Issue 8 | Volume 152 | November 18, 2019
Embry-Riddle Aeronautial University theavion.com | (386) 226-6049
A Campus B Industry & Technology C Motorsports
The Challenger Catastrophe: An Engineer’s Perspective
Photo Courtesy: NASA
Zach Fedewa/ The Avion Newspaper
THE AVION
A2 Campus
Executive Board Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor News Editor Business Manager Photo Editor
Rajan Khanna Vipul Telang Nick Hernandez Payton Muglia Connor Adair
Page Editors Cover Editor Alani Seaman Campus Editors Nick Hernandez Victoria Jordan Brandon Etwarroo Samantha Stirmel Industry Editors Rajan Khanna Alani Seaman Vipul Telang Motorsports Editor Payton Muglia Comics Editor Sarah Fairchild Copy Editors Oliver Du Bois Chirag Mehrotra
Contributors
Reporters Photographers
Abigail Johnson Michael Weinhoffer Alani Seaman Rajan Khanna Caleigh Bocrie Oliver Du Bois
Connor Adair Vipul Telang Alani Seaman Zach Fedewa Rajan Khanna
Correspondents
Connor Adair, David Keck, Christina Frederick, Jessica Derby, Alexandria Gombas & Kobe Reese, Scott Oakley
Staff Advisor Ronnie Mack Asst. Director, Media & Marketing
Contact Information Main Phone: (386) 226-6049 Business Manager: (386) 226-7697 Editor-In-Chief: editor@theavion.com Managing Editor: managing@theavion.com News Editor: news@theavion.com Business Manager: business@theavion.com Photo Editor: photo@theavion.com
Website: theavion.com @theavionnewspaper u/theavionnewspaper @The_Avion @TheAvion
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 EmbryRiddle Aeronautical University, the Student Government Association, 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: Student Union, Room 219.
relationship advice
weekly
Reverend David Keck & Dr. Christina Frederick
Dear HumanE Factors, I am stressed out over exams, classes, and the awful things going on in the world. As a result, I’m short-tempered and impatient with my boyfriend, and it is harming our relationship. What can I do?
Chaplain Keck: My general relationship advice is, “Be honest and make your needs known.” You are certainly doing that with us – how about with your boyfriend? Stress is in every person’s life and every relationship. Healthy relationships find ways of addressing stress. For many of us, when we lose our temper, we sometimes feel like we have lost ourselves. After the fact, we become aware of our loss of self-control, and we recognize that we have done things the “real” us would never have done. Others of us seem angry all the time – we don’t lose our temper; our temperament is to be angry. From what you have said, you are having that feeling of a loss of self-control and self-identity. In itself, these can be awful, but you also are aware of the fact that you are having an impact on your boyfriend and your relationship. Be honest and make your needs known. Your boyfriend may be wondering if the short-tempered
Dr. Frederick: I can relate to your feelings of stress. It does appear that the world is in turmoil right now – whether it be the climate and natural disasters, or politics and war. How can you cope when everything seems so crazy and unstable? You are a sensitive and caring person and are affected more than some by the environment you find yourself in. And, now you find that it’s affecting your relationship. Although I don’t have the answers to heal the world, I may be able to provide some suggestions for taking care of yourself. On several occasions, I have shared with friends that my personal motto is: Heal yourself first. While it might be partially tongue in cheek, much of the intent is
person is the real you, or he may be well aware of the fact that the stress has gotten to you lately. If you have a direct conversation about how this isn’t who you are and what you are even more stressed out about, it might come as a relief. Or, this may allow the two of you to brainstorm solutions. If nothing else, it will allow him to experience any outbursts differently. He may want to support you by developing his own patience. Be honest. Have you named all the sources of your stress? Sometimes, what’s stressing us out is something we are not aware of (like anxiety about graduating soon) or something we don’t want to admit (such as maybe your boyfriend is acting up). Sometimes anger that should be directed in one way ends up going another (it’s not the door’s fault, but we slam it hard anyway). Make your needs known. What can help with your stress? Have you thought about meditation, mindfulness practices, or prayer? Sometimes we respond to stress by
adding stress to our lives. I’m late for work, so I start speeding up to catch a green light, and whether I save myself thirty seconds or not, I’ve just told my body to pump more stress hormones into my system. That’s only made things worse. Similarly, sometimes the response to being stressed about an exam is to double down and study straight through for four more hours. That will add exhaustion, not knowledge. There are many meditation and mindfulness apps and videos online that can help you slow down, change your body’s neurochemistry, and reduce your stress. The religions of the world recognize the power of prayer – praying shapes the person praying regardless of whether the deity responds the way we hope for. Slow, steady, prayers of gratitude and wonder help reposition believers, helping them to see that the world around them, for all its stressors, really does have some beautiful things too (like your boyfriend, I trust).
very serious. It is hard to cope with the world and be a force of good when you feel ungrounded and stressed out. It may seem counterintuitive, but right now, you need to take care of yourself. What is it that makes you feel healthier, happier, more connected to people, and the things that matter in your life? Is it listening to music, meditating, taking a walk in nature, dancing, or some other activity? What connects you to your heart? Whatever it is, you should take time to do that. Right now, and regularly. It is not selfish to take care of yourself; it is a loving-kindness that benefits you, and as a result, will release more kindness into the world through your positive actions toward others. Have you noticed that I haven’t mentioned a word about your re-
lationship? That’s because I firmly believe that once you set yourself right, then your relationship will take the course it is meant to take. Your boyfriend is hanging in there, so I guess that you and he will weather this bump in the road also. He likely recognizes that you are stressed, but he may not know exactly how he can help. That’s okay though – because you’ve got this. Take time to heal yourself. Throughout your life, there will be times when stressors will increase and will challenge your defenses. Be a spiritual warrior and keep practicing those activities that make you strong, healthy, and happy. Keep it up and think of it as a positive investment in a better you now and in the future.
Call For Questions! Do you have any relationship questions? You can send an email to Christina Frederick or David Keck. Or, if you prefer to keep things anonymous, you can drop off notes for HumanE Factor Prof. Christina Frederick, Human Factors, COAS 4th floor or Chaplain David Keck, Center for Faith and Spirituality. To respect your privacy, real nawmes and identifying details will be eliminated in our responses in the Avion. Reverend David Keck keckd2@erau.edu
Christina Frederick frederic@erau.edu
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Campus A3
The Challenger Disaster: Telling an Untold Story Oliver Du Bois Copy Editor On Nov. 12, The Challenger Disaster, directed and produced by Embry-Riddle alumni, Nathan VonMinden, was screened for students to watch. The Challenger Disaster is a visualized retelling of the 1986 Challenger explosion, which is a tragedy still felt by the American public today. The dramatized film follows Adam, an engineer and O-Ring specialist based on a real engineer, as he works to delay the launch of Challenger. Inspired by learning about the Challenger explosion at Embry-Riddle, VonMinden approached the film by keeping one thought in mind: that the recommendation of the engineers working on Challenger was disregarded. VonMinden tasked himself with doing justice for those engineers by showcasing their stakes held from the Challenger’s disaster, and why they were not at fault for the national tragedy. The panel following the film’s screening was comprised of Nathan VonMiden, a 2005 Aerospace Engineering major, and two other experts involved in the aviation and engineering fields. The three men were prompted with questions by
Charles Westbrooks, who first began the panel by addressing the lessons shown in the film through the character, Adam, based on Roger Boisjoly. Immediately, the panelists dove into the decision-making process behind the choice to have the Challenger launch, despite the apprehension from its engineers. The initial reasoning explained was due to costs, safety, and scheduling errors. These three issues were said to manifest into the Challenger’s destruction, which then changed how we as a whole view potential rocket launch issues. The experts explained that the Challenger disaster caused significant alterations in safety culture, marketing, and political pressure. Despite these changes being made, VonMinden believes that many of these issues still exist and will continue to exist. VonMinden stated that the core reason for this is that, as humans, we are predisposed to making errors. He believes that one of the largest possible human errors is that every human being finds it easier to do nothing. Once this is understood, humans must make the difficult decision of if they should do something or do nothing. If humans can make these hard decisions, VonMinden believes
Photo Courtesy/National Geographic
issues in regards to shuttles like Challenger and Colombia will be far less likely. The other experts, on the other hand, explained the Normalization and Deviation Principle, which they believed to be the root cause of shuttle disasters. Essentially, it is in human nature to slowly deviate from standards, which eventually led to the explosion of both Challenger and Colombia. The panel finalized with lessons dedicated to the students in attendance. Namely, that the students will someday be leaders, and will be forced to choose between bad and worse. VonMinden explained that you, as an individual,
must decide where you’re going to go, and then you must live with that decision. He added that even if you feel alone and isolated upon making a decision, just as the Challenger’s engineers had, someone will always back you up. He then explained that one person should always have the power to be able to stop the production of a project, regardless of the potential economic loss. The experts finished the panel by explaining that, in the end, we all need to learn to step back and stand our ground. If we follow this advice, then we, as a community, may be able to prevent another Challenger.
WE GOT NEXT! Scott Oakley SGA President In the immortal words of the Avengers’ Nick Fury, “there was an idea.” While this idea didn’t necessarily involve assembling a superteam of iconic heroes to save the galaxy time and time again, this idea nevertheless started from similarly humble beginnings by many of the heroes we know and love. Months ago, we set out to create a competitive League of Legends team and equip them with the tools they need to be able to make the leap into the NCAA as an official intercollegiate sport on behalf of ERAU. Last night, that idea took a massive leap forward into the realm
Photo Courtesy/Scott Oakley
of reality with a 2-1 victory over our sister campus, Prescott. But first, some history. As I said, months ago, I happened to hear by chance that the Peach Belt Conference, which is the NCAA Division II conference our Track and Field teams compete in, had just launched League of Legends as an officially sanctioned sport. As a long-time player and fan of League of Legends, I was floored to hear that it not only existed in a collegiate setting but in a conference ERAU already has close ties to. This information, combined with the knowledge that ERAU has an eSports club that meets regularly and plays League of Legends, inspired me to use my newly elected
office as SGA President and relationships I have with Athletics, SESU, eSports, and League of Legends itself to facilitate the development of our League team into one that could ultimately don the Blue and Gold as the newest official sport on campus. Over the course of the past few months, due to the diligent work of people like Karin Gollin of SESU, Athletic Director John Phillips, eSports Club President Jack Goldberg, and the members of the League of Legends team itself, this idea was met with full commitment for success and is now on the verge of becoming fully realized. The team began to practice together, scrimmage other teams together, review film of their games together, and start to compete together. Karin Gollin has orchestrated funding through the SGA for them to receive official gaming laptops to practice and play on, and Jack Goldberg worked with the players and the SGA to design a logo and jersey for the players to wear. After months of hard work and preparation, all the efforts undertaken culminated this past Saturday in the Event Center with a best-of-three show match against the League of Legends team from Embry-Riddle Prescott. Our team came out to a bit of a slow start, getting behind early in the first game and ultimately losing
fairly quickly. However, after making the necessary adjustments and substitutions, our team bounced back and decisively trounced the Prescott team in Game Two and proceeded to use that momentum to do the same in Game Three. Despite the rocky beginning, the resolve and the might of our team was on full display, ultimately proving that these months of hard work have paid off and that they are ready to go competitive. Fortunately for them as well, Athletic Director John Phillips was in attendance and found himself impressed with the level of commitment everyone involved has shown so far. He has expressed support for spearheading the official effort from Athletics to take the final step in getting our League of Legends team accepted as an affiliate member of the Peach Belt Conference. And with a spring competition schedule, our team will be just in time to make the cut for this year’s season. As this process continues to unfold, we cannot thank everyone who’s been involved enough for their commitment to making this dream into a reality, and for those not involved who would like to know more, follow our eSports club on Instagram and Twitter, @erauesports. We hope to see you all in the spring!
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A4 Student Life Goals For the Gals
Alani Seaman Staff Reporter
The ERAU women’s soccer team lit up the stadium on Monday night with their domination of the University of Tampa Spartans. Riddle fans had only 11 seconds in their seats before jumping up to celebrate the team’s first goal, one of the fastest in their history. Scoring her first goal after coming back from injury, Ragnheidur Gardarsdottir wowed the crowd after slipping through the dumbfounded defense. Head coach Samantha Bohon was happy to see the Iceland native back on the field, saying “I think when she went out with an injury, we all felt it on the team,” and spoke to her performance in the game, “She was pretty lethal out there tonight.” With four shots on goal and an intimidating presence on the field, Gardarsdottir kept Tampa on their toes all game, scoring another goal in the second half on the counter-attack. Pushing through a rainy
middle-section to the game, Riddle remained ready for the Spartan’s offense, who turned up the heat in the second half. The game became much more aggressive and fast-paced, pushing the limits of each team’s fitness. In the end, the Eagles were able to celebrate their victory and thank the audience for their support. Throughout this season, the Eagles have racked up an impressive set of numbers: • An average of two goals per game from a total of 32 goals • 241 shots, 106 of those on goal • 100% success rate on penalty kicks • 0 red cards With such a successful season, the team’s advancement to the finals in their conference is not surprising. Their win against UT guaranteed them a place in the semi-finals against Barry College. On Thursday, the Eagles took on Barry and
triumphed with a 2-0 win. Marie Myhrvold Seim and Julia Olsson each scored goals at the Buccaneer Stadium, securing the team’s place in the finals of the Sunshine State Conference. Last year, the Blue and Gold lost in this semi-final game against Barry, but this year
they emerged victoriously. Upperclassmen were given a chance to redeem themselves and topple their rivals. In the finals, they will face Rollins in Winter Park on Sunday the 17th.
Alani Seaman/ The Avion Newspaper
Athlete Spotlight With Men’s Soccer Caleigh Bocrie Staff Reporter Q: Do you have any nicknames? A: I have a second first name, so my name is actually Tim Frederick Lange, but I never use it because I think it’s too long. People think it’s a funny name, so they call me TFL. Q: What made you want to attend Embry-Riddle? A: I was at a different school for my freshman year, and I was looking for a new challenge. I wanted to go to a place with a better academic and athletic reputation. The soccer program gave me the opportunity to switch to an NCAA Division II team and be a part of the building process. I also thought Florida is not a bad place to be with the beaches. Q: How long have you been playing soccer? A: I was playing in Germany since I was four years old, so it’s been 18 years now. Q: What was one of your best moments ins soccer before you attended Embry-Riddle? A: When I was a little bit younger, I was playing for the Youth Academy of 1. FC Kaiserslautern and Wormatia Worms. It was really cool to get the chance to do that (playing for such a huge club). That was such an exciting time. Q: Do you have any stories from your time on the soccer team? A: We won against Eckerd in overtime, and I was lucky enough to score the overtime winner. We’ve been incredibly unlucky in the past, so it was amazing; the whole atmosphere.
Q: Do you enjoy any other sports? A: I used to do many other sports when I was younger, such as track and field, I did that for a very long time and won some regional awards. I also enjoy tennis, table tennis, and ice skating. Q: Why did you want to study Business Administration with a focus on Marketing and a minor in Supply-Chain Management? A: When I was younger, I always said that I wanted to have a job where I had to wear a suit. I don’t know why, but I always thought that was very cool. Also, growing up in Germany, we have many big companies, especially in the automobile industry. I’d really like to work with them, and I’ve already done some internships with them. Since I’m not that good at engineering and I like to socialize, I prefer staying on the business side. Q: What internships did you have? A: I had two co-op internships. One was with Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks in Germany. The other was in Tokyo, Japan, for five to six months working for Mitsubishi Fuso. Q: Are you involved in any other organizations or have any special positions? A: I am the Student Athlete Representative for the Men’s Soccer team. We try to work together between all of the teams and sports we have in order to organize ourselves, increase visibility on campus, and try to help the community through volunteer work, and forming fundraisers. We also vote on legislation from the NCAA, giving the athletes a voice. I’ve been the representative for one and a half years
Q: Have you earned any academic awards? A: I’ve been on the Dean’s List ever since I’ve gotten here. Q: Do you have any memorable experiences with the university? A: Being an international student, it’s really cool to be at this school because it’s such a diverse student body. You meet people from all over the world. My team has people from Iceland, Norway, and Germany. Our school provides a great opportunity to meet so many people from all over the world besides studying abroad, and I think that also creates a very interesting culture. It makes people more open-minded. An example of this is once I was sitting in a class next to a veteran, and he suddenly spoke German to me, and I found out he was stationed in Germany. That’s actually happened so many times where there were veterans who were stationed there or who had a German parent. It’s cool because I wasn’t expecting anything like this. You’re 8,000 km from home, and suddenly someone speaks in your native language, and it makes you feel very comfortable and at home. Q: You mentioned that after you graduate, you’d like to have a job in the automobile industry. Is there anything else you’d like to do after you graduate? A: I would like to use the opportunity to have so many friends all over the world. Being an Embry-Riddle student, I have friends from Sweden, South America, Asia, and all over the world, and I’d like to visit them just to experience their culture. I would like to work at an international company and have a job where I can travel around and be able to give my experiences to others and create value from that.
Q: Do you have any hobbies or interests? A: I love skiing. It’s kind of hard being in Florida with no seasons, so as soon as I’m back in Germany, I usually go skiing with my friends or my parents. I have a dog; miss him, so it’s nice to have the puppy back there as well. We adopted him quite spontaneously, so I’m not sure what type of dog he is. It’s a weird mix because the back of him is like a greyhound, and the face is that of a hunting dog. So, he looks weird, and he’s not the most intelligent dog, but it’s really fun with him. Q: Do you have any other animals that you love? A: When I was younger, I wanted a parrot, but they are very care intensive. Maybe that’s something I will do in the future. Q: What’s your favorite type of movie? A: I love comedies and action movies. When I was younger, I was a really big fan of Transformers. I also love Kevin Hart and Mr. Bean movies. Q: Do you have a message that you’d like to share with the Embry-Riddle community? A: What I feel is that sometimes people are very afraid to talk to one another, especially when they are from a different culture. So, I think we should be a bit more open with each other, more honest and be open-minded. Talk to people you don’t know because there are a lot of interesting stories they can tell and there’s so much you can learn from them. Just talk to each other. Get to know each other. And get out of your comfort zone because that’s where you grow.
Karoline Gore Correspondent Finding time to exercise can be a massive challenge. Although it is recommended that adults should do moderate aerobic exercise for 150 minutes per week, a recent World Health Organization study has found that one in four people worldwide is failing to put in the time to workout and are physically inactive. Balancing studies and work, pursuing hobbies, and making time to be social can make it challenging to have time to workout. However, exercise should be a part of every person’s life as it can contribute to better health and overall wellness. Moreover, taking active steps to start your fitness journey while you’re still young can be an advantage once you start pursuing a career. If you think you don’t have time to exercise, here are some of the best fitness hacks for busy students. Do a 10-minute mini-workout before your morning shower Regular exercise can help ward off health conditions, and it makes you better equipped to deal with your studies or work. It can also benefit you in the future as having strong muscles and being fit are requirements for a lot of physically demanding jobs, such as being a
plane or helicopter pilot. If you don’t have an hour to spend at the gym, don’t fret. Even just 10 minutes of exercise per day before your morning shower can make a difference if you do them diligently and adequately. Try doing stretches, planks, lunges, squats, sit-ups, and push-ups for ten minutes, doing one minute for each of the first two exercises, then two minutes each for the last four moves. Doing these exercises can help improve muscle strength and tone, which can contribute to overall fitness and better endurance. You may begin to see results after a month, especially when regular exercise is coupled with good eating habits, supplements, and therapeutic compounds such as selective androgen receptor modulators. Turn your commute into a workout If the campus is just a few minutes away from your place, take this opportunity to turn your commute into a workout. Instead of driving a car, ride a bike-- according to a Harvard study, a person who weighs 155 lbs can burn as much as 186 calories during a 30-minute bike ride. Walking can also help you shed the pounds as a 17-minute leisurely walk can burn 149 calories. Once you’re in school, take the stairs whenever possible, and if you
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Campus A5 Fitness Hacks!
Photo Courtesy/unsplash.com
have time, take the long route to your next class to maximize your exercise commute. Find a fun activity that will get you moving Most people don’t like to exercise because they find the idea of doing repetitive cardio or strength exercises to be incredibly dull. But if you try to find an activity that you enjoy doing, then you’re guaranteed to have fun while fitting in some exercise into your day. Workouts don’t have to be confined to gyms-- try doing water sports, learn
martial arts, or play soccer or basketball with your friends. You can also join your school’s dance team or go hiking on the weekends. Find something that you like to do and one that you can afford doing, and you’re more likely to make time for it no matter how busy you are. Making time for exercise can benefit your present and future health. Try these hacks to fit some exercise into your day for a healthier and happier you.
The Business Wire Kevin Ratzel Staff Reporter As of close of market November 15 The stock market continued its gains this week on renewed optimism in the ongoing United States-China trade war. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (Index: DJI) closed about 28,000, a milestone since the start of the trade war has had averages swinging back-andforth. There are a few key events that fueled this surge: Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) released a new MacBook Pro this week, which saw shares rise slightly on the news. While there was no flashy keynote, Apple has been steadily adding to their lineup over the past month, with the addition of AirPods Pro, just in time for holiday shopping. Holiday shopping, mixed with the onset of services for Apple, is expected to make a significant impact on their earnings for the quarter. Apple is up 2.28% over the past week with a market cap close to $1.2T.
The Walt Disney Compa-
ny (NYSE: DIS) released its new streaming service, Disney+, on Tuesday, and initial subscriber counts have over ten million users signing up on day one. Disney stock has gone up 7% on the news, ending the week up 4.61%. The next time Disney will report numbers related to Disney+ will be on their next earnings call in 2020. Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) and Walmart (NYSE: WMT) both announced earnings beats, with Nvidia also announcing a sales beat. Both companies experienced highly volatile after-hours trading on the news but ended the week in the red. Walmart raised guidance but is still looking at headwinds from Amazon and other online retailers. Nvidia announced a dividend, which often lowers the price by the dividend amount. Trading on both securities was significantly more stable on Friday. Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA) fans are eagerly awaiting the release of Tesla’s “cybertruck” this coming Thursday. The battle between short-sellers and investors still rages on as Tesla expands to now four Gigafactories and is
Photo Courtesy/Justin Guariglia
opening their first in China, which will be a huge potential market for Tesla. Production concerns have been muted in recent months as supply is keeping relatively with demand. The issue comes in demand, where Tesla is not selling as much as they had initially hoped. In addition, competition from Ford Motors (NYSE: F) and BMW (FWB: BMW) has shaken Tesla’s 80% market share of electric vehicles in the United
States. Tesla is up over 4% this week despite calls that the stock is overbought. S&P 500: +0.89% DJIA: +1.17% NASDAQ: +0.77% BND: +0.55% BTC: -4.32%
Photo Courtesy/Red Bull
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B2 Technology
The Tech of:
Electric Daisy Carnival
Rajan Khanna/The Avion Newspaper
Rajan Khanna Editor-in-Chief Every year, thousands of EDM enthusiasts flock to the various EDC festivals around the world. Most recently, the Orlando edition of the EDM convention took place. Most people go to experience the festival, listen to some music, and dance the night away. Attendees are always amazed by the sheer scale of the stages at the festival, especially the main stage (Kinetic Field). That stage was comparable in size to the Stu-
dent Union here at Embry-Riddle. In addition to Kinetic Field, there were four other large scale stages: Circuit Grounds, Neon Garden, and Stereo Bloom. Each stage had its own distinct atmosphere with amazing lights, sounds, and pyrotechnics to accompany them. By the numbers, the sound systems of all the stages combined use over one million watts of power (4,807 amps). Compared to our Fall Concert on campus, we use about 37,866 watts (~182 amps) On the visual side of things, they use thousands of light fixtures around the
four stages. Kinetic Field alone had over one thousand. Power for ther light fixtures could power a small city. They drew over 1.2 million watts of power (5,769 amps) to keep those fixtures running, That is not including the massive LED screens on each stage. Circuit Grounds’ visuals were almost entirely made of hexagonal LED screens. All the stages also featured lasers, pyrotechnics in the form of flamethrowers, cold spark machines and fireworks, and plenty of water features. Kinetic Field had four waterfalls in the center of
the stage. With how large the stages are, they have to be structurally sound to support the weight. Kinetic Field used over 700 tons of steel and cost upwards of three million dollars. Overall, the budget for EDC Orlando reached thirty-five million dollars and can only go up and create an even better atmosphere. Sixty thousand dollars from their profits are going toward Strengthen Orlando to improve the neighborhoods around Tinker Field. Overall, the lights, sound, pyro, and the atmosphere provide one of the coolest experiences in Florida.
Photo Courtesy/Insomniac Events
Streaming Wars:
Alani Seaman Staff Reporter
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Technology B3
Photo Courtesy/Disney+
The Arrival of Disney
Disney Plus has taken the United States, Canada, and the Netherlands by storm with its much anticipated Nov. 12 launch. Despite some minor launch day complications, the newest competitor in the streaming service business has been an enormous success. Disney Plus (+) racked in a hefty ten million subscribers within its first day, getting a much faster start than most streaming services. The Disney vault that users can now access includes many of the entertainment industry's giants, including Pixar, Disney, National Geographic, Marvel, and Star Wars. What is it? Disney unveiled its new streaming
service made up of its past movies and shows with an added dose of new material. There will be exclusive Disney shows and movies premiering on the streaming service. Users can find their favorite classics remastered from the 50s. Sponsored by the financial giant, Disney, Disney+ severely undercuts Netflix's most popular plans. Netflix is $9 per month at the cheapest, while monthly Disney+ subscriptions are $7. There is also a yearly option for the subscription, bringing the total down to roughly $5.83 a month. Compared to Netflix, they also offer simultaneous streaming for four people at once and 4K UltraHD content for no extra cost. Netflix has three plans: Basic, Standard, and Premium. The Basic plan, coming in at $9 a month, has
no HD viewing and is only available to one person at a time. The Standard and Premium plans give HD content for up to two and four people, respectively. What do you get for your subscription? The biggest excitement for most about Disney+ is access to the "vault," Disney's ultimate collection of productions. These movies go back to Disney's first successes in animation, with the original Disney princess movies and some lesser-known titles such as Emil and the Detectives. Access also includes the fullest extent of the Pixar movies and short films, some being released for the first time. Additionally, there are many highly anticipated shows coming to Disney+, such as new Marvel and
Star Wars series. One of the Star Wars headliners, the Mandalorian, takes place between the originals and the modern movie sequence. It features Pedro Pascal as a lone wolf, taking after Boba Fet, a theme seen throughout the Star Wars universe. Fans can also try out the advantages to Disney+ free for seven days before purchasing. Where do I sign up? The service can be found on the Disney+ website for either $7 a month or a package deal with ESPN+ and Hulu for $13 a month. It is available now with unlimited streaming and downloads for offline usage. As the vault continues to grow, Disney lovers can sit back and reminisce in their favorite childhood shows, catch up on the classics, or try something new.
Photo Courtesy/Disney+
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B4 RUX Corner
The Good & Bad of Website Design
Jessyca, Ali, and Kobe are students in the Research in User eXperience (RUX) Lab in the Department of Human Factors and Behavioral Neurobiology. RUX investigates the usability and user experience of technology in our everyday world. This is a regular column that explores different technologies typically used by Embry-Riddle students. Jessyca Derby Graduate Researcher Alexandria Gombas & Kobe Reese Undergraduate Researchers Have you ever looked at a website and just wondered why you couldn’t understand it at all? It was probably because of the website, not you. Because of bad design, websites can become cluttered, hard to read, difficult to understand, and frustrating to use. To avoid this, designers often use heuristics, or best practices, to develop an interface. These are created based on the cognitive limitations and capabilities of people using the site. Nielsen's Ten Usability Heuristics are the most common heuristics that are used. Here in this article, we are diving into a few of them: aesthetic and minimalist design, visibility of system status, the match between system and the real world, and consistency and standards. Nielsen's Ten Usability Heuristics 1) Visibility of System Status 2) Match Between System & Real World 3) User Control & Freedom 4) Consistency & Standards 5) Error Prevention 6) Recognition Rather than Recall 7) Flexibility & Efficiency of Use 8) Aesthetic & Minimalist Design 9) Help Users Recognize, Diagnose, & Recover from Errors 10) Help & Documentation
Photo Courtesy: Yahoo.com & Google.com
Left: Poor aesthetic & minimalist design on yahoo.com Right: Simplistic design on google.com
For example, have you ever visited a site for the first time and looked for a specific item but didn't know where to start? To find what you needed, you probably spent a great deal of time browsing the homepage. It may be because the interface layout didn't have important information organized so that you could identify correct action items; this is usually the case with a cluttered display.
All of the information you need is clearly stated in a prominent place in the center of the screen. Match Between System and Real World Match between system and real-world addresses the fact that people come in with expectations. It notes that their prior knowledge affects how they
Visibility of system status is another way of saying that the user understands what is going on within a website. An example of this is seeing a loading symbol after clicking on a link. This tells you that it is working on something so that you don’t feel the need to repeatedly click to get a response. A lack of visibility can cause stress and annoyance because a user may not know if there is an error or how to fix it. Another notable example of this heuristic would be clear confirmation messages, such as popups on online stores, like Amazon, use to indicate that something has been added to a list or a cart.
Photo Courtesy: ssc.com
interact with a website. For example, it might be challenging to navigate a website filled with acronyms, jargon, or icons that you haven't seen before. How
Aesthetic and Minimalist Design
Photo Courtesy: Amazon.com
Consistency means that specific formatting in one place has the same meaning as it does in another. Standards are the rules of thumb for the formatting of a site, which the user expects or is used to. An example is underlined blue text indicating the text is a hyperlink or bold text to signify important information. Being con-
Visibility of System Status
(Credit to Jessyca Derby)
The central idea behind the aesthetic and minimalist design heuristic is based upon keeping a user interface (UI) display balanced between relevant information and irrelevant information and making sure that they are distinct from one another. This heuristic guideline details that anything on a UI that presents itself as information such as pictures, words, infographics, videos, icons, buttons, and others needs to be formatted in a way that avoids clutter and is easy to understand. An interface that fails to do this may result in confusion with intended actions or tasks.
Consistency and Standards
Example of poor consistency and standards
sistent and following standards makes the site easier to read and makes navigation efficient. Websites defy this heuristic if every line has a different font, color, and size. This can be confusing to look at and can make some lines hard to read. It violates the standard of hyperlink formatting because it uses blue text that is not a hyperlink, but the line of blue text further down is. The varying sizes and colors make it confusing to identify relevant information; uniformity of text style is crucial to readability. Making the text the same size, style, and color, and distinguishing hyperlinks would make this information easier to read and understand. Conclusions
Photo Courtesy: Jessica Derby
Labels help explain the icon’s function
The messages clearly states what was done, where the item was put, what it was, and what other options that you have after the task.
Confirmation message for adding phone chargers to a list
would you know what to click on an aviation weather website if you don't know what METAR, TAF, PIREP, or SIGMETs are? Or you might not know what an icon means and what would happen if you click on it unless it is labeled clearly. It's essential to consider those who have limited background information and may use your site during the designing process.
Usability heuristics, such as Nielsen's Ten, are used to assess interface optimization and design based on optimal usability and cognitive load. These guidelines can help design a website to be functional, understandable, and easy to navigate. In the Research in User eXperience (RUX) Lab, we are using heuristic guidelines to create our own website detailing what we do and what the lab has to offer. By following these heuristics, we are aiming to avoid mistakes other websites have made in the past and are hoping to create a website that puts the user’s experience first.
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C2 NASCAR @Homestead
Interview with Garrett Smithley hour just practicing getting on pit road until I felt more comfortable hitting my marks. We had brake problems last year and I actually spun getting on pit road. iRacing really is for the visual parts of racing, like finding braking points and road course stuff.
Vipul Telang & Chirag Mehrotra Managing Editor & Copy Editor 27-year-old Garrett Smithley is a fulltime NASCAR Xfinity series driver, competing for JD Motorsports. This weekend, Smithley drove the No. 0 KSDT Chevrolet at Homestead. The Avion Newspaper met with Garrett during the Ford Ecoboost 400. The Avion Newspaper: So tell us a little about your racing history. How did your career start? Garrett Smithley: I was always a racing fan as a kid, and my dad has always been a huge racing fan as well. I would watch races with him since I was two or three years old and I loved everything about the sport. I knew drivers and sponsors and even memorized their crew chiefs. That’s what got me into racing in general. I only got into the driving aspect when I was fifteen. I went to a local track after seeing a sign that said “test drive a race car” so I did. I won championships in the bandoleros and legend cars and it just went from there! AN: If you had to choose between NASCAR and another racing series like Formula 1, which would you pick and why? GS: NASCAR has always been my passion, but I love Formula 1! I just watched the [Brazilian Grand Prix] race this morning and that’s partly why I was late to the track. I love Formula 1 because it’s a worldwide racing series and is the biggest in the world, but I don’t think I have any aspirations of an open-wheel career at all. I love road racing though, so I would really love to do stuff like the [Rolex] 24 hour at Daytona. I’ve only raced around the track on iRacing though, so doing that in real-life would be pretty neat! AN: Speaking of iRacing, how much time do you spend learning or training with racing simulators? GS: Not that much. It’s really tough to get that seat-of-your-pants feeling. That being said, I do use it to learn. For example, it’s really tough to get on pit road here at Homestead under green. I spent half an
AN: What was your scariest moment in a racecar? GS: I was in a legend car and my steering wheel popped off. That really sucked. AN: Did you pull a Dale Earnhardt Jr. and drive with the steering column? GS: Uh, no (laughs). We wrecked. It popped off and we went headfirst into the wall. It was terrible! That’s probably the only thing. I don’t really get scared of racing the car. I’m more scared of wrecking the car, to be honest. I always want to keep the equipment clean. AN: Who would you consider to be a role model in the world of racing? GS: I would consider Dale Jarrett and Carl Edwards two guys in NASCAR who I really look up to. When I was first getting my start, Mike Mittler was the first guy who ever put me into a car. He passed away earlier this year, but him, Johnny Davis, and now Rick Ware have been role models and been so supportive of me. AN: At the moment, what’s your favorite song? GS: What’s my current favorite song? Hey Keeley? Keeley Dubensky (Garrett’s girlfriend): Yeah? GS: What’s my favorite song? Do I even have a favorite song? KD: (laughs) I’m not sure. Songs that don’t have words in them? GS: Probably EDM! I listen to a lot of things, so I don’t know if I have a current favorite song. My all-time favorite song is Let It Be. I’m actually going to look at my Spotify playlist and see what I listen to (pulls out phone). I’ve been listening to a lot of Miami music lately. AN: Do you listen to a lot of music based on your travels for NASCAR? GS: Yeah, I actually do. I listen to music from different cities a lot more when it’s a destination place such as Miami. But for my EDM people, Purple Gusher is currently my favorite song. For all my showtune people, A Million Dreams [from The Greatest Showman] is my favorite song. The movie was phenomenal! AN: What’s your diet like? As a racer, do you have to eat or avoid certain foods? GS: I’m an awful eater (laughs)! I like to eat a lot of carbs. The night before a race, I’ll eat pasta. The day of the race, I’ll eat a salad and try and eat grilled chicken and rice. Our team likes to do a lot of BBQ and I hate that because it’s heavy and because we have it nearly every week so it gets old. I don’t eat that much before races though because of the nerves and excitement. Pizza is my all-time favorite food though!
AN: What’s your offseason looking like? GS: A lot of work. We’re going to do a lot of sponsorship work but also travel a little bit. We’re planning to see family and travel to Kentucky and Pennsylvania. I’d also like to take a trip with my girlfriend so she doesn’t break up with me! (laughs) I also want to relax and get into streaming. AN: Like on Twitch? GS: Yeah, exactly. I want to stream while playing iRacing or PUBG [Player Unknown: Battle Ground]. I think that’s a really cool way to get the younger fans involved as well that enjoy that stuff. AN: Are you staying with JD Motorsports? GS: I’ve been in talks with Rick Ware Racing. I’ve raced with [the team] at the end of this year and I had some good success with them. I don’t know if it’s going to be a fulltime ride next year in Cup but as of now I’ll be racing both with JD and Rick Ware next season. AN: Ross Chastain decided to run for the truck series points midway through this season. Are you considering going “back to” the Gander Outdoors Truck Series? GS: I would absolutely consider it. If the opportunity came out to go be successful and run for a truck championship, I would definitely look at it. I’ll be racing somewhere! We have our sponsors Victory Lane, KSDT, Trophy Tractor all coming back, so moving towards next season I’m really excited to just race! AN: Looking back, what was your best memory during this season? GS: I have a couple! Running 14th at Indy Motor Speedway was pretty cool. Honestly, the coolest moment was being able to run both the Southern 500 and the Brickyard 400 this year. The success that we’ve had in the Cup series was also very rewarding. We’ve run and kept up with StarCom racing, and our goal next season is to beat them! AN: What’s your favorite track on the calendar? GS: Atlanta. I’m not just saying that because it’s my home track, but it’s just a lot of fun to race around. It’s
super bumpy and worn out. I hope they never repave it, but when they eventually do it’s going to be stupid fast. AN: Outside of the world of racing, what other hobbies do you have? GS: I love video games, and I’m actually super into aviation! I just bought a flight yoke for my computer, and I can’t wait for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 to come out. I bought rudder pedals and everything! I definitely have an interest in getting my private pilot license, but other than that, Netflix! AN: Do you have any favorite shows? GS: I’ve been watching Formula 1: Drive to Survive recently. It’s such a good show! I just can’t wait for the new season. AN: Have you played any of the NASCAR Heat games? GS: I’ve played a little of NASCAR Heat 2 and 3. I haven’t played the most recent one [NASCAR Heat 4] and I never played the first one, because it sucked! (laughs). Growing up, I played Dirt to Daytona on the Gamecube, NASCAR Thunder, NASCAR 2005: Chase For The Cup. All those games all had the budding career where you start and work your way up the ladder to becoming a NASCAR champion. After getting to run Cup races and the Xfinity career that I’ve had, well, it just feels like I’ve lived that. Being inIt’s so surreal to me to get tweets and texts saying “I’m driving as you!” AN: We’ll end this on a random question: do you have a favorite meme? GS: Oh my gosh haha. There are so many (laughs)! Lately, I would have to say the cat one with the women pointing and shouting and the cat being like “haha!” I really like that format. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting that question! AN: Do you watch a lot of Vine? GS: TikTok is where it’s at! AN: Do you have a TikTok account!? GS: Actually, yes I do! I have an account but I haven’t done anything with it. NASCAR actually told us that they want the drivers on TikTok.
Vipul Telang/The Avion Newspaper
Garret Smithley leads a pack of cars through Turn 1 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Saturday afternoon. Smithley retired from the race after an oil line issue on lap 112.
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NASCAR @Homestead C3
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Chirag Mehrotra/The Avion Newspaper
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Chirag Mehrotra/The Avion Newspaper
Vipul Telang/The Avion Newspaper
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C4 NASCAR @Homestead
One Weekend, Three Champions NASCAR’s Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway
Vipul Telang Managing Editor Homestead-Miami Speedway was buzzing with activity from Nov. 16 - 18 in preparation for the finale of the NASCAR season. The mileand-a-half speedway was the deciding location for the playoffs for the Gander Outdoors Truck Series, the Xfinity Series, and the Monster Energy Cup Series. There has been some controversy surrounding the decision to move the championship finale from Homestead-Miami to Phoenix next season. ISM Raceway, which recently underwent a $178 million-dollar renovation, is poised to take the spotlight away from the south Florida speedway, which has hosted the final calendar date for more than twenty years. Weather during the weekend only gave more incentive for the venue to be pushed as the Gander Outdoors Truck Series race on Friday was nearly rained out. Monster Energy Cup driver Kevin Harvick supported the decision to move the race, saying that “[My] decision would be to have the championship race move from year to year” similar to how the Super Bowl is an event rather than one destination. Homestead-Miami will remain on the calendar, but the lone race date will be March 22 instead of the November date. As the season comes to a close, the offseason will see a lot of change to teams as well as drivers. Many rookies from Xfinity are getting full-time rides in the Cup series. One such driver is Cole Custer, who was one of the Championship 4 racing for the Xfinity Series title. Custer will pilot the No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet, replacing Daniel Suarez. “It’s a dream come true to finally race at the Cup level. I’ve been around the garage for so long and for this to finally happen, it’s unreal” said Custer. Suarez, who was the 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Champion, currently does not have a ride for the 2020 season. “I have to get back on my feet and find the best option for myself,” Suarez said. “I am trying to stay with the SHR family, but I don’t even know if I want to be here.” Harrison Burton, who drove the No. 18 Safelite Auto Glass Toyota for Kyle Busch Motorsports, is moving from the Gander Outdoors Truck Series to the Xfinity Series. Burton will be driving the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota full-time after starting a few Xfinity races in the 2019 season. The 19-year-old is poised to improve on his results from this season, with a best finish of 4th in Iowa.
Though the offseason is now here, racing will return next year to the high banks of Daytona during Speedweeks, beginning with The Clash at Daytona on Sunday, Feb. 9 at 3:00 p.m.
Gander Outdoors Truck Series Champion: Matt Crafton Matt Crafton held off Ross Chastain, defending champion Brett Moffitt, and Stewart Friesen to clinch his third Gander Outdoors Truck Series championship on Friday night. After rain delayed the start of the race by nearly an hour and a half, the track officials dried off the track for the field to take the green flag. Austin Hill, who drove the No. 16 Toyota, looked unstoppable the whole night, winning all three stages. Hill, who was eliminated from the playoffs the previous weekend, didn’t let that put a damper on his mood. But the man of the hour was Matt Crafton, who held his ground against fourth-place finisher Chastain, fifth-place finisher Moffitt, and eleventh-place Friesen to finish second behind Hill. The 43-year-old won the championship without winning a race this year.
NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion: Tyler Reddick Tyler Reddick made NASCAR history by being the first driver to win back-to-back championships with different teams. The 23-year-old from Corning, California successfully ran the top groove, managing to finish just 1.038 seconds in front of championship contender Cole Custer. “It was a lot better this year, and it was really cool to win backto-back championships.” Christopher Bell, who finished fourth, could not keep up with the pace of either Reddick or Custer and crossed the line 17 seconds behind the leader. Justin Allgaier, the last of the championship contenders, finished fourteenth after contact with the wall near the end of the race resulted in a flat tire and an unscheduled pit stop. Bell, Custer, and Reddick will all race in the Cup series next year.
Monster Energy Cup Champion: Kyle Busch Kyle Busch clinched his second NASCAR Cup championship on Sunday, holding off a hardcharging Martin Truex Jr. under the lights at Homestead-Miami Speedway. With a clever pit strategy and a car that seemed to improve as the sun set, the cards seemed to play in Busch’s hands perfectly. The season wasn’t easy for Busch, as he severely hurt his foot and leg in a crash at Daytona International Speedway in February. Despite sitting out for eleven races, he won five races throughout the rest of the season en-route to his strongest performance of the season. Kevin Harvick finished fourth, and Hamlin brought up the last of the championship contenders in tenth. Hamlin suffered an overheating car and had to pit to remove grill tape.
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NASCAR @Homestead C5
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