Issue 1 Summer 2010

Tuesday May 25, 2010

Weekly

Weather Tuesday

High

84

66 Low 30% Chance Rain

Wednesday High

69

88

Low

30% Chance Rain

Thursday High

68

87

Low

30% Chance Rain

Friday High

86

68 Low 20% Chance Rain

Starbucks extends hours

Due to popular demand, Starbucks has extended their hours for the summer. The new hours for the summer will be Monday – Thursday from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Come in and get your favorite Latte, Expresso, Frappuccino or any other beverages or pastries that Starbucks offers. Normal hours for Starbucks will resume in the fall.

Embry-Riddle and the Jaguars team up for special offer

Volume CXXVIII Issue 1

Spring 2010 commencement ceremony celebrates grads Joey Jaworski News Editor

On May 10, 2010, approximately 617 seniors and Master’s candidates of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University graduated at the Ocean Center, with friends, family and faculty nearly filling the auditorium.

The ceremony began with the Acafellas singing the National Anthem and continued to Nicole Stott, an Embry-Riddle alumna and NASA astronaut, sharing her experiences and advice as the commencement speaker.

With a slideshow of images behind her, Stott talked to the

graduates about pursuing their passions in life and becoming better people.

“I stand here today as an example of what can happen if you follow your dreams.”

With the troubled economy, many of the graduates have felt the pressure to find a job or continue on with their education but still follow your dreams. In a comic moment, one graduate wrote “For Hire” on the top of their graduation cap and waved it to the passing cameras.

The ceremony also recognized graduating students who have excelled in certain aspects of their time at Embry-Riddle. The award recognizing a graduating

student for their leadership while at Embry-Riddle went to the outgoing Student Government President, Bryan Dietz. The second award recognized a graduating student who excelled in community service. This award was presented to the Senior Class President, Roland Nunez.

With another very successful graduation, The Avion would like to wish all of the graduates the best of luck in the future.

Now it is time to look forward to a new year and prepare another class for their departure into the world. As Stott proclaimed, always follow your dreams.

Amy Treutel also contributed to this article.

DARICK ALVAREZ/AVION

DARICK ALVAREZ/AVION

SPRING 2010 GRADUATES LINE up in the Ocean Center before the commencement ceremony May 10. Approximately 617 students walked in the ceremony, filling the Ocean Center.

NASA astronaut and Embry-Riddle alumna Nicole Stott was the commencement speaker and told the graduates how important it was to always follow their dreams.

New Smyrna Beach Balloon Fest

The Jacksonville Jaguars and Embry-Riddle have teamed up to offer faculty, staff, students and alumni discounts on tickets to their regular season games.

Through this special offer these groups will be able to save up to 45% on the regular pricing and will be offered before they go on sale to the general public.

To take part of this great deal you can purchase tickets at www.ticketmaster.com and enter the promotional code: embry.

Memorial Day services honors cadets On Monday May 31, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. the City of Arcadia, Fla. will hold a memorial service for the 23 British cadets that were killed during their training at Riddle Field in Clewiston, Fla. during the 1940’s.

The service will take place at the Oak Ridge Cemetery in Arcadia, Fla. and will begin promptly at 10:00 a.m. There will be a guest speaker and a bag piper to honor the cadets.

The Oak Ridge Cemetery is where there is a memorial plot for the late John Paul Riddle.

Student Life . . . . . . . . . . . . A2 College Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . A3 Entertainment . . . . . . . . . . . . A5 Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A6

Space shuttle Atlantis blasts off for the space station

DARICK ALVAREZ/AVION

CROWDS GATHERED TO WATCH hot air balloon demonstrations, skydiving and live bands at the New Smyrna Beach Balloon Fest taking place May 21-23. The fest also had a static display of classic aircraft for visitors to look at.

Looking for a good romantic movie? Read the “Letters to Juliet” review.

Entertainment A5

THE SPACE SHUTTLE ATLANTIS made its last planned journey into space Friday before it is retired. The payload included the Russian research module that the crew tirelessly affixed to the International Space Station.

Alena Thompson

Student Life Editor On Friday, May 13, 2010 at 2:20 p.m., the space shuttle Atlantis made its 32nd and last planned launch from Kennedy Space Center. Prior to launch however, several problems arose. A small crack, approximately seven inches long, was discovered on the umbilical strut during the shuttle’s final inspection. Though alarming at first, this is to be expected due to stress, and upon analysis provided no danger to the launch or mission. A ball bearing part was also found in the shuttle’s payload bay causing concern of possibly a broken or damaged part on the shuttle, but it was soon determined to be part of a camera system and to be little or no concern for the launch. The weather was also clear and perfect for the launch, ultimately allowing a nice clean countdown.

With the completion of Atlantis’ mission, the shuttle will have traveled 115,770,929 miles in its 25 years of use before its final retirement. Before this comes to pass, the six veteran crew of Atlantis are presented with a 12 day mission to deliver the 17,760 pound Russian built Mini-Research Module-1 (MRM-1) to the International Space Station. This module will be permanently attached to the station and provide the station with essential hardware on its exterior. The MRM-1 includes a radiator, an airlock for future Russian Multi-purpose Lab

and a spare elbow joint for the ESA robotic arm. The MRM -1, called Rassvet (“Dawn” in Russian), will additionally provide crew medical support equipment, crew provisioning items, office supplies, food, computers, equipment for cold storage, National Lab Pathfinder (NLP) experiments and more.

All these items will be used to further expand the research facilities to aid in experiments aboard the International Space Station for the next decade.

Atlantis’s cargo will also include six spare batteries, a Ku-band antenna and spare parts for the Canadian Dextre robotic arm to further aid the space station for another decade.

To equip all these instruments, the mission incorporates three spacewalks where Mission Specialists Garrett Reisman, Michael Good and Steve Bowen will spend a total of 19.5 hours outside the station.

The landing date for the Atlantis shuttle is scheduled for 8:22 a.m. on May 26 at the Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility. With the conclusion of Atlantis, only two shuttle missions remain before NASA retires the shuttle fleet: September 16 with the space shuttle Discovery and November 22 for shuttle Endeavor. When the shuttle fleet retires, NASA will focus on missions to possibly asteroids or Mars leaving supplying and maintaining the space station to other countries and commercial companies.

Until this time, NASA eagerly awaits launching its next two shuttle missions.

It is time to start up the crossword puzzle contest again! Check out the first crossword of the summer.

PHOTO COURTESY SUMMIT ENTERTAINMENT

Comics A6

Student Life

The Avion, May 25, 2010

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Upsilon Pi Epsilon inducts new members Nick Brixius

Upsilon Pi Epsilon The ERAU Chapter of Upsilon Pi Epsilon held its Spring 2010 induction ceremony to honor students selected for Society membership on Monday, April 26, 2010. The ceremony was conducted by Alex King, Chapter President, and assisted by Savannah Kirby, UPE Vice-President and Michael Dop, UPE Treasurer.

Seven students majoring in Software Engineering, Computer Engineering and Computer Science were admitted to membership in Upsilon Pi Epsilon.

COE faculty, UPE members and family and friends of the new initiates attended the ceremony.

The Upsilon Pi Epsilon initiates for 2009/2010 are: Lauren Anastase, Joshua Heaney, Eric Hughes, Milena Perret, Casey

Johnson, Clifford Schomburg, and Wendy Stevenson.

Upsilon Pi Epsilon is an international honorary society

whose membership consists of outstanding undergraduate and graduate students in the computing disciplines. The

organization now consists of more than 180 chapters in colleges and universities in North America and overseas.

The Iota Chapter at EmbryRiddle Aeronautical University was chartered on October 10, 1997. Professor Nick Brixius is the faculty advisor for the chapter.

Among the requirements to be invited into the honor society, undergraduate Computer Engineering, Computer Science and Software Engineering students must maintain a GPA of at least 3.0, and must have completed at least 64 credit hours.

Graduate students enrolled in the Masters of Software Engineering program must maintain a GPA of at least 3.5, and must have completed at least half of the courses necessary to complete their degree.

Congratulations to all of the new members!

PHOTO COURTESY UPSILON PI EPSILON

UPSILON PI EPSILON INTERNATIONAL honorary society at Embry-Riddle inducts seven students majoring in Software Engineering, Computer Engineering and Computer Science.

The initiates are: Lauren Anastase, Joshua Heaney, Eric Hughes, Milena Perret, Casey Johnson, Clifford Schomburg and Wendy Stevensons.

Student Forum “If a tree falls into a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?”

- Compiled by Richard Weakley

Aaron Ladurini Junior Human Factors

Adam Raab Junior Aviation Maintenance Science

Rebecca Woodburn Junior Civil Engineering

Nick Roland Senior Mechanical Engineering

Brian Rieger Junior Aerospace Engineering

Costas Sivyllis Sophomore Aeronautical Science

“No, It doesn’t.”

“If it falls on a mime, does anyone care?”

“Is the noise relevant?”

“Who cares, it’s Friday.”

“Yeah, why wouldn’t it?”

“Yes.”

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Submit your articles to theavion@gmail.com today!

Deadlines are 5 p.m. on the following dates: Thursday June 3 Thursday June 17 Thursday July 1

Executive Board Editor-in-Chief ....................... Amy Treutel News Editor ....................... Joey Jaworski Business Manager ............... Matt Stevens Photography Editor .......... Andrew Zaback Advertising Manager .......... Darick Alvarez Editorial Staff Chief Copy Editor .............. Joey Jaworski Comics Editor ................ Tilford Mansfield College Life Editor .............. Matt Stevens Entertainment Editor ....... Andrew Zaback Front Page Editor ................. Amy Treutel Student Life Editor ........ Alena Thompson

Rent your books! Fall 2010 www.rent-a-text.com

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Buyback Hours Embry-Riddle Bookstore Monday – Friday April 26 – 30 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Contact Information Main Phone........................(386) 226-6049 Advertising Manager..........(386) 226-7697 Fax Number.......................(386) 226-6727 E-mail.......................theavion@gmail.com Website....................avionnewspaper.com

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Monday – Friday May 3 – 7 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

The Avion is produced weekly during the fall and spring term, and bi-weekly during summer terms. The Avion is produced by a volunteer student staff. Student editors make all content, business and editorial decisions. The editorial opinions expressed in The Avion are solely the opinion of the undersigned writer(s), and not those of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the Student Government Association, the staff of The Avion, or the student body. Letters appearing in The Avion are those of the writer, identified at the end of the letter. Opinions expressed in the “Student Government” and “Student Life” sections are those of the identified writer. Letters may be submitted to The Avion for publication, provided they are not lewd, obscene or libelous. Letter writers must confine themselves to less than 800 words. Letters may be edited for brevity and formatted to newspaper guidelines. All letters must be signed. Names may be withheld at the discretion of the Editor-in-Chief. The Avion is an open forum for student expression. The Avion is a division of the Student Government Association. The Avion is a member of the Associated Collegiate Press. The costs of this publication are paid by the Student Government Association and through advertising fees. The Avion distributes one free copy per person. Additional copies are $0.75. Theft of newspapers is a crime, and is subject to prosecution and Embry-Riddle judicial action. This newspaper and its contents are protected by United States copyright law. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, in print or electronically, without the expressed written consent of The Avion. Correspondence may be addressed to: The Avion Newspaper, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, 600 S. Clyde Morris Blvd., Daytona Beach, Florida 32114. Physical office: John Paul Riddle Student Center, Room 110. Phone: (386) 226-6049. Fax: (386) 226-6727. E-mail: theavion@gmail.com.

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The Avion, May 25,2010

College Life

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InternshipSuccess.com shows college students how to gain hands-on experience and become Job-Ready Press Release

The Internship Institute Today’s competitive job market demands more than a college degree. There is no substitute for experience. Students who go beyond classroom learning will set themselves apart competitively, as well as prepare for successful entry into professional life.

That is the very purpose of InternshipSuccess.com, a career preparation and certification program to enable students to launch their career on a foundation of achievement.

“Most students simply lack the guidance and know-how to take charge of their career path,” explains Matthew Zinman, founder of The Internship Institute, a non-profit charity dedicated to closing the gaps

between graduate skills and market needs. “We’ve developed this training program to change that by giving them every advantage to attain postgraduate success.”

The InternshipSuccess.com preparation and certification course involves three training sessions, each about one-hour in length. Session I covers “Intern Essentials” to show students how to gain hands-on work

Economic insiders wanted Press Release Pearson

Attention, class: Here’s some economic stimulus for you. Pearson (NYSE: PSO) is searching for tomorrow’s economics movers and shakers who are willing to make their voices heard for the 2010 National Economics Insider Symposium Contest. The contest is open to all students who want to get down to business and are currently enrolled in an economics course.

Pearson, a global leader in education, technology and services, is a partner in education with many of the world’s leading economic authorities, including Paul Krugman of Princeton University, recipient of the 2008 Nobel Prize in Economics; Glenn Hubbard and Frederic Mishkin of Columbia University; Karl E. Case, recently retired from Wellesley College and cocreator of the S&P/CaseShiller Home Prices Index; Daron Acemoglu and Olivier Blanchard of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; John List of the University of

Chicago; and David Laibson of Harvard University. These renowned economists are the go-to experts who help make sense of today’s complex economic issues.

“Today’s students face unprecedented issues in these challenging economic times,” said Tim Bozik, CEO of Pearson’s Professional & Career group. “Creative solutions to these problems are needed more than ever, and that’s why we’re encouraging today’s students who will be tomorrow’s economic leaders to share their thoughts and plans for addressing the most

crucial policy issues facing us right now.”

Whether macro or micro, YouTube or Word, professors and instructors are invited to enter, on behalf of their students, an 8-10 minute student

video, or 1,500 word student essay, that presents the student’s solution to one of the following central economics issues: health care, the environment, education, housing or technology. Students also may choose to address any other aspect of macro- or microeconomics they feel is critical to the health of the economy Submissions will be accepted until April 16, 2010.

Twelve finalists will be chosen based on the strength, feasibility and creativity of their ideas and the clarity of their execution plan. The twelve finalists, along with their nominating professors, will be guests of Pearson at the first annual National Economics I n s i d e r Symposium in June in Washington, D.C. This will be an extraordinary opportunity for the students to meet with some of Pearson’s economics authors and exchange ideas.

For more information, and to submit an application, visit www.pearsonhighered. com/neis2010 or contact Lori DeShazo at (212) 641-6542 or lori.deshazo@pearson.com.

experience. Session II, “Intern Experience,” involves step-bystep guidance to make ‘real work’ most meaningful. Session III, “Intern Career Skills,” trains students to improve 20 competencies so they can perform at their very best in a professional setting.

The course also provides access to the “Success Readiness Center” where users can view and download more

than 70 exclusive course support resources to use now and keep for future benefit. The final step is a course validation involving a series of review questions that increase learning retention. Students then earn their Certificate of Intern Readiness, which will enhance their resume, portfolio and market value.

Ricardo Martinez, a junior at Temple University, affirms, “I

would have gotten a lot more out of my first two internships if I knew about this, but at least I’m ready for the third. The ‘Career Launch Roadmap’ they have makes perfect sense.”

“We’re on a mission to revitalize America’s global competitiveness one college student at a time,” Mr. Zinman asserts.

“The only way to attain that goal is to make this affordable, accessible and achievable.”

Increase of 50 percent in eBook sales among college students Press Release

Direct Textbook Direct Textbook, a leading textbook price comparison site,announced today an increase of 50 percent in ebook sales. The website, which helps college students and their parents find the best prices on new, used and electronic textbooks, cites the rising cost of college textbooks as a major factor in the increase in popularity of ebook formats. According to the site, many ebooks sell for 30 percent less than new textbook prices.

“Textbooks prices continue to be a burden for families struggling to put their children through college,” said Chris Lindgren, president. “For students and parents searching for significant savings on textbooks, downloadable and online ebooks are helping them stretch their dollars.”

“Additionally, the majority of today’s college students are members of the digital genera-

tion, so ebooks are well-suited to their lifestyle,” Lindgren continued. “eBooks are also an ideal choice for students who are passionate about environmental issues.”

Since 2002, Direct Textbook has helped college students and their parents find the best deals on college textbooks. While used textbooks have been a popular option in recent years for students on a budget, downloadable and online ebooks now

offer even more savings. And when using Direct Textbook’s price comparison tools, ebooks are becoming one of the most popular choices once students weigh their options.

In addition to significant savings, ebooks have a number of built-in benefits. While formats differ, many ebooks are searchable and offer the ability to annotate and highlight content.

Some ebooks also offer interactive features to further enhance the learning experience.

For some, ebooks do have drawbacks. Many downloadable ebooks only allow access from one computer, while online ebooks require Internet access to access the content.

Additionally, most downloadable ebooks require users to install software prior to use.

However, while these factors may be viewed as inconvenient to some, they are not likely to hinder the growth in popularity or sales of ebooks among college students.

“Recently, the State of California passed a law mandating that companies that sell textbooks to college students in the state will have to make electronic versions of their books available by 2020,” said Lindgren. “This is just one of the signs that clearly illustrates the anticipated growth of ebooks and their popularity among college students and faculty.”

For more information on ebooks, or to compare traditional textbook and ebook prices, visit www.directtextbook. com. A detailed FAQ and other resources are readily available.

Entertainment Iron Man 2 whips onto the big screen Page

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Darick Alvarez

Advertising Manager On May 7, Iron Man 2 was released as some audience members flocked the theaters for the midnight showing. The movie began with the introduction of the new villain, Whiplash (Mickey Rourke), a Russian engineer named Ivan Vanko.

Ivan’s father collaborated with Tony’s father in creating the first Arc Reactor but was deported to the Soviet Union and ultimately died in poverty. Ivan held a grudge against Stark Industries as he blamed them for the happenings of his family.

Soon after his father’s death, Ivan began work on creating an Arc Reactor to power a suit that utilized the reactor’s energy to channel energy to two whip-

The Avion, May 25, 2010

like ends that were capable of cutting though anything he struck them against.

Tony Stark (Robert Downey JR.) believed that no one would be able to re-create the technology used in his Iron Man suit and simply refused to turn it over to the government. Unfortunately, Tony was unknowing about Ivan’s scheme to take him out using the very same technology that Tony used to power the Iron Man suit.

The movie was very fast paced and kept the audience entertained throughout the two hours of punch, shoot and kick action with plenty of comedy as Tony faced his new challenges. There were plenty of comical parts, which got the audience laughing, and plenty of suspenseful moments of not knowing what could come next as it kept others at the edge of

their seat.

The movie was a little disappointing at times when some of the characters were faced with some commonsense decisions.

It left the audience to wonder why the characters did not just use their abilities to the fullest to help their situation and/or stop what was going on at the time. This is hard to explain without giving away too much information about the movie, but it was very annoying as it made the audience believe that some of the characters, which were supposed to be so smart, made some very uneducated decisions.

Another disappointment was how, at times, the difference between Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) and real was very apparent. The point of good CGI is to make the audience believe that what is going on the screen is real and infused

into reality. There were times where some of the components of Iron Man 2 seemed to be too computerized and unrealistic, such as the fighting scenes.

Overall, Iron Man 2 was vey entertaining, but was definitely not better that the first Iron Man. Iron Man 2 was very comical and I enjoyed the plenty of laughs this movie had to offer.

If you liked the first Iron Man, this movie may disappoint you a little bit, but at the same time you will enjoy it as you are introduced to more information as to how this movie is part of a much bigger installment dealing with the organization, S.H.I.E.L.D. You may not want to see this movie without seeing the first Iron Man as you will be lost, so if you have not seen the first Iron Man, you will be lost as to some of this movies’ information.

PHOTO COURTESY PARAMOUNT PICTURES

PHOTO COURTESY PARAMOUNT PICTURES

PHOTO COURTESY PARAMOUNT PICTURES

Letters to Juliet a good chick flick Amy Treutel

Editor in Chief Sophie, a young fact checker for the New Yorker magazine, travels to Verona, Italy with her fiancé for a pre-wedding honeymoon, only to be swept up in the romantic city where Romeo and Juliet first met. Unfortunately, her fiancé is more swept up in the culinary aspects of Italy, dragging Sophie around to different vineyards and food vendors to prepare for the grand opening of his restaurant back in America.

One afternoon, Sophie and her fiancé decide to explore different parts of Italy: Sophie the city and her fiancé another vineyard. That afternoon, Sophie discovers a wall where people write to Juliet with questions about their love lives and Juliet’s secretaries, a group of women

who volunteer their evenings to write back to those people.

Sophie becomes fascinated by Juliet’s secretaries, and while her fiancé ventures off to a wine auction, Sophie befriends the secretaries and helps them to write letters back. One evening, Sophie finds a letter that was written over 50 years ago but never taken from the wall and decides to write a reply.

To her surprise a few days later, Sophie meets the pessimistic and cynical grandson of Claire, the woman she wrote the letter to and follows him to meet Claire herself. Claire decided she just had to go back to Italy to see if she could find her long lost love, a fiancé, Lorenzo, she had left behind when she returned back to England 50 years prior. Much to the grandson’s dislike, Sophie offers to help Claire, and the trio head off into the countryside of Tuscany

to seek out Lorenzo.

Throughout their journey through Tuscany, the grandson and Sophie begin to become friends and reluctant sparks fly between them. The grandson knows that Sophie is engaged, and Sophie is somewhat offput by his attitude and lack of romanticism. Eventually, the characters find that it is never too late for true love.

Amanda Seyfried, who plays Sophie, continues to come a long way from her “Mean Girls” roots by playing in more mature roles. She has the part of inquisitive young woman in love nearly perfected, and her role in Letters to Juliet exemplifies that. While the love story is predictable and downright cheesy at the end, it is still entertaining and worthwhile seeing. So grab your girlfriends and enjoy a girls night out with “Letter’s to Juliet”.

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Comics

The Avion, May 25, 2010

Classic Peanuts

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Mystery strength Sudoku!

Can you solve them all?

D i l b e r t

Crossword

Sudoku Easy

Medium

Hard

Finally another chance for you to WIN! This is the first issue of the summer and the beginning of another series of crossword contests! More crosswords and more prizes!

Before Next Issue: Enter The Avion crossword contest!

Submit your correctly completed crossword to The Avion office in SC 110 before Thursdays June 3, at 3 p.m. to be considered.

Only students can enter, please bring the completed crossword and your Student ID.