For the past three years, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University student Celso Ferreira de Moura has juggled his studies with on- and off-campus jobs to cover his expenses.

This past summer, however, a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows (SURF) award allowed the Aerospace Engineering senior to dedicate more time to conducting aviation safety research with Dr. Joao Souza Dias Garcia — and to worry less about his finances.

Embry-Riddle student Celso Ferreira de Moura (left) and Dr. Joa Souza Dias Garcia (right).

“Having the SURF grant helped a lot and gave me the ability to fully work on our research,” said Ferreira de Moura. “Now we are working on a presentation of our findings that I will share at a conference in Brazil in October.”

Ferreira de Moura is one of 32 Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University undergraduates — more than twice the number in prior years — selected for SURF awards, which provide stipends and additional funding for summer research.

“During the summer, they can fully dedicate themselves to research, as there are less distractions,” said Dr. Mihhail Berezovski, director of the university’s Office of Undergraduate Research and associate professor of Mathematics. “Especially for rising juniors, it is very beneficial for students, giving them experience and a resume boost to get internships.”

The Office of Undergraduate Research was able to offer more SURF awards in 2025, thanks to sponsorships from the colleges of Aviation, Arts and Sciences and Engineering, as well as from the Honors Program and the Center for Aerospace Resilient Systems (CARS), said Berezovski. Additionally, the office boosted its summer professional development, technical and research skills workshops, with virtual options available to all Embry-Riddle students.

Ferreira de Moura received a CARS-sponsored SURF award for his research on flight data analysis to detect GPS interference, working with faculty advisor Dr. Garcia, an assistant professor in the College of Aviation.

“It was an honor to receive the CARS award and work with them,” said Ferreira de Moura, who is also a research assistant at the Eagle Flight Research Center. “Our project focuses on detecting GPS jamming in aviation, which is a growing challenge to flight safety.”

Aerospace Physiology student Riley Dienna received the College of Arts and Sciences SURF grant for her research project on genetically engineering human monocyte cells to fight fungal pathogens more effectively. The award helped her cover her summer living expenses in Daytona Beach, while conducting research in the university’s Omics Lab for Health and Human Performance with faculty advisor Dr. Amber Paul, an assistant professor of Human Factors and Behavioral Neurobiology and the lab’s director.

Embry-Riddle Aerospace Physiology student Riley Dienna

“Thanks to my experiences this summer, I not only gained more confidence in the lab as a researcher, but I also had the opportunity to work with NASA scientists, thanks to my mentor Dr. Paul,” said Dienna. “The highlight of my summer was performing research at Brookhaven National Lab, where I was able to learn new research techniques that I would not have otherwise been exposed to as an undergraduate.”

Dienna, who is also vice president of the Honors Student Association and assistant in the Integrative Aerospace and Exercise Physiology Lab, said her experiences have encouraged her to continue pursuing a career as an immunologist.

Sophomore Aerospace Engineering student Andrew Murphy received the Honors Program SURF award for his project on the vibration and thermal-vacuum resistance of various carbon fiber 3D-printing filaments for possible lunar applications

“A research project I could call my own meant a lot to me, and the SURF award helped me make this a reality,” said Murphy.

Murphy worked with faculty mentor Dr. Troy Henderson, Embry‑Riddle’s Space Technologies Lab director and associate professor of Aerospace Engineering. Murphy interned three summers at Sidus Space and collaborated with the company on the materials he tested.

Murphy, who is also a research assistant in the university’s Space and Atmospheric Instrumentation Lab (SAIL), hopes to continue doing research in the space industry. 

“I define work as making a change in the world, so I naturally fell in love with doing research concerning space,” he said. “Space is a rapidly developing market, and it’s exciting to be so close to the cutting-edge.”