Research

New technology that detects and commandeers unauthorized drones, guiding them to land safely, will be commercialized under a licensing agreement between Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Drone Defense Systems LLC of Daytona Beach, Fla.

An analysis of records regarding Florida children in foster care between 2010 and 2017, completed at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, suggests a new way to inform decisions about child welfare services.

In keeping with Embry-Riddle’s intense focus on aviation safety, Embry-Riddle students and faculty at a recent high-level conference highlighted the importance of structured protocols to improve patient healthcare. “In the world of aviation, clear communication and procedural discipline are critical to safety,” said Joseph R. Keebler, associate professor of Human Factors and Behavioral Neurobiology. “Our research applies those same values to help reduce risks in hospital settings, particularly in patient handoff situations.” The goal of the research is to inform best practices in hospitals as well as military medical facilities.

On July 2, 2019, the Moon will block the Sun, treating viewers in South America to a total solar eclipse. Embry-Riddle’s Dr. Alan Liu will witness the spectacle from the Andes LIDAR Observatory in Cerro Pachón, Chile. He hopes to learn how the eclipse affects a super-cold region of the atmosphere called the mesosphere. Understanding disruptions of solar radiation in the mesosphere during the eclipse will help improve global circulation models, space weather prediction and global satellite navigation systems, said Liu, professor of Engineering Physics. With the totality of the upcoming solar eclipse passing directly over the Andes LIDAR Observatory in South America, Embry-Riddle researchers will have a unique opportunity to explore fundamental science questions, thanks to Liu’s founding role in establishing the observatory. “A solar eclipse shuts off heat and radiation to the atmosphere and it creates disturbances from the ground, all the way to the upper atmosphere,” Liu explained. “The effects of these disturbances last many hours after the sun’s shadow passes by.”

An Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University effort to advance innovation in Florida recently provided $18,000 to a trio of aspiring entrepreneurs during the 2019 Launch Your Venture competition, sponsored by Boeing HorizonX and the International Speedway Corporation (ISC). The statewide competition, organized in partnership with Embry-Riddle’s Center for Entrepreneurship, focused on disruptive technologies that could transform the aviation, aerospace and engineering industries. Finalists presented their pitches on April 19 at the John Mica Engineering and Aerospace Innovation Complex (MicaPlex) in Embry-Riddle’s Research Park.

Embry-Riddle’s MicaPlex Facility Keeps Bringing Jobs to Florida