THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF EMBRY-RIDDLE AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITY SPRING 2015 THE NOT SO FINAL FRONTIER Embry-Riddle alumni lead a new wave of space exploration PAGE 14 FROM THE PRESIDENT Volume 11, No. 1 Lift, the alumni magazine of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, is published twice annually (spring and fall). Copyright © 2015 the highest level available, from the Southern Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Florida/Arizona/Worldwide Association of Colleges and Schools 600 S. Clyde Morris Blvd. Daytona Beach, FL 32114 Commission on Colleges; All rights reserved • Recruited more top faculty than ever Senior Vice President of External Relations before to conduct leading research; and Chief Marketing Offi cer Bill Hampton (‘98, ‘00, DB) • Provided key services to help faculty Senior Executive Director of Development manage intellectual property and commercial- Christopher Lambert, J.D. Executive Director of Alumni Relations ization opportunities, resulting in signifi cant Bill Thompson (’87, PC) increases in patent applications; Senior Editorial Director Anthony Brown • Adopted enrollment strategies that Editor have increased the number and quality of Sara Withrow our students to unprecedented levels; Communications Specialists Melanie Stawicki Azam • Secured vital funding for the develop- Alan Marcos Pinto Cesar ment of a wind tunnel at our Aerospace CONTRIBUTORS Research and Technology Park; Andreia Brown (‘15, DB) Fifty years ago this April, Embry-Riddle made • Constructed new facilities at our Yoon Choi, Director of Annual Giving Bob Cooper its historic move from Miami to Daytona Daytona Beach and Prescott campuses, Keith Deaton (’05, ’12, DB), Director of Beach, taking a giant and uncharted step with more to come, to advance our Alumni Relations forward in its mission to become the world’s research capabilities, accommodate our Lauren Eggert, Art Director Molly Justice, Director of Communications, leader in aviation and aerospace education. growth and enhance the student experience. Embry-Riddle Worldwide That mission, I think it’s safe to say, has With these investments in talent, resources Jason Kadah, Communications Manager been an unqualifi ed success. and partnership opportunities, I am confi dent Paula Kropp, Database Manager Daryl LaBello, Multimedia Producer But the hard-earned leadership position that today’s Embry-Riddle will achieve a global David Massey, Multimedia Producer we enjoy today is not a state of being; it is reputation as the entrepreneurial university of Kevin Montgomery, University Archivist a way of life. Embry-Riddle has never been aviation and aerospace. Edmund Odartey (’04, ’10, DB), Director of Alumni Relations, Daytona Beach content to sit still. While today’s Embry-Riddle I believe that this is a time of great trans- Capt. Brian Schiff (‘93, WW) is the product of a vision begun long ago, formation at Embry-Riddle—the beginning of Published by McMURRY/TMG, LLC tomorrow’s Embry-Riddle will be a product of something very Senior Content Editor our vision today. special. Much Tom Weede Creative Director And our vision is as ambitious as ever, like those who Ed Mann with our next great step already in motion. moved Embry- Senior Art Director Tamara Kopper Today, Embry-Riddle is on its way to Riddle from Production Manager becoming an entrepreneurial university— Miami to Daytona Shannon Cross Production Technology Specialist a research-intensive institution of higher Beach 50 years Sonia Fitzgerald education that is dedicated to the pur- ago, the course Account Manager Mary Jane Sweetland suit and creation of new knowledge for we are on now commercial applications. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is will mark a new an Affi rmative Action/Equal Opportunity It is an ambitious vision, but we are era of achievement for our great university. Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, already making great progress. On every age, national origin, handicap, veteran’s status or sexual orientation. front—faculty, students, facilities, technol- My best, Nonprofi t identifi cation: 59-0936101. ogy and programs—we are investing in Change address, unsubscribe or email the editor at [email protected]. expanding our capabilities. In just a few PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER short years, we have: • Added Ph.D. programs in our key areas of John P. Johnson, Ph.D. excellence, achieving a Level VI classifi cation, PRESIDENT AND CEO Spring 2015 6 24 10 14 20 IN OTHER WORDS ALUMNI @WORK 5 PilotPerspective 20 OnStageintheAir Capt. Brian Schiff (‘93, WW) Scott “Scooter” Yoak (’08, DB) is 14 explains why pilots shouldn’t living a pilot’s dream; he flies a over-rely on the autopilot North American P-15 Mustang for a living All WINGS OF LEGACY 6 VeteranRootsRun GIVING TO EMBRY-RIDDLE Systems Deep 22 GivingaLiftto At the height of the Vietnam War, FuturePilots Go service members found a haven Citation Jet Pilots Owner-Pilot at Embry-Riddle during turbulent Embry-Riddle alumni Association and the Bob Hoover D ’60s, ’70s and beyond Legacy Foundation award AR G play key roles in space scholarships for flight students N I W exploration and the growing FLIGHT PATH EAN solar system economy ALUMNI IN ACTION K: D t 8 Lovea FirstFlight A YO Bill Borgsmiller (‘97, PC) lives, 24 ChangingLives, ; E TI breathes, works and plays aviation, S I OneScarfataTime R and always has—and it all started CH An alumnus’ efforts to benefit AN by happenstance Y R Afghan widows and their families : B N TIO 10 FindingNEEMO RA T S Embry-Riddle teams up with NASA ILLU to conduct research at the world’s RE TU only undersea laboratory EA ; F SA NA Y OF ES T R 2 Chatter 4 Feedback 26 AlumniNews 32 ClassNotes OU C News and notes Embry-Riddle A message from the Find out what READ MO from the world of alumni and friends Alumni Association, your fellow LIFT NEE Embry-Riddle offer comments upcoming events alumni are up D ONLINE! AN and opinions and more to now TO TO HO P R ON THE COVER: NASA astronaut U.S. Air Force Col. Terry Virts (‘97, WW) gazes at Earth from inside the Cupola, the observatory module VE O C of the International Space Station (ISS). Virts is serving a five-and-a-half month mission aboard the ISS. He returns to Earth in May. LIFT SPRING 2015 ALUMNI.ERAU.EDU 1 NEWS & NOTES FROM THE WORLD OF EMBRY-RIDDLE CHATTER ALTIMETER: HIGH POINTS AT Growing Gains EMBRY-RIDDLE Prescott Campus expands housing capacity to AffordableCollegeOnline.org named the Prescott Campus accommodate growth among its “Million Dollar ROI” (Return on Investment) ranking. ith occupancy rates hovering at 104 percent for the past two years, the Prescott Campus is in dire need of more on-campus housing for its growing student population. A new 66-unit, Scholar-athlete Andrea three-story residence hall, which broke ground in January, will help ll this need. Froshaug, a junior at the “We currently have 865 available beds. This accounts for no single rooms, which is a Daytona Beach Campus, was high demand and, I would argue, a growing trend in higher education,” says Jason Langston, honored as the Women’s director of housing and residence life at the Prescott Campus. Adding to this trend is an Soccer National Player of overall growth in student population. Fall 2014 marked the largest ever incoming class of the Year by the NAIA and the National Soccer Coaches freshmen at the Prescott Campus and a record number of students overall. As of August Association of America. W2014, the campus boasted 2,035 students, an increase of nearly 10 percent compared with fall 2013. The new residence hall, which is expected to be complete in December and open for business The Prescott Campus’s soccer as of January 2016, will add 264 beds, bringing the total on-campus housing complement to 1,123. programs produced 12 NAIA The 66,191-square-foot coed facility will accommodate four students per unit. “Each suite will have Scholar-Athletes, men and the capacity to accommodate up to six students in an overbooked situation,” says Chris Hardesty, women players who earned Embry-Riddle’s director of planning and construction management. MASSEY DAVID AYERS: KORNER, a 3.5 GPA or higher. The estimated $15 million facility will include a small tness center, a self-use laundromat, vend- ing areas, a conference and meeting room, and an exterior patio, Hardesty adds. The Southern Association “The last residence halls built at Prescott were the Thumb Butte Complex, a series of four modu- of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges lar buildings that house 120 students,” Langston says. They were completed in 2002. “We eagerly awarded Embry-Riddle its anticipate the completion of this new facility,” he adds. “I know that our students are excited about highest level of accreditation, the increased housing availability it will provide.” —Sara Withrow Level VI: Institutions that Offer Four or More Doctorates. Embry-Riddle’s Worldwide Embry-Riddle and Flight Research to Develop Aircraft Training Programs Campus online bachelor’s degree programs were ranked The Robertson Safety Institute at Embry- No. 5 for the second con- Riddle’s Prescott Campus and Flight Research secutive year by U.S. News & Inc. have united to produce world-class World Report. training and curriculum programs for aircraft loss-of-control situations. U.S. News & World Report The agreement couples the extensive named Embry-Riddle’s aviation knowledge of the world’s larg- undergraduate Aerospace est aerospace university with the hands- Engineering program No. 1 (DB) on approach to loss-of-control recovery and No. 3 (PC). The Daytona experience provided by the Mojave, Beach Campus was also Calif.-based corporation. named Best Southern “Partnering with Flight Research is University for veterans and part of our commitment as a university to active service members.