College of Aeronautics
December 2013 • Vol. No. 1
IN THIS ISSUE
Happy Holidays!
by Dr. Kenneth Witcher, Dean, College of Aeronautics,
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Worldwide
It has been quite a year!
·2·
Good communication is
the key to team success!
·6·
A century of
commercial flight!
·8·
It’s been a busy 6 months since the
establishment of our College back on 1 July.
Although we still have work to do related
to processes, procedures, and alignment,
I’m incredibly proud of how the faculty
who make up our College has responded
and what we’ve accomplished. Just a few
highlights below:
Real World Design Challenge. Our College
faculty lead a team comprised of faculty
from the College of Business and the College
of Arts and Science to design the challenge
for this year’s national competition. The
challenge revolves around using small
UAS for precision agriculture. Hundreds
of schools and thousands of high school
students from around the country will be
exposed to science, technology, engineering,
mathematics, and our industry. To learn
more about this project please visit http://
www.realworlddesignchallenge.org/index.
php . Project POC: Dr. Brent Terwilliger.
Multimodal templates. Our College has
designed Bb templates for 106 of our 154
courses. These templates, based upon our
online templates, will be used to enhance
our traditional, EVC, and EVH delivery
modalities. By providing additional resources
and standardizing key assessment activities,
this project will positively impact program
assessment effectiveness and curriculum
quality. Project POC: Dr. Kent “Andy”
Anderson.
Activity to outcome mapping project. The
activity to outcome mapping project along
with the multimodal template project will
allow our College to harvest assessment
data across all modalities. By mapping
each activity to a course learning outcome
and course learning outcomes to program
outcomes we will be able to pinpoint exactly
where our curriculum is performing well
and where quality improvements may be
beneficial. Project POC: Ken Chirkis.
Virtual Crash Lab: Work was recently
completed on the University’s first
virtual learning environment. Within
this environment, students will be able
to examine the aircraft accident scene,
document evidence, and even interview
survivors. This lab will enhance the learning
environment for several of our safety
courses. We will use this experience as we
explore additional virtual environments that
could ultimately change what we believe
is possible with distributed asynchronous
learning. Project POC: Dr. Katherine Moran.
Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). The
COA delivered the University’s first MOOC
back in August. This course titled the Human
Factor in Aviation launched in August and
was limited to 1,000 enrollments. This
SEE HAPPY HOLIDAYS/P2
College of Aeronautics Newsletter • December 2013 • Issue 1
2
Hello College of Aeronautics!
Happy Holidays!
by Dr. Kent Anderson, Associate Dean, College of Aeronautics
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
enrollment limitation was met
within the first 11 days of a 21 day
enrollment window. Participants
were from 37 different countries
with 99% stating they would
recommend our MOOC to others.
Project POC: Dr Dennis Vincenzi.
These projects and many other
ongoing College projects were/are
successful due to the dedicated
faculty within our College. Our
dedicated faculty include more
than just the full time faculty
assigned; we had phenomenal
support from our adjunct faculty
on the MOOC; activity to LO mapping project, Real World Design
Challenge, and our adjunct faculty
are currently participating in the
multimodal template implementation pilot study. These successes
are yours.
As we move into the new year, we
will experience additional opportunities to excel as a College. A
few of these opportunities will be
launching new programs such as
the BS in Aviation Security, AS in
Engineering, and proposed degrees
in engineering technology and unmanned systems. As we continue
to explore these opportunities, we
must remain focused on what has
made us successful thus far; quality
faculty delivering quality curriculum through quality classrooms
resulting in quality graduates. The
College leadership team and I will
remain focused on teamwork, reinvestment, quality, and efficiency.
Thanks for all you do to support
our University!
Ken Witcher, Ph.D.
It has been quite a year!
The College of Aeronautics has grown to over 50 full time faculty and 900+ adjuncts,
spanning the globe from Hawaii to Europe.
There have been many great accomplishments, including the development of a
Virtual Crash Lab, used to demonstrate accident investigation techniques and crash
analysis, and the first ever MOOC in the Worldwide, exploring The Human Factor
in Aviation. The College was also selected to organize this year’s Real World Design
Challenge, developing a scenario that focuses on the design and implementation of
an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) to increase food production for the world’s growing population through precision agriculture.
The College is launching the Bachelor of Science in Aviation Security in January and a
full time Bachelor of Science in Aeronautics degree in Singapore next Summer. New
degrees in engineering and unmanned aerial systems are also on the horizon.
These are just a few of the successes the College has achieved. There are many more.
As the College moves forward, there will be many more new opportunities and challenges. I look forward to working with all of you in the coming year.
Happy Holidays!
Kent Anderson, D.B.A.
Andy
College of Aeronautics Newsletter • December 2013 • Issue 1
3
The College of Aeronautics
Blackboard (Bb) Organization has
recently been updated to provide COA faculty member’s with
numerous resources!
Some of the Bb resources include links
to the following:
- Announcements
- APA Writing Style
- Capstone Resources
- Course Guides
A³IR Conference
Aviation/Aeronautics/Aerospace International Research
Conference to Explore Challenges Facing the Aviation
Industry
The Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace
International Research (A³IR) Conference
will be presented by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. A³IR is an annual conference designed to bring together industry
and academic leaders for presentations and
discussions covering topics on the cutting
edge of aviation thought and technology.
The 2014 conference will address the following key focal areas:
- College Departments
- Degree Programs
- Faculty Development
- MOOC
Global Security, Cyber Intelligence & Aviation Safety , Unmanned Aerial Systems &
UAVs – Privacy and Security , Commercial
Space Flight Systems and Safety , Human
Factors, CRM, and Aviation Psychology ,
Systemic Safety including Fire, Law Enforcement, and Emergency Response.
- Research and Grants
Please join EC_DA: College of Aeronautics - Worldwide under “Organizations” in Bb and make sure you select
“All” to receive announcements from
the leadership team of the COA. Edit
organization list is found by clicking
the “Manage Organizations Module
Settings” that is to the far right in the
“Organizations” header.
The following COA faculty will be presenting at this conference: Dr. Dave Ison, Dr.
Dave Worrells, Dr. Karim Hardy, Dr. Clint
Balog, Dr. Patti Clark and Scott Burgess.
The confirmed keynote presentation will
be provided by Robert Sumwalt, current
member of the National Transportation
Safety Board (NTSB). A pilot with more than
30 years of experience including 24 years as
an airline pilot, Sumwalt was appointed to a
two-year term with the NTSB as Vice Chairman in 2006 by President George W. Bush.
He was then reappointed to the Board as
a member for an additional five-year term
by President Barack Obama in 2011. He
has been involved with and led numerous
airline safety programs and is co-founder of
the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) Critical
Incident Response Program, which provides
guidance to airline personnel involved in
traumatic incidents.
For more information on this conference,
please visit:
http://commons.erau.edu/aircon/
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER!
Keep up with the latest
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press releases, conference
events, publications, and
industry news by following us
on twitter!
Feel free to share this resource
with your collegues and
students!
Twitter: @ERAUwwcoa
4
College of Aeronautics Newsletter • December 2013 • Issue 1
COA Undergraduate Capstone Program
Update
By Dr. Clint Balog, Associate Chair, Bachelor of Science in Aeronautics
The undergraduate Capstone within the
COA degree programs is the culminating
event in a student’s journey at EmbryRiddle. The Capstone is a research project
which provides a student the opportunity
to bring together all the learning he or she
has done and demonstrate proficiency
at specific practical skills, called Program
Outcomes.
The Capstone program is
the final major milestone in
a student’s undergraduate
career.
The COA undergraduate Capstone program
is currently undergoing an exciting update.
This update will better align the UG Capstone with the Ignite QEP focus of research,
tailored to the undergraduate level, and
focused on the employment of analysis,
evaluation, synthesis, and critical thinking
skills. These are the skills that are critical to
undergraduate research, and to success in
industry. The update will bring standardization of requirements and procedures to
all of the COA UG Capstone courses: ASCI
490 for the BS in Aeronautics and the BS in
Aviation Maintenance degrees and TRAN
490 for the BS in Transportation degree.
And when ASEC 490 for the BS in Aviation
Security degree comes online in 2014 it, too,
will be aligned with the other UG Capstone
courses. In addition the update will provide
clearer and more consistent communication
of these standards to students, instructors,
and academic advisors.
This update will take place in two phases.
The first phase will include improved
communication to both students and
instructors of the standards, expectations,
and procedures for the Capstone as the
courses are currently structured. An all new,
comprehensive Undergraduate Capstone
Policy Guide will be located in ERNIE that
will provide a wealth of information and
clarity. So, too, will new Capstone proposal
templates and Capstone research paper
templates for all three Capstone project
options: the individual and group projects
and the comprehensive exam. This first
phase will also include quarterly town hall
briefings about the Capstone, including a
question and answer session, for students
within six months of enrolling in a Capstone
course. Also included will be several other
avenues of communication and guidance
intended to prepare the student for the
Capstone program and to provide a greater
level of consistency among instructors.
The second phase of the update will include
some structural changes and realignment
to the course in the way of deliverables and
timelines. These will be designed to guide
the student more methodically through the
traditional research proposal and development processes and to make better use of
the course timeframe.
The Capstone program is the final major
milestone in a student’s undergraduate
career. And it is a milestone the student
should be excited about because it allows
him or her to focus effort on a particular
field of interest. The ultimate result of this
two-phase update will be students that are
better prepared to succeed in the Capstone
program, and in their post-ERAU careers,
with instructors and advisors that are better
prepared to administer and teach the Capstone. This will help to make it a more positive, enjoyable, and beneficial experience
for the student, and a great way to wrap up
an undergraduate degree.
Clint Balog, Ph.D.
The STEM Initiative at the Forefront of Education
STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. The cultivation
of new industries, economic growth, and fiscal stability rests on a foundation of scientific
and technological ingenuity, which arises from the core STEM subjects.
STEM education is a blueprint for the future, preparing students to think critically, solve
problems, ask questions, and embrace the challenges of exploration and discovery. As
a champion of global innovation, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has created the
STEM Academy to advance the goals and dreams of today’s high school students. A foundational set of principles will drive all academic practices within the Embry-Riddle STEM
Academy, emphasizing a philosophy of scholarship in support of holistic, authentic
SEE THE STEM INITIATIVE/P6
College of Aeronautics Newsletter • December 2013 • Issue 1
5
“REAL WORLD
DESIGN
CHALLENGE
(RWDC) - AN
OVERVIEW” TO
BE PRESENTED
AT METMG 2014
CONFERENCE
A paper titled, “Real World Design
Challenge (RWDC) – An Overview,”
written by Dr. Adeel Khalid, Dr. Brent
Terwilliger, Anthony Coppola, Dr.
James Marion, Dr. David Ison, Dr. Andrew Shepherd, and Dr. Brian Sanders
was accepted for presentation and
publication in associated, peer-reviewed proceedings of the 2014 2nd
International Conference on Manufacturing Engineering and Technology
for Manufacturing Growth (METMG
2014) in Miami, FL on January 20-21,
2014.
Dr. Adeel Khalid will be
presenting.
METMG 2014 will be the most comprehensive conference focused on the
various aspects of advances in Manufacturing Engineering and Technology
for Manufacturing
Growth. The
conference
provides a
chance for
academic
and industry
professionals
to discuss
recent
progress in the area of Manufacturing Engineering and Technology for
Manufacturing Growth.
The goal of this conference is to
bring together the researchers from
academia and industry as well as practitioners to share ideas, problems and
solutions relating to the multifaceted
aspects of Manufacturing Engineering
and Technology for Manufacturing
Growth.
Graduate Studies Update
by Dr. Ian McAndrew, Chair, Department of
Aeronautics, Graduate Studies
As Christmas approaches it is a time
to start reflecting on the past year and
planning for the New Year period and
beyond. There has been a change for
all of us in the past 12 months. Major
changes for many and opening new
avenues for our roles in ERAU Worldwide.
For the first time we have a significant
number of faculty to teach the needs of
our students. This offers us in the Graduate Department the opportunity to build
Teamwork, Reinvestment, Quality and
Efficiency.
In Atlanta all assigned full-time faculty
met for the first time, started to learn
about our colleagues and make friendships. March next year we will all meet
again with more time to develop relationships and work closer together.
We have many challenges ahead; however, we are building upon a solid foundation. The Graduate department has
the most successful Master’s degree in
the University. Our MSOSM is increasing
in enrollments year on year and being
recognized for its excellence. Our Program Chairs are not only ensuring they
stay successful, but grow. We, the faculty,
must support the Program Chairs to
meet the College objectives. Success and
maintaining success is dependent on us
supporting our colleagues and working
as a team.
The faculty in our department are also
supporting the other college departments and likewise, the faculty in these
departments are supporting ours. This
cross working adds to our skill set and
capability. We have a bright future, great
degree programs and faculty to ensure
continuing success. As this year closes
we can reflect on our hard work to get
the College up and running but we must
remember that next year we can carry on
from a solid foundation.
Ian McAndrew, Ph.D.
College of Aeronautics Newsletter • December 2013 • Issue 1
6
Good
Communication
is the Key to
Team Success
THE STEM
INITIATIVE
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4
learning in a rigorous 21st-century
environment relevant to the
needs of our global society.
Goals for our STEM initiative
and students enrolled in
the program include:
- Putting the next generation
in a position to respond to a
growing demand for quality
Science, Technology, Engineering,
and Mathematics scholars.
- Making higher education
more affordable and accessible
by providing up to 24 college
credits at a fraction of the cost,
thus reducing the overall debt
load of students and families.
- Establishing a nationally
challenging curriculum that
encourages, measures, and
sustains critical thinking,
problem solving and inquirybased learning among diverse
populations of students.
- Positioning the nation as
the global leader in STEM
education and careers.
For more information on
the STEM Academy visit:
www.stemacademy.erau.edu
by Dr. Dennis Vincenzi,
Chair, Department of Aeronautics, Undergraduate
Studies
Today’s world is so fast moving and dynamic,
it is difficult to keep pace with everything
changing around us. Situations that were
clear and understood yesterday may be totally different today and updated information
needs to be communicated immediately to
make sure everyone is in sync. Good teams
thrive on shared knowledge and vision.
Communicating the proper information or
enough information is often challenging and
it is not something that everyone does well.
Good communication is a skill that must be
nurtured and refined over time. In our ERAU
Worldwide operating environment where
many of us are separated by great distances,
face-to-face communication is not possible
so we turn to alternatives that are not well
suited to communicate things that make the
true meaning of a message clear.
I had an issue a few months ago while helping on ERAU’s first Massive Open Online
Course (MOOC) The Human Factor in Aviation. A student posted something in one
of the discussion forums that prompted
comments from other users urging that this
student’s posting be removed. I thought
about the situation for a while and crafted
a polite and politically correct email to the
student explaining that their post was going
to be removed and why.
The response I received from the student
was confusing and ambiguous, even possibly
sarcastic in nature. I had to read and reread
the response 3 or 4 times to really try to decipher what the true meaning of the response
was, and still I was not sure. Was the student
agreeing with me? Was the student being
sarcastic and disrespectful? I wasn’t sure, so I
decided to respond in great detail and make
absolutely certain my message on the questionable post and the student’s reply email
was clear and the meaning unmistakable.
It took me a good amount of time to craft
that detailed, clear, and unambiguous email
in a professional manner that left no question
as to how I felt and what I thought. This small
issue may have been insignificant in some
ways, but it illustrates the need for good,
clear, detailed communication between
people and how even the most well intentioned brief message can be misinterpreted
depending upon the situation and surrounding circumstances.
My point is that we have to be very cognizant
of what we write in email because email does
not allow the conveyance of things like emotions, voice inflections, or facial expressions
that we all use as additional cues to interpret
the meaning and intent of the message.
When dealing with people, information, and
sometimes sensitive issues, caution must be
used to ensure clear content is written and
consideration must be given as to how it may
be interpreted. Remember that communication should be bi-directional; communication
is a two-way street. Both parties should be
discussing and both parties should be listening. When dealing with teammates, whether
it is a Dean, faculty member, staff member,
or student, enough information needs to be
conveyed so that the individual understands
the message and understands the bigger
picture as well.
So, in closing, if you ever get an email from
me that seems curt, insensitive, uncaring, or
just plain blunt and to the point, please do
not hesitate to reply (politely, of course) and
ask for clarification. I get busy and distracted
just like everyone else, and sometimes my
communication skills need polishing too.
Happy Holidays!
Dennis Vincenzi, Ph.D.
College of Aeronautics Newsletter • December 2013 • Issue 1
7
College of Aeronautics - January 2014
SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
1
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATIRDAY
2
3
4
8
9
10
11
15
16
17
18
Centennial
Anniversary of First
Commercial Flight!
5
6
7
Full-Time Faculty
Meeting - 10:00 amEagle Vision
12
13
14
The Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace International Research (A³IR)
Conference in Phoenix, Arizona.
First day of January
2014 term.
Unmanned Aerial
System (UAS)
Symposium in
Berlin, Germany
19
20
International Con-
21
22
23
24
25
28
29
30
31
ference on Manufacturing Engineering
and Technology
for Manufacturing
Growth (METMG
2014) in Miami, FL
26
27
College of Aeronautics Newsletter • December 2013 • Issue 1
8
COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICS IS
PUBLISHED QUARTERLY BY
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University,
College of Aeronautics-Worldwide Campus
DEAN:
Dr. Kenneth L. Witcher
kenneth.witcher@erau.edu
Happy Holidays!
by Dr. Bruce Conway, Chair, Department of
Engineering Sciences
ASSOCIATE DEAN:
Dr. Kent “Andy” Anderson
ander5dc@erau.edu
COLLEGE ADMINISTRATOR &
BUDGET MANAGER:
Gayle L. Larson
larso439@erau.edu
DEPARTMENT OF
ENGINEERING SCIENCES:
Dr. Bruce Conway
conwaybr@erau.edu
DEPARTMENT OF
AERONAUTICS, GRADUATE STUDIES:
Dr. Ian McAndrew
mcand4f1@erau.edu
DEPARTMENT OF AERONAUTICS, UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES:
Dr. Dennis Vincenzi
dennis.vincenzi@erau.edu
Resources:
General Adjunct Questions:
Email: wwadjfac@erau.edu
COA Questions:
WW Service Center>Submit a request in the service center>Topic of
Request>College of Aeronautics
Syllabus:
Email: wwsyaero@erau.edu
From the Department of Engineering Sciences,
we wish you Happy Holidays, and a prosperous
New Year! Engineering Sciences is proud to be
part of the forward-looking College of Aeronautics (COA).
Engineering Sciences has grown rapidly during
this past year. Although we are still the smallest
department in COA, we have grown from two to
six full-time faculty members, and a handful of
adjunct faculty members. Our full-timers are Dr.
Dave Hernandez, Dr. Brian Sanders, Dr. Katherine Moran, Dr. Jon Campbell, Dr. Adeel Khalid,
and Dr. Bruce Conway (Chair). Not only has the
Department been growing in faculty numbers,
but also in the number of programs we have
active or under development. Our Master of
Systems Engineering, developed in cooperation with the College of Engineering at ERAU
Daytona Beach, has been running for more than
two years. A new Associate of Science in Engi-
neering degree program has just recently been
approved by the Embry-Riddle Board of Trustees
and is planned to launch initially as a classroom
program delivery in Atlanta and Phoenix this
coming August, with availability via online and
EagleVision following in future years. And, we
are working on developing a brand new B.S. in
Engineering Technology degree to be submitted for faculty, University, and Board of Trustees
approval early in 2014. This program is expected
to incorporate minors from other COA program
content, so many of us will have the opportunity
to be involved with this first-of-its-kind degree
at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
The Engineering Sciences Department also supports an Engineering Sciences major that may
be elected as part of the College of Business’s
B.S. in Technical Management and an Engineering Sciences minor that can be part of the B.S. in
Aviation degree from our College. With dedicated faculty and an increasingly large set of opportunities, Engineering Sciences looks forward
to the challenges of 2014. We invite questions,
collaboration, and suggestions/opportunities
form all parts of the College of Aeronautics.
Thanks from us for helping us progress to being
the premier College of Aeronautics in the world.
Bruce A. Conway, Ph.D.
A CENTURY OF COMMERCIAL FLIGHT!
by Brian Fiske, Assistant Professor
New Year’s Day 2014 marks the 100th Birthday
of the world’s first airline when pioneer aviator
Tony Jannus and one paying passenger took
off from the St. Petersburg (Fla.) yacht basin on
New Year’s Day 1914, and flew into aviation
history. The Smithsonian National Air & Space
Museum and aviation historians acknowledge
St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line as the World’s
First Airline.
As we enter the second 100 year chapter of
commercial flight on January 1, it is truly amazing to think what will be accomplished in the
future as we enter a new era with commericial
applications of UAVs and space flight. Before we
enter this new chapter on January 1, it is worth
viewing this historic flight by Tony Jannus on
video that is available at : http://www.tonyjannusaward.com/ to think about how far we have
advanced in commercial aviation since 1914.