAPLANE-A-PALOOZA. The Tavares Seaplane Base is located in downtown Tavares, Florida on the shore of Lake Dora within Wooton Park.

Join us for this on-the-way to Sun ‘n Fun weekend-long seaplane festival. _________ Sun’n Fun Fly-In Lakeland, Fla. April 10 - 15, 2018

• In 1974, SUN ‘n FUN was created by a small group of dedicated aviation enthusiasts. The annual event, held in April, has grown into the second largest event of its kind in the world and is Florida’s largest annual convention.

This Week in Aviation History March 27, 2004

Nasa’s X-43 pilotless plane breaks world speed record for an atmospheric engine by briefly flying at 7,700 km (4,800 mi) per hour (seven times the speed of sound).

March 27, 2018

Concorde makes its first supersonic flight.

March 29, 1858

Two men – Brown and Dean – make the first balloon flight in Australia in a hydrogen balloon named the Australasian.

March 30, 1945

World War II: a defecting German pilot delivers a Messerschmitt Me 262 A-1 to Americans.

April 01, 1948

27 Industry Delta’s First AfricanAmerican & Hispanic Female Captains Visit ERAU March

Page

First flight of the Convair XF-92, the world’s first delta-winged airplane.

Mike Shekari Staff Reporter

Delta Air Lines' first African-American and Hispanic female captains visited Embry-Riddle to speak with students on March 19. Hosted by the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals, Captain Stephanie Johnson and Captain Arcie Quintana shared their personal stories about succeeding as minority females in an industry that has been historically dominated by white males.

Johnson and Quintana share several things in common, including being hired to fly for Northwest Airlines during the same year in 1997. However, both have unique stories of how they got there.

The first time Johnson ever flew was in high school when she and a few of her friends convinced a teacher to take them up in the teacher's private aircraft. From

that point forward, Johnson was hooked on flying. After graduating from high school, Johnson attended Kent State University where she obtained her bachelor's degree and commercial pilot's ratings. The beginning of Johnson's aviation career was harsh, including challenges like having to work at Blockbuster Video while flight instructing at two different airports to make ends meet.

Quintana's aviation career began by just walking into a small flight school one day, going on an introductory flight, and realizing that it was something she could be passionate about. However, the journey to becoming a professional pilot was one of much adversity for Quintana; because she was a single mom during the beginning of her career, she experienced many rejections for flying jobs. Quintana even had issues with air sickness during her initial training.

However, Quintana caught a break when someone offered her a ground school slot

on a Lear Jet airframe to help Quintana receive her type rating. She was then provided a job by another charter company (who had repeatedly rejected Quintana in the past) after two of their pilots ended up injured in an accident.

Both Johnson and Quintana came armed with advice for students. On the topic of being involved with different groups, Johnson urged students to "make sure that their mission matches your mission" so that students can be passionate about their causes.

Johnson also warned about joining organizations just to put it on a resume, because you never know when an interviewer will ask about it. Quintana also advised respecting all people as professionals and paying attention to details in questions asked by interviewers. Finally, Johnson told students that if you "hear something you do not like to hear, ask someone else" and you will eventually get the answer you want.

Tumblr Addresses Propaganda Olivia Brett Correspondent On Friday night, Tumblr released over 80 usernames, and their aliases, that were discovered to have ties with the Internet Research Agency (IRA). The IRA is a group tied to the Russian Government, and these fake accounts used social media sites like Tumblr, Twitter, and Facebook to produce and spread divisive memes and gifs. Wired Magazine reports that the Russian trolls have had hundreds of thousands of interactions with Tumblr users alone. Tumblr updated users on the Russian-linked activity via email Friday night. The message reads: "As part of our commitment to transparency, we want you to know that we uncovered and terminated 84 accounts linked to Internet Research Agency or IRA (a group closely tied to the Russian government) posing as members of the Tumblr community.

The IRA engages in electronic disinformation and propaganda campaigns around the world using phony social media accounts.

When we uncovered these accounts, we notified law enforcement, terminated the accounts, and deleted their original posts.

While investigating their activity on Tumblr, we discovered that you either followed one of these accounts linked to the IRA, or liked or reblogged one of their posts." A list of any associated accounts that each Tumblr user may have interacted with was also provided to each user so that they could handle their accounts and blog's content accordingly, and the email continued: "You are not in trouble, and do not need to take any action if you do not want to. We deleted the accounts but decided to leave up any reblog chains so that you can curate your own Tumblr to reflect your own personal views and perspectives. Democracy requires transparency and an informed electorate, and we take our disclosure responsibility very seriously. We will be aggressively watching for disinformation campaigns in the future, take the appropriate action, and make sure you know about it."

This action is the first time that the com-

pany [Tumblr] has publicly acknowledged the site's link to Russian trolls. Facebook, Twitter, and Google have all testified before Congress regarding the methods in which the Russian IRA accounts manipulated content to cause chaos during the 2016 election. However, the activity on Tumblr had been brought to the attention of journalists and researchers months ago.

According to Wired Magazine, researcher Jonathan Albright had alerted Buzzfeed about the IRA-related content on Tumblr; however, Oath, the blogging company and Tumblr's parent business, did not offer a comment. Albright notes that a Tumblr account called "4mysquad" had a particularly notable presence on both Tumblr, Facebook, and Twitter. He recalls that this account's content aimed itself towards black youth in urban communities and that this account was among many to do so. This particular account featured a GIF of a black police officer, which suggested that he was a member of the NYPD, but he was actually an officer in South Africa.

Although the malicious content has circulated the internet for years, this particular type of material has been taken down due to its ties to the IRA, as these accounts intended on meddling with the results of the election, even if indirectly.

Many of the now deleted accounts focused on race issues in the months leading up to the election. These accounts often interacted with each other and promoted one another's posts and content to increase followers and viewership. It is unknown at this time if, and how many, Russian accounts are still active on Tumblr. The company has stated that they will continue to maintain the current list, and they expect that other usernames will join the current list of 84 suspended accounts.

The news from Tumblr was released just as Facebook was hit with its fourth lawsuit in a week over the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

In short, Facebook is culpable in data misuse and political ad targeting. Facebook users who participated in surveys and personality quizzes released by Cambridge Analytica

Image Courtesy: Tumblr

unknowingly allowed this third-party app to access their Facebook data and information, as well as their friends' data. This breach was then used for ad-targeting purposes, specifically in political campaigning during the 2016 presidential election. Although a similar process occurred during the 2012 election, as ad campaigns on Facebook utilized user's data to advertise according to their interests, this was not problematic, as each user received notification about the purpose of data usage before any data extraction.

TechCrunch online reports that Facebook has lost $50 billion in market capitalization since the data scandal. According to CNBC, Facebook's stock has fallen 13% and currently sits below $160 per share. This fall is the worst week for Facebook in the stock market since July of 2012. Several companies, like Mozilla, the owner of Firefox, and Pep Boy's auto-parts store, have pulled advertising from the social media site as well. Elon Musk was challenged on Twitter to delete his Facebook account, and on Friday afternoon, Tesla Motors and SpaceX were no longer visible on Facebook.

A writer from USA Today is encouraging Facebook users to delete their profiles or to revoke Facebook's access to third-party apps to protect your data as soon as possible, which you can do through your profile settings, but the process is quite tedious. Jefferson Graham of USA Today found that over 400 apps had linked to his Facebook page, and if this is a case, there is no other way to delete Facebook's access to these apps but to individually delete each one separately. Graham notes that while this may be a long process, it is worth the extra protection.

March

27 2018

TH

Technology

Page

B3

The Avion

Elon Musk Surprise Q&A Noah Soderquist Correspondent The annual South by Southwest film festival is usually exciting. Movie and TV enthusiasts are always thrilled when Spring Break rolls around and well-known film and TV stars, directors and writers stream into Austin, Texas for the event. This year, however, was just a little bit different. This year, on March 9, the first day of the festival, SpaceX, Tesla, Neuralink, Solar City, and Boring Company CEO Elon Musk tweeted "Will be at SXSW Sat/Sun with Jonah & Lisa, who created WestWorld. Jonah made an incredible short reel of Falcon Heavy & Starman..." adding that the video was set to release to the public after the event. Elon followed on his promise, first by publishing the video on his twitter at 4:19 p.m. along with a tweet reading "Why Falcon Heavy & Starman? Life cannot just be about solving one sad problem after another. There need to be things that inspire you, that make you glad to wake up in the morning and be part of humanity.

That is why we did it. We did it for you".

Around two hours after the release of the video, the official twitter account for South by Southwest made a post reading "Elon Musk Answers Your Questions! Join us tomorrow for a very special Q&A with [the] SpaceX and Tesla CEO". Then, at 12:30 p.m. Central Time, Elon Musk and Jonah Nolan took the stage at the Moody Theater in downtown Austin.

The talk began with an audience-submitted question which Jonah read aloud. "Mars, how can we help?" Musk responded quickly to this by saying that, in the short term, the biggest hurdle to getting to Mars is the spaceship.

Musk then briefly vamped on the recently redone acronym for the spacecraft at the center of the Mars architecture, calling it "a bit of a Rorschach test in acronym form." He then followed up the joke by bringing up the status of the development progress. "I gave a presentation at the International Astro-

nautical Congress in Australia last year, and the design is evolving rapidly. We are actually building that ship right now." He then stated that "I think once we build it, we will have a point of proof, something that other companies and countries can then go and do."

Musk then discussed the public image of going to the Moon and Mars and who will be the first travelers. "The moon and mars are often thought of as some escape hatch for rich people; it will not be that at all. For the early people that go to mars, it will be far more dangerous. I mean really it kind of reads like Shackleton's ad for Antarctic explorers.

Difficult. Dangerous. Good chance you will die. Excitement for those who survive. I think there are not many people who will actually want to go in the beginning, because all those things I said are true." He then said that the first people who do go would be the ones to set up the basic infrastructure like a base, a propellant plant, a power station, and glass domes for crop growth. When asked about the current timeline for SpaceX's Mars plan, Musk said "I am feeling pretty optimistic about the timeline although… people have told me that my timelines historically have been optimistic so I am trying to recalibrate to some degree here. But I can tell what I know currently is the case is that we are building the first ship, the first Mars or interplanetary ship right now…." Musk then made a statement that would later make the circuit on most major news networks and lead to confusion among the general populous, saying that "I think we will be able to do short up-anddown flights probably sometime in the first half of next year. This is a huge booster and ship. The liftoff thrust of this would be about twice that of a Saturn V. It is capable of doing 150 metric tons to orbit and be fully reusable." To most people outside of SpaceX, this took them entirely by surprise. Even rumors had not speculated on an interplanetary ship flight as early as 2019.

People familiar with SpaceX and Musk in

particular initially took the news with a large grain of salt given. However, two days later at Satellite 2018, the COO of SpaceX, Gwynne Shotwell, announced that SpaceX was planning to make the first orbital flight of the interplanetary ship in 2020; a timeline which works well with Musk's statement about short suborbital hops in 2019. In fact, the reason for the public's confusion about the announcement was the misinterpreting of information by major news outlets who announced that SpaceX planned to send an A380-sized spacecraft to the red planet instead of the actual plans for short Earth-based suborbital flights. At the moment, there are no further details as to where the short hop flights could take place, but the two most likely candidates are either SpaceX's new launch site in Boca Chica, Texas or Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, 50 miles southeast of Daytona Beach.

That said, on March 19, news surfaced that SpaceX had filed a lease on several large shipyard warehouses and surrounding property at the Port of LA with a 10-year initial ownership deal.

The property, known as Berth 240, is comprised of seven large warehouses and a ship dock with old outdated cargo cranes. The current theory is that the vast warehouses will be the factories to produce the spacecraft for the Mars architecture. From there, the spacecraft will then be shipped out by barge to the integration and launch site location.

The filed report states that "the vessels, once complete, would be too large for reasonable delivery by road and thus must be taken via barge, necessitated that the facility be located adjacent to the water." While the facility is currently unoccupied, and any guesses on when renovations will begin are just guesses and nothing more, if the talk of spacecraft hop flights is to believed, then construction on the new site should start in the next couple of months. Regardless of how soon the development starts, the next few years of space exploration are sure to be exciting.

Illegal CubeSat Launch

Michael Weinhoffer Senior Reporter

On March 9, news broke that a California-based satellite startup, Swarm Technologies, launched four CubeSats into space in Jan. onboard an Indian PSLV-XL rocket without authorization from the FCC. Before any satellite that will transmit data over the United States launched into space, the company must receive an authorization grant from the FCC. Swarm had their application denied in Dec. but launched from India in Jan. Hopefully, Swarm did not intentionally mean to subvert the licensing process.

Either way, the incident is a first for the commercial space industry, and the industry waits for an explanation from Swarm.

Swarm Technologies submitted their first application to the FCC in April 2017. Their stated goal is to "deploy the world's smallest two-way communications satellites to serve as a cost-effective low-data-rate Internet of Things (IoT) network connectivity solution for remote and mobile sensors." The company joins several others attempting to use small satellites such as CubeSats to provide telecommunication services to users around the world. The feature that stands out about the company is the size of their satellites. The smallest CubeSat, which is the most popular type of small satellites, is a 10 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm cube structure, but Swarm is deploying 10 cm x 10 cm x 2.8 cm satellites, called "SpaceBEEs." Their tiny size prevents them from

being tracked by the U.S. Space Surveillance Network, which cannot follow objects under 10 cm in size. The inability to accurately track the satellites is the primary reason why the FCC denied their application in Dec. The company installed a radar retroreflector and a GPS receiver on each satellite to enhance tracking capabilities on the ground, but the FCC ultimately decided that they were not as sufficiently reliable as the ordinary tracking network and denied the application.

On Jan. 12, 2018, a PSLV-XL rocket blasted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in India with 31 satellites, including the four SpaceBEEs, onboard. The Indian space agency, the ISRO, did not disclose the developer of the SpaceBEEs. It is probable that Swarm told the ISRO that their application had been denied, and then requested that the company's name not be associated with the payload. The strategy worked, and Swarm had been getting data from their four satellites for close to two months right under the nose of the FCC. Problems with tracking the satellites most likely resulted in the FCC determining that the SpaceBEEs belonged to Swarm. A second application was frozen from progressing in the review process by the FCC's International Bureau on March 7 "to permit assessment of the impact of the applicant's apparent unauthorized launch and operation of four satellites…"

A thorough investigation of the incident by the FCC will inevitably take place.

So what happens next? The Space-

BEEs are technically "rouge" satellites, and while some action by the FCC is certain, it is unclear what the action will be. The most immediate penalty is the "frozen" application mentioned previously. Swarm will most likely not be able to start filing a new application while the investigation is underway. The FCC could order Swarm to cease data transmissions, which would promptly end the satellites' missions, but they would still be in orbit. Another possible penalty is fines for unauthorized communications. The penalty system under the Communications Act of 1934 is complex, but given the length that the satellites have been transmitting without authorization, the fines will most likely be hefty. Swarm might be able to apply for licenses in the future, but it will come with a damaged industry reputation.

The incident also involves the irresponsibility of the ISRO launching satellites while most likely knowing that the satellites were not cleared to launch. As of this writing, no response has been issued from Swarm or the ISRO. This incident is an excellent reminder of the necessity of responsible space activities and actors. Although the FCC process may seem cumbersome or outdated by some, it is an essential step towards being an accountable space actor in the industry. Hopefully this industry "first" will be an industry "last."

No matter how small your satellites, or how sneakily they are launched, no one can avoid the rules of the FCC, and Swarm Technologies will pay the price for attempting to do so.

Launch Control Center GSAT 6A - GSLV Mk.2

March 29 @ 7:26 a.m.

Satish Dhawan Space Center

Beidou - Long March 3B March 29 @ TBD Xichang, China

Iridium Next 41-50 - Falcon 9 March 29 @ 10:19 a.m.

Vandenburg Air Force Base SLC-4E

SpaceX CRS 14 - Falcon 9

April 2 @ 4:30 p.m.

Cape Canaveral Air Force Station SLC-40

ISS Sightings The ISS will not be visible this week.

This Week in Space History March 28, 1999 The first launch of the Zenit-3SL from the Sea Launch Ocean Odyssey platform. Sea Launch was a multinational space launch service that launched from derelict oil platforms.

March 30, 2012 The final launch of the Proton-K launch vehicle. Launched from Baikonur Cosmodrone, the Proton-K carried the Kosmos 2479 early missile warning satellite.

April 1, 1960 The first successful weather satellite, TIROS-1, was launched by a Thor-Able launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral LC17A. Mission partners included NASA, RCA, the U.S. Army Signal Research and Development Laboratory, the U.S. Naval Photographic Interpretation Center, and the U.S. Weather Bureau.

April 2, 1963 Luna 4, a Soviet lunar satellite, launches aboard a Russian Molniya launch vehicle. The goal of the mission was to attempt a soft landing on the Moon, but Luna 4 failed to leave Earth orbit.

April 2, 1964 Zond 1, a Soviet probe, launches aboard a Molniya-M launch vehicle. The mission of Zond 1 was to orbit Venus and gather scientific information. Communications with Zond 1 were lost, however, before it reached Venus.

April 3, 1973 The Salyut 2 space station was launched aboard a Proton-K launch vehicle. Salyut 2 failed within two weeks of launch, and never received a single crew. Launched by the USSR, Salyut 2 was part of the Soviet Almaz program, which attempted to create military space stations.

Juliana DeMeglio/The Avion Newspaper

Sports

Page

C2

The Avion

Upcoming Games Tuesday, March 27 Wednesday, March 28 Thursday, March 29 M-Lacrosse vs. Tampa Daytona Beach @ 4 p.m.

M-Baseball vs. FL Southern Daytona Beach @ 6 p.m.

Softball vs. Palm Beach Atlantic West Palm Beach @ 6 p.m.

W-Lacrosse vs. Saint Leo Daytona Beach @ 7 p.m.

Friday, March 30

Softball vs. Palm Beach Atlantic West Palm Beach @ 12 p.m.

Baseball vs. FL Southern Daytona Beach @ 1 p.m.

Softball vs. Palm Beach Atlantic West Palm Beach @ 2 p.m.

Baseball vs. FL Southern Daytona Beach @ 4 p.m.

Saturday, March 31 W-Lacross vs. Uni. Alabama in Huntsville Daytona Beach @ 1 p.m.

Sunday, April 1 Monday, April 2

Athlete Spotlight

Elijah Jenkins Elijah is this week’s rockstar athlete. He is 19 years old and from Atlanta, Georgia. He is a freshman in mechanical engineering and is Point Guard on Riddle’s basketball team. Jenkins has been playing basketball since he was five years old and hopes to continue playing after graduation.

Q: How did you get started in basketball?

A: My dad played at Columbia and he taught me everything I know about the game.

Q: Why did you choose Embry-Riddle?

A: I loved the culture and environment here.

Coach Ridder is a great coach who knows what it takes to win and be successful. The combination of athletic, academic, and personal success drove me to come here.

Q: What are your plans after you graduate?

A: After I graduate, I hope to play professionally overseas somewhere and be able to use basketball as a vehicle to travel and see the world. After that, I’d like to be in engineering management at a clean energy/solar power engineering firm.

March

27 2018

TH

Men’s Track and Field Competes at UNF Spring Break Invite

Luke Halgerson ERAU Athletics

The Embry-Riddle men’s track and field team competed at the Spring Break Invitational, which was hosted by the University of North Florida. Adam Lawrence highlighted a solid day for the Eagles, setting a new school record in the 2000 Meter Steeplechase with a time of 6:24.56.

Calahan Warren set a new personal best and also hit a Provisional Standard in the 1500meter. He finished with a time of 30.50.90, which was good for third place. He finished four

seconds behind Nick Morken (3:46.87) of North Florida, and three seconds behind John Lewis (3:47.64) of Clemson University.

Drew Hart (4:10.87), Austin Epstein (4:12.34), and Brian Cheluget 4:12.75 all set personal best in the 1500 meter. Nehemiah Ancar finished in seventh place in the 200 meter with a time of 22.02.

In the field events, Zackary Carpenter set a personal best in the Discus with a throw of 44.57 meters. Terrence Bobetalso set a personal best in the Shot Put with a throw of 14.44 27. Zachery Farner fin-

ished just ahead of Bobet with a throw of 14.90 meters.

Rosolino remarks, “We had a great day at UNF. It was good weather with great competition and many athletes took advantage of it. With only a few weeks left until the conference meet, we know that we need to make our final preparations and get ready for that meet.”

Next up, ERAU will travel to Gainesville, Florida, to take part in the Florida Relays hosted by the University of Florida.

The Florida Relays will take place from Thursday, March 29 through Saturday, March 31.

ERAU Men’s Lacrosse Downed by No. 10 Saint Leo Michael Pierce ERAU Athletics The Embry-Riddle men’s lacrosse team faced a nationally-ranked opponent for the first time program history on Saturday. The Eagles came up short against No. 10 Saint Leo, falling by a final score of 21-6. The loss drops ERAU’s record to 1-7, 0-2 in conference play, while the Lions move to 7-1 and are 1-0 in SSC games.

Saint Leo got off to a fast start, running out to a 6-0 lead in the first 8:02 of the contest. Alex Ruiz and Kyle Dalrymple scored back-to-back goals to cut the deficit to 6-2 with 2:04 left in

the first quarter, but SLU got one of the goals back with one second left to hold a 7-2 advantage after one quarter of play.

The second period saw both offenses struggle, as ERAU outscored the Lions 3-2 in the frame.

Ian Heggblod scored just over a minute into the period to make it 7-3, and Jacob Saccal and Ryan Manning each scored in the final 2:14 of the quarter, trimming the margin to 9-5 at the half.

After the break, Embry-Riddle struggled to find any rhythm on offense, as the Lions outscored the Blue and Gold 12-1 in the second half, earning the 21-6 win.

Six different Eagles scored a goal apiece, including Dalrymple, Saccal, Ruiz, Heggblod, Manning, and Joey Santella.

Mario Cartisano (0-1) took the loss in his first start, making six saves on 15 shots in the first half. Jerry Wilson played the second half in net for ERAU, notching seven saves on 19 shots.

The Eagles return home for their second home game of the season next week after playing the previous seven games away from home. ERAU will host No. 5 Tampa on Thursday, March 29, at 4 p.m. as part of a doubleheader with the women’s team, who will be playing at 7 p.m.

Florida Tech Takes Series with 5-4 Win Over ERAU Baseball on Saturday Ryan Mosher ERAU Athletics The Embry-Riddle baseball team dropped its fifth straight on Saturday as Florida Tech came-from-behind to solidify a series win with a 5-4 win.

The Eagles (9-16, 0-8 SSC) took a 3-0 lead and later led 4-3, but a two-run homer from the Panthers (13-15, 5-8 SSC) in the sixth was the difference.

Kyle Guttveg scored the first run of the day as he came home on a Kyle Marsh single in the first, and after a Luis Olivier sin-

gle to put runners on the corners, Zach Howard collected a sac fly to make it 2-0. Alex Dodd followed with the first of his teambest four hits on the day, scoring Olivier for a 3-0 Eagle lead.

FIT got one run back in the bottom of the first inning, but Matthew Russell was able to strand the bases loaded with a ground ball, keeping the Eagles in front, 3-1.

The Panthers tied the game with a pair of runs in the second, and after a scoreless third, ERAU was able to push across the go-ahead run in the fourth when Howard scored on a Cody

Bogart base knock. Unfortunately for the visitors, Alex Dodd was thrown out at home on Cole Habig’s single in the next at-bat and an ensuing double play ended the Eagle threat in the frame.

Garrett Goodall worked clean fourth and fifth innings, but Daniel Szpik cranked a two-run homer to left in the sixth to put the home team in front 5-4 and ERAU only once got a man into scoring position the rest of the way, falling by the one-run final.

Dodd finished 4-for-4 while both Habig and Guttveg each had two hits for the Blue and Gold.

Sports

March

27 2018

TH

Luke Halgerson ERAU Athletic

Page

C3

The Avion

Softball Drops Doubleheader Against Tampa

The Embry-Riddle softball team had their eight-game win streak snapped on Saturday afternoon as the Eagles dropped a doubleheader against the Tampa Spartans. The Eagles fell in game one by a final score of 4-1 and lost game two 2-1 in the bottom of the ninth. ERAU falls to 25-8 overall and 13-5 in Sunshine State Conference play while Tampa improves to 19-13 overall and 10-8 in SSC play.

Game 1

The Eagles only managed six hits in game one, scoring just one run in the first inning. Maggie Scott hit a bunt single to lead things off. Katy Thompson hit a single to left allowing Scott to advance to second. Kailah Rain hit an RBI double to knock in Maggie Scott, giving ERAU a 1-0 lead. Tampa tied the game in the bottom of the third with an RBI single up the middle. Going into the fourth the score was even at 1-1.

The teams went scoreless in the fourth an fifth inning as there were only four baserunners combined. The Eagles had a chance to score in the top of the sixth as Mackie Chandler started the inning with a single up the middle. Katy Thompson picked up her second hit of the game with another single through the left side, advancing Chandler

to second. Mariana Pereira laid down a sacrifice bunt that advanced Chandler to third and Thompson to second. However, Rain proceeded to strike out and Peqe Lopez flew out to center to end the inning.

Tampa did not waste their opportunity to score in the sixth inning, scoring three runs in the frame. The Spartans scored three runs off two doubles giving Tampa a 4-1 lead going into the top of the seventh. Embry-Riddle picked up another hit off an Eryn Chester pinch-hit single.

Unfortunately, Chester was left stranded and the Eagles lost 4-1.

Jayla Jackson started and picked up her second loss of the season for the Blue and Gold. Jackson pitched well, going six innings while allowing eight hits, four runs (three earned), and six strikeouts.

Katy Thompson went 2-3 with two singles, Kailah Rain drove in the only run of the game as she hit 1-3, and Maggie Scott scored the only run, going 1-4.

Game 2

The second game of the afternoon was a pitching duel the entire way through, as the teams scored a combined three runs in the contest. The Eagles scored their first and only run of the game in the top of the second with an RBI double by Destiny Carroll to score Kailah Rain. Embry-Riddle held the lead all the way until the bottom of the fourth as Tampa scored

on a bases-loaded hit by pitch, tying the game at 1-1 going into the fifth.

The Eagles managed to load the bases in the in the top of the fifth thanks to three singles by Lisa Hop, Maggie Scott, and Mackie Chandler. Unfortunately, ERAU could not capitalize and stranded all three runners.

Neither team scored in the sixth and seventh inning, forcing the game into extra innings tied at 1-1. The Eagles and the Spartans went scoreless again in the eighth inning and the Blue and Gold could not score in the ninth inning as well.

Tampa scored one run in the bottom of the ninth due to a costly throwing error and two wild pitches. The Eagles lost by a final score of 2-1. Ilona Andringa pitched the entire way for the ERAU, picking up her sixth loss of the season. Andringa pitched eight and third, allowed six hits, two runs (one earned), walked two and struck out five.

Mackie Chandler went 2-4 with two singles. Eryn Chester and Katy Thompson both went 1-3. Maggie Scott, Lisa Hop, and Destiny Carroll all hit 1-4. Embry-Riddle returns to action on Thursday, March 29 to take on Sunshine State Conference foe Palm Beach Atlantic. The two schools will play a three-game series in West Palm Beach, with one game on Thursday and a doubleheader on Friday. First pitch of Friday’s game is scheduled for 6 p.m.

Saktiswaran Jeyaganesh/The Avion Newspaper Pege Lopez throws the ball at an ERAU softball match.

W-Tennis Falls to Lynn Allison Smalling ERAU Athletics

The Embry-Riddle women's tennis team dropped all three doubles points and were not able to bounce back in singles as the Eagles fell to fourth-ranked Lynn 8-1, Saturday at the Crotty Tennis Complex.

The loss puts the Eagles at 6-7 overall and 1-4 in the Sunshine State Conference. Lynn improved to 12-2 overall and 4-0 in the league.

Doubles play saw the Fighting Knights take a 2-0 lead courtesy of 28thranked Eliska Petrackova and Klaudia Boczova's 8-1 win over Maria Turrillo and Kathryn Bock at the top spot, and Diana Bogoli and Anastacia Par-

kin's 8-1 win over Lydia Carter and Roberta Krvajica on court three.

The contest at No. 2 doubles lasted one hour and 23 minutes and saw Eleonora Liga and Federica Mordegan hold off Sabrina Ehrenfort and Georgina Wood 9-7 to give Lynn 3-0 lead heading into singles.

At the No. 3 singles position, Wood went ahead of Mordegan 3-0, before the Lynn freshman retired, giving the Eagles their only point of the day.

Seventh-ranked Boczova bested Turrillo 6-0, 6-1 at No. 1 singles, and Liga clinched the Lynn victory with a 6-2, 6-0 win over Bock at the fifth spot.

The Eagles will host another conference foe, Rollins, in their next match at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

vs Lynn: 8

Embry Riddle: 1

W-Track at Shines at UNF Spring Break Invite Luke Halgerson ERAU Athletics School records were broken once again for the Embry-Riddle women's track and field team as they competed at the Spring Break Invitational, which was hosted by the University of North Florida.

Sarah Edens set a school record in the in the 5k and Mikaela Hakamaa set a school record in the 2000 Meter Steeplechase.

Edens finished in first place in the 5k with a time of 17:23.18. Lauren Penkala of Flagler College finished in second place with a time of 17:29.32, a whole six second slower than Edens. Edens also ran a personal best in the 1500-meter. Hakamaa finished with a time of 7:48.31 in the Steeplechase and she also set a personal best in the 1500-meter as well. Phoebe Gustely

also hit a Provisional Standard in the in Discus with a throw of 45.12 meters.

Gustely finished second overall in the Discus and also set a new personal in the event as well.

Merari Coronado also hit a Provisional Standard in the shotput with a throw of 14.30 meters.

Rosolino remarked, “We had a great day at UNF. It was good weather with great competition and many athletes took advantage of it.

“With only a few weeks left until the conference meet, we know that we need to make our final preparations and get ready for that meet.”

Next up, ERAU will travel to Gainesville, Florida, to take part in the Florida Relays hosted by the University of Florida. The Florida Relays will take place from Thursday, March 29 through Saturday, March 31.

Vipul Telang/The Avion Newspaper

MOTORSPORTS

Page

C6

The Avion

Upcoming Races: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series NASCAR CWTS Race at Dover Dover International Speedway May 4 at 5:00 p.m.

NASCAR XFINITY Series My Bariatric Solutions 300 Texas Motor Speedway April 7 at 3:00 p.m.

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 Texas Motor Speedway April 8 at 2:00 p.m.

WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Bubba Burger Sports Car Grand Prix

Long Beach Street Circuit April 13 TBA

FIA Formula E Championship 2018 CBMM Niobium Rome E-Prix Circuito Cittadino Dell’EUR April 14 TBA

FIA Formula 1 World Championship Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix

Bahrain International Circuit April 8 TBA

Verizon INDYCAR Series Desert Diamond West Valley Casino Phoenix Grand Prix

ISM Raceway April 7 at 9:40 p.m.

March

27 2018

TH

Bourdais Back to Back Rajan Khanna News Editor

The 2018 Firestone Grand Prix opened the season for the Verizon IndyCar Series.

Many fans were eager to see the new Dallara IR-18 common aero-kit race for the first time. During qualifying, rookie Jordan King, broke the all-time lap record and set a 1:00.0476, beating the previous record set by Will Power in 2016. Although he beat the record, he was not the pole winner. Rookie Robert Wickens won pole after making the “Firestone Fast Six”. Overall, three rookies took positions in the top six starters. Expectations were high after an exciting 2017 season that saw Josef Newgarden take the championship over Simon Pagenaud by just 13 points. For seven years, the streets of St. Petersburg have hosted the IndyCar season opening event, but no race was as exciting as the 2018 iteration. The green flag dropped with Robert Wickens taking the lead off turn one. The green flag period was short lived, as the No. 23 Chevrolet of Charlie Kimbal went off track in turn thirteen and brought out the first full course caution. He was able to continue racing after minor repairs. On the restart at Lap 6, Jordan King took the lead from Wickens and lead until the next caution period on Lap 7. The No. 21 Chevrolet of Spencer PIgot spun in turn one after contact with the No. 15 of Graham Rahal.

They both lost many positions but Rahal was able continue. Pigot’s engine stalled and he signaled to the officials to bring out the caution. Rahal dove to the inside of the corner and was not able to keep the car straight. This incident would be repeated later in the race with the leader. Later in the race., the No. 4 Chevrolet of Matheius Leist crashed into the wall of turn four.

He was unharmed, but the car was too damaged to continue. The rookie looks to bring a better result to A.J. Foyt Racing at

ISM Raceway. The race went to green for just two laps until another major accident occurred. Scott Dixon and 2017 Indianapolis 500 winner, Takuma Sato, crashed in turn one in the same style of the earlier crash with Rahal and Pigot. Both drivers were able to continue racing. Just two laps later, the No. 60 Honda of Jack Harvey cut a tire and crashed off turn thirteen.

His car was damaged and he was forced to retire from the race. He, however, was not injured. Firestone officials visited his pit box to gain insight on what happened with the tire. Following the onslaught of caution periods, the race saw a fifty-seven lap green flag run that saw six lead changes. Robert Wickens was the dominant leader for this period, but after a two cautions setting up for a shootout to the finish, the rookie’s hopes for a win vanished. On Lap 109 of 110, Alexander Rossi, driving his newly numbered No. 27 Honda from Andretti Autosport dove into turn one in a last ditch attempt to take the lead but to the wall, collecting Wickens and ending both their chances of a win. The move was met with controversy amongst fans. Many wanted to see Rossi take a penalty for his move, and others believed it was strictly a

Race Facts • The race had eleven lead changes between five drivers.

• The 2018 race set the record number of cautions at eight.

• There were 366 on-track passes.

• The The race ended under caution with a margin of victory at 0.1269 seconds.

• This was Sebastien Bourdais 37th IndyCar win.

• Bourdais also won this event last year.

racing incident. Race control decided that Rossi had not broken any rules. Sebastien Bourdais took the lead and held it on the final lap and won the event for the second time in a row. Overall, the 2018 Firestone Grand Prix was a great exhibition of the season and showed what the new IR-18 is capable of doing. The Verizon IndyCar series will return to the track at ISM Raceway in Phoenix, AZ.

Vipul Telang/The Avion Newspaper

I See Your Halo Christopher Weil Correspondent For this season, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, or the governing body of Formula 1, mandated a new safety device named the Halo.

The Halo is the work of five years from the FIA that were put in exclusively to improve the protection of the driver's head in the event of debris being on the track. Despite the safety benefit, it has left a lot of fans upset over how much it disrupts the aesthetics of the car, but is there even a properly good reason to remove it?

For starters, it is meant to save lives.

In 2009, Formula 2 driver Henry Surtees, was killed when a wheel from another car that had crashed, came bouncing across the track and struck his helmet in a race. It took until Jules Bianchi's death in the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix in Formula 1 before cockpit protection would become a hot topic again, but it has been proven that the Halo would not have saved him, as he went under a safety vehicle. Given that the halo has been engineered to withstand the weight of a double-decker bus, or two elephants, it is fair to say that it could have had an opportunity of making a significant difference. It definitely would have

saved Justin Wilson, who, in 2015, was struck in the helmet by some debris from another car crash in front of him at an Indycar race in Pocono. It is not a miracle worker; it cannot save everyone, but it can save some lives.

Due to it being a safety device, saying it, "Does not look good," honestly is not a valid excuse. Fans need a better explanation than this because it is always worthwhile to trade looks for safety. Formula 1 drivers always know the risks of getting into a race car, but at the end of the day, none of them want their final moments to be due to the debris from someone else's crash. Helmets are a safety device, and those have evolved from the days of being frowned upon to something that is now celebrated by the drivers with special liveries. It is possible that one day the Halo will be an important safety device, but it will, unfortunately, have to show that it can save a life first.

Finally, the decision of safety should be up to the driver. Some drivers are flat out against the Halo, and then there are some who are entirely for it. Fourtime World Champion Lewis Hamilton claims he takes safety very seriously, and that since the FIA published the chances are 17% better for saving a driver's life, he is all for the Halo. Even Fernando Alonso, who had a horri-

ble crash in 2016, is for the Halo, as it would have created more room for him to escape from the car. The FIA know they cannot let drivers decide for themselves to run it or not, so they have to force it upon everyone equally. How would it look if they let a few drivers run without it, and then one of them was killed by something that was entirely preventable? NASCAR knows all about that from a famous 2001 death, and that is not about to be replicated here.

If the halo can save one life while it is in use, then there is no more debate against it; it will have served its purpose. The cars are still open-wheel and open-cockpit, they just have a new device in place that aims to keep a driver safe. Saying it looks terrible does not outweigh the idea that this device is there to save a life, and given the increased speeds and competition in Formula 1, there is no doubt that we will eventually see this device at play.

Hopefully, the debate against the Halo will die down once fans see it serve its purpose and save a life, or maybe one day the FIA will replace it with a better looking and equally safe alternative to calm both parties.

The 2018 Formula 1 season will determine if the FIA made the right decision.

MARCH

27 2018

TH

Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg

Page

C7

The Avion

Vipul Telang/The Avion Newspaper Trevor Carlin Racing driver and former Formula One competitor Max Chilton drives off runway 7/25 and into the turn one past the front stretch grandstand. The St. Petersburg airport control tower is visible in the background.

Rajan Khanna/The Avion Newspaper Eventual repeat race winner Sebastian Bourdais in the No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan Honda racing team leads polesitter Robert Wickens in the No. 6 Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda.

Rajan Khanna/The Avion Newspaper Josef Newgarden’s team practices pit stops on Sunday morning before the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

Vipul Telang/The Avion Newspaper The No. 28 Andretti Autosport Honda driven by Ryan Hunter-Reay carefully maneuvers through turn one while the No. 19 Honda driven by Zachary Claman De Melo locks up his tires in an attempt to slow down.

Rajan Khanna/The Avion Newspaper

Rajan Khanna/The Avion Newspaper

Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate Matheus Leist looks into the turn. Leist would later retire due to contact.

Sunoco Rookie of The Year candidate Rene Binder maneuvers through the turn five and turn six complex. Binder currently races in the No. 32 car for Juncos Racing in his first IndyCar career start.

Vipul Telang/The Avion Newspaper Scott Dixon in the No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda entered turn one too quickly, collecting the No. 30 car of Takuma Sato, who drives for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Dixon’s car avoided major damage, but his car stalled out.

Takuma Sato suffered a right rear puncture from the collision and had to pit. After the pit stop, Dixon received a penalty from the race stewards and had to restart the race from the back of the field due to unavoidable contact.

Page

C8

The Avion

MOTORSPORTS

MARCH

27 2018

TH

Something Old, Something New Samantha Stirmel Business Manager New Smyrna Speedway started rocking this weekend as drivers hit the track for the opening race of the season. The excitement was high pre and post-race with drivers both nervous and happy with their cars for the year. The Avion Newspaper got the chance to talk to more drivers and even ride in the pace truck on this family-oriented track. Speaking to numerous drivers and their parents gave our reporters an inside look at the family relations of the track, and how they influence the racing on the track.

Tyler Simpson made a return to the paper and updated his progress with his racing for this next year. He made a lot of modifications to the body of his car and is working on having two more backup

vehicles built for this season. Simpsons last race was at Clearwater where he was plagued with car problems and ended up replacing his ignition, after changing various other parts of his car trying to figure out what happened to his car. He has made some significant changes to his gear ratio on his car and seemed to run nicely during the race. One thing that Simpson and some of the other drivers were banking on was the hot temperatures shooting down by the time the night race happened. The grip on the track was horrible during pre-racing and was the cause of the majority of the nerves for drivers. Simpson pulled out second in the mod mini race of the night.

Anthony Sergi is another returning driver to the pages of the newspaper and updated what was happening with him not just on the track, but also in his academic life. He has excited that he has only two

semesters left at the University of Central Florida and he reported that his SAE Team just finished building his car. His excitement about racing for Ben Kennedy in the K&N Series was still there even now, and so was the enthusiasm about traveling a lot for the previous season. He compared the two-series saying that driving K&N cars was a lot different in the fact that the cars are heavier than his super late model, but the horsepower for the vehicles is the same. Sergi is excited for racing more in the future for Ben Kennedy and really would like to intern with him this summer, but he said that he wants to take classes over the summer so that he can focus on racing as much as he needs to for the fall semester. Sergi also showed his enthusiasm for the fact that this first race was a short one. He said that he enjoys them being short and hitting it hard and fast

and not having to last to 100 or so laps and then hitting it in the last 25 laps.

One new driver to the track was Kate Clouser starting her first race in Super Stock. Clouser just turned 14 in Dec. and was excited, but nervous; however, this has been her home track for a while now as she raced Quarter Midgets before this in the infield. Her dad had been racing on New Smyrna's track since he was 17 and handed it down in the family to both Clouser and her younger brother, who is currently racing Quarter Midgets. Clouser reported that she was using this first race to gain her footing and get used to being on the track with other cars, before this she has only practiced on the track. She kept up with the traffic and during her heat race avoided a wreck and came in fourth, setting her up for a good middle of the track position for her race later.

Mod Minis

Super Stocks

Super Late MOdels

Bombers

• First Place: Bobby Dooley

• First Place: David Gould

• First Place: Brad May

• First Place: Nate Hollycross

ERAU Student Grabs Win at Bronson Speedway Tyler Prensti Wins at Bronson Speedway After Starting in the Rear Embry-Riddle student took the checkered flag his 20 lap feature race at Bronson Speedway in Archer, FL. The driver of the No. 15 Camaro started in the rear and fought his way through the field to score the victory. Tyler shared his experience post race: “We were fighting the car all day trying to get the setup right. The head races came and my car would not start because our starter was having problems.

We got that fixed and I had to start in the back of the pack. As soon as the green flag waved, the outside lane had alot of grip and was much faster. I made it up to second place when I saw the leader have sparks come from under his car. He dropped his driveshaft right infront of the whole field and caused a caution. I restarted in the lead and the car in second place bumped me on the rear buper a few times but I started pulling away. We came to the checkered with a half a straightaway lead.” He also commended that even though he faced adversity all day, he knew his car was fast and he had a shot to win. The Avion Newspaper wishes Tyler and his team the best of luck for the season as he looks to win at multiple tracks around the state.

MARCH

27 2018

TH

New Smryna Speedway Opening Night

Page

C9

The Avion

Rajan Khanna/The Avion Newspaper The view from the back of the pace truck. This is the view that the pace truck driver sees before every race.

Unknown to most, NASCAR pace car/truck drivers at short tracks such as New Smryna Speedway must have NASCAR licenses, and might have been a race car driver before.

Samantha Stirmel/The Avion Newspaper After another car was turned on the front straightaway, the No. 3 car was spun and hit by the No. 31 car late in the race. This short twenty-five lap race had six caution periods.

Chaz Pokracki/The Avion Newspaper The Super Stocks class sits on pit road, awaiting their race. The car pictured, the No. 71 Pontiac GTO, started toward the front of the pack, but was involved in numerous accidents on track. They perservered and won their feature race later in the night.

Rajan Khanna/The Avion Newspaper The No. 24 Chevrolet SS Super Late Model speeds through the pit area en route to tech inspection. Unlike the three national NASCAR series, a failure at tech inspection at a local track constitutes a disqualification from the race.

Samantha Stirmel/The Avion Newspaper Tyler Simpson races around the track to maintain his second place position while making moves onto the first place driver. Late in the race, Simpson closed the gap to the lead but got loose on turn three right before the checkered flag.

Chaz Pokracki/The Avion Newspaper Prior to first race of the night, the cars gathered behind the pace truck to get their tires warm and get ready to race.

Comics and Games

Finished the crossword or all of the Sudoku Puzzles and haven’t won this semester? Come in to The Avion Office in SC 110 to claim your prize!

Prizes Up For Grabs: -ThinkGeek Nebula Glasses -Star Wars Plushes -Steven Universe -And So Much More!

XKCD

xkcd.com