Research Projects Directory

PI Vladimir Golubev
The project conducted in collaboration with WPAFB and Eglin AFB AFRL scientists over the past 8 years employs DOD HPC and ERAU computer facilities to conduct high-fidelity, low-Reynolds, aeroelastic gust-airfoil interaction studies to model unsteady responses and their control for small UAVs operating, e.g., in highly unsteady urban canyons.

PI Hui Wang

CO-I Edward Mummert
As demand for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operations increases, it is vital to understand its effects on air traffic controllers and the safety of the national airspace system. This study’s primary purpose is to determine how UAVs that operate in controlled airspace would influence air traffic controllers’ occupational stress and performance. In a within-subject experimental research design, 24 participants sampled from a university’s undergraduate Air Traffic Management (ATM) program completed three different air traffic control (ATC) scenarios on an en-route ATC simulation system. The degree of UAV automation and control were varied in each scenario. The participants’ stress levels, performance, and workload were measured with both objective and subjective measurements. Within-subjects ANOVA tests showed significant effects on the participants’ stress level, performance, and workload when automated UAVs were present in the scenario. Participants experienced increased workload, the highest level of stress, and carried out the worst performance when with controllable UAVs in the airspace. These findings can inform UAV integration into controlled airspace and future research into UAV automation and control and ATC management.

PI Massoud Bazargan
Airlines today employ various strategies to cut costs and become lean and efficient.

PI Joshua Wadler
The primary objective of this proposal is to use uncrewed aircraft technology and atmospheric profilers to measure turbulence in the tropical cyclone (TC) boundary layer and to use those measurements to improve NOAA’s operational models.

PI James Hartman

CO-I Mark Friend
The purpose of this dissertation was to bridge the existing literature gap of outdated contextual factor (CF) research through examination and determination of current General Aviation (GA) Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 visual flight rules (VFR)-into-instrument meteorological condition (IMC) contextual factors. Contextual factors are a multifaceted arrangement of pertinent events or occurrences contributing to pilot accidents in weather-related decision-making errors.

PI Kabir Kasim

CO-I Scott Winter
This research investigated the factors that influence passengers’ intentions to choose the use of biometrics over other methods of identification. The current study utilized a quantitative research method via an online survey of 689 persons from Amazon ® Mechanical Turk ® (MTurk) and employed structural equation modeling (SEM) techniques for data analysis. The study utilized the theory of planned behavior (TPB) as the grounded theory, while perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use were included as additional factors that could influence individuals’ intentions to use new technology.

PI Sabrina Woods

CO-I Scott Winter
Continued flight under visual flight rules into instrument meteorological conditions is the predominant cause for fatal accidents by percentage, for general aviation aircraft operations. It is possible that a pilot’s motivation or reason for flying will override other safer, more logical courses of action when a hazard presents itself. The decision appears to stem from a willingness to persist in a course of action despite factors that indicate an alternate and safer course is warranted. This research addresses what is currently presumed about the decision to continue flying under visual flight rules into instrument conditions and marries those ideas with the extensive studies on how theoretically affects the decision-making process.

ASSURE A55

PI Richard Stansbury

PI Christopher Herbster
The aviation industry uses flight data recorders (FDR) and cockpit voice recorders (CVR) to investigate accidents and incidents. FDRs record sensor data to provide information about an aircraft’s technical status, while CVRs record sounds from the cockpit to draw conclusions through crew communications and environmental sounds.

PI Farshid Azadian
One of the essential elements in improving the students' skills and abilities and helping them to better understand the course materials is homework assignments. A well designed and purposeful homework not only enhances the student's understanding but also may provide valuable feedback to instructors.

CO-I Devonte Grantham

CO-I Janet Marnane
Embry-Riddle Future Space Explorers and Developers (ERFSEDS) will be attending a rocket competition in Utah this coming June, and they will receive extra points for the competition if they have a research project (not built by their club), Inside of their rockets. In collaboration with ERFSEDS, the Society 4 S.P.A.C.E. team would like to send a small satellite attached to a quad-coper as the research project (payload) for ERFSEDS rocket.

PI Pedro LLanos

CO-I Erik Seedhouse
The Suborbital Space Flight Simulator (SSFS) replicates in-vehicle parameters of a suborbital launch vehicle. These suborbital missions can be monitored from the Mission Control Center (MCC). These flight parameters include the size, general layout, and typical system indicators for a suborbital spaceflight mission, as well as an approximate replication of the visuals that would be seen on a suborbital spaceflight mission. The SSFS can be configured to replicate the mission profile and layout of multiple suborbital launch vehicles. The SSFS records 56 flight data parameters that can be used for studies. The SSFS can potentially be used by multiple organizations, with multiple capabilities.

Results