STEM Exploration Day; Bridges, Turbochragers, Flashlights, PAUL, and HAM

Today, I found myself at ERAU's activity center at STEM Exploration Day, sponsored by the Society of Women Engineers.

The society of Women Engineers would include these fine folks. From Left to Right; Abby C, Ciara T (president) and Dr. Brenda Haven (who also happens to be my academic advisor) 

Lots of clubs from Embry Riddle were Represented, IEEE, Spacecraft Detail and Design (ok, that's a class, not a club), Centrifugal Flow Systems, AIAA Design-Build-Fly, and Eagle Amateur Radio Club.

PAUL

So, this is PAUL. PAUL is the "Precision Automated Lander" designed by The Spacecraft Detail and Design Class.

 AIAA Design-Build-Fly

This was actually test-flown at one of my favorite places on all of campus-the RC field! They hand-built almost every aspect, it's part of the rules. This was designed by members of the AIAA design-build-fly group. They spend almost all of their time on computer designs and simulations to design their own RC planes (PS-i just got my own RC plane and I'm learning to fly it!!!)

IEEE MAKE YOUR OWN FLASHLIGHT

Fun Fact: These were LED flashlights. This stands for "Light Emitting Diode". I know I learned this before, but I forgot; was quite gruntled to be reminded. (Look up Gruntled. It's an AWESOME word!!!)

BRIDGES

This Person's Bridge held 30lbs!
If she doesn't go to school here, SHE SHOULD

There was a contest, to see whose bridge could hold the most weight. I'm not sure who the winner was, but I bore witness to one girl's bridge holding 30lbs. I remember doing this from High school, and mine barely got past 5. So, I was impressed.

Shoutout to Eagle Space Flight Team. You guys are cool.

EAGLE AMATEUR RADIO CLUB

So, shamefully, I did not know we had this cool club on campus. They work with a real satellite that, from what I understand, ERAU developed, called EagleSat. They communicate using HAM radio. I was like, dude! AWESOME!

CENTRIFUGAL FLOW SYSTEMS

Ok, already intimidated by big words? Yeah, I was too. Apparently, this is a turbocharger. It's what's in your car. They 3D printed a mini model. From what I understand (you would probably be better off looking this up almost ANYWHERE else) it has hot air, and it mixes with cold air that the car sucks in, and makes a fan spin and makes car go fast. (If you know more detail, feel free to explain in the comments!)

Shoutout to this awesome person who took the time to explain this to me. Takes patience to explain stuff to me, sometimes. My brain needs time to break stuff down into smaller pieces.

Believe it or not, this is only Part I, there's a whole nother part about the Rocket Launches and Gliders and Aviation Stuff. Hope You've enjoyed this Martian's Eye View of STEM Exploration Day (Part I)

xoxo Martian

The Grand Canyon

So today, I took a little field trip to a place that felt, truly, like the top of the world. I had the privilege of visiting the Grand Canyon. It was absolutely breathtaking. The views, the colors, the sheer SIZE, made me feel so small. It really makes you consider your place in the world.

so the drive started out peacefully enough. Around Flagstaff, though, we spotted Snow! yes, REAL SNOW! Believe it or not, it does snow in Arizona, especially up north. 

Mom, this find was for you. an old-school dairy queen sign. Bring back any memories??

This was kind of cool. On the way up, we passed over a section of Route 66 that was like something straight out of Cars. This was an old diner. It was all very Old West.

 EEP! I was so excited when I saw this! Not just the McDonalds (although the McNuggets aren't that bad) But GRAND CANYON McDonalds. Isn't everything a little more excited when associated with some type of symbol, monument, or National Park? (The McDonalds at Steven-Udvar Hazy Research Center was so much better than the one at Atlanta Airport.)

Yes, believe it or not, in the heat of Arizona, we get snow. Even at the Grand Canyon. For me, it just added to the true beauty of the whole, incomprehensible, breathtakingly beautiful scene

The weather was Perfect. I had brought a jacket that was really only slightly neccesary in the shade. Photo Creds to JAWs

Just look at the pure SCALE of this place. On the right, i got a picture of where the river once ran through the canyon, carving its perfection.

It felt like the top of the world. There was a climb down to this spot. Although it felt like the top of the world, behind me you can see the scale of the Canyon compared to me and know that I am still so small.

It's a LONG way down

On the way out toward the exit, there was a sign for tribes that called the Canyon home. It truly made me stop and think-a canyon so large, to house this many people. Did these people realize what a beautiful place they called home?

I did visit the gift shop before I left. But what I bought there? That's for YOU to guess. The pure scale of this place could not hope to be captured in, what I feel, are incredibly simple photos. If you haven't been yet, I highly recommend it. Hope you enjoyed my Grand Canyon Adventure. 

xox Martian

ALSO: Check out these videos I took, in an effort to capture the grand scale which you are facing when standing on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. They sound like the same video, but I PROMISE they aren't,I just couldn't get myself to stop saying WOW. (They are like 18-seconds each)

Grand Canyon View

More Views from the South Rim

Martian's Riddle Roundup: RAs at Riddle

So Here at Embry Riddle, we have some of the coolest RA's. RA stands for "resident assistant", which pretty much means they make sure we go to class, and follow the rules, and don't get drunk on the weekends. Also, at least as freshmen, they come once a month to make sure our rooms are clean. There's 22 or so RA's. There's five freshman halls, five suite/apartment-style upperclassmen halls, and 4 "temporary" dorms, (which is where I live.) Here's a handful of the RAs at Riddle.

So I guess I'll start out with some of the freshman RAs...

This is Jennifer. She's in charge of Hall one, floor one. She's super cool, puts on great events, and can usually be found around campus smiling.

This is Tessa. She lives on Hall one, floor three. She's actually suitemates with a very old friend of mine. Her suitemate has known me since I was thirteen. Anyway, Tessa is pretty cool, she's a member of RHA and is a global security major. Tessa is really nice to everybody and is a really happy person and a really hard worker.

.This is Eddie. He works on hall two, floor two. He's pretty cool, and very well-known around campus. He's a really friendly guy, he always tells really good jokes, and he's always willing to lend a helping hand. I've never met a person who knew Eddie and didn't like him, he really is that well-liked.





This is Demi, He works on Hall 2, floor three. Hall two is where I hang out a lot, so I definitely see him around quite a bit. Demi is a good guy, he works really hard and all his residents love him. He's coming back as an upperclassmen RA next year, and it's safe to say everyone is really excited, as Demi is really fun and plans great hall events

So I've mentioned RA Jo before. Joanna is in charge of Hall Three, Floor Three. She's on the same floor as my friend Kristin, in fact, and one of my coworkers, Courtney. She's really nice, she's a strong leader and very independent minded. A mechanical Engineering Major, she plans to work with helicopters when she graduates.

 This is Kelly, of Hall 5, floor 3 fame. She's a member of our other campus sorority, Alpha Sigma Tau. She and I were in psychology together last semester. She's really smart, a hard worker, and is extremely helpful too. People love Kelly because she is soft-spoken and kind. She has a great sense of humor, and works well with other residents. She also gets excited about events, and is happy just because she can be, which is a great attribute.She's an excellent RA, and a few of my friends live on her floor.

So These are RAs Amanda and Candice. Amanda, as I've mentioned, is unofficially my RA. She checks up on my going to classes, makes sure i know about campus events, and is pretty much my go-to person for problems. Amanda won't be an RA next year though, unfortunately.
Candice is officially my RA for where i live when I'm NOT staying at my friend's house. Candice is really smart, outgoing, and has the amazing ability to bring our entire hall together when ten minutes before we were arguing about who left moldy eggshells in the sink. Candice will be a freshman RA next year. She'll do really well.








This is Hannah. She's super sweet, says hi to everyone, and doesn't have a mean bone in her body. She's a flight student, and will be an RA next year for freshmen. Right now, she lives in the Village, Hall seven. She has the amazing ability to put a smile on your face no matter what, and she has a great spirit, too.

This is just a roundup of some of the RA's on campus. There's a whole fantastic group of them, and I love interacting with all of them. Sorry I couldn't fit them all on here, but I promise they're ALL a great bunch of people. 

And that's this week's Riddle Roundup

xox-Martian

Embry-Riddle Campus

The View from the Auditorium, Davis Learning Center

So, I'm a second-semester freshman at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University here in Prescott, Arizona. It's a gorgeous Campus, even when the wind is blowing, or it's raining, or even snowing. It may be Arizona, but we experience all the seasons here!

August is monsoon season, so just before classes, we pretty much got soaked. 

We also get snow. Just before thanksgiving break, we got enough snow for me to spend about an hour building the little guy on the right. He didn't last long, but he sure is cute! On the left you can see the snow on the track (upper left) and the path down to our gym/activity center covered in the white stuff. 

More images from Riddle Campus. One thing about Prescott, Arizona- we have BEAUTIFUL Sunsets!

 So this old dirt road is a good friend, i take it every time on my way to flying Remote-Control Airplanes. The weather in the morning is always absolutely beautiful.

So that's some photos of Embry-Riddle from a Martian's Eye-View. Stay tuned for more!

xox -Martian