Message From the Department Chair

Embry‑Riddle’s Aerospace Engineering (AE) Department is the largest in the country, with 2,145 Bachelor of Science students, 111 Master of Science students and 68 Ph.D. students as of Fall 2023. It should be noted that about 9.5% of our undergraduates are honors students, while the rest of the Embry‑Riddle Daytona Beach campus has 4.5% honors students. In addition, we continue to have numerous design/build/test projects at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

I am also proud to report that the undergraduate AE program continues to rank very highly at No. 4 in the nation, according to “U.S. News and World Report” rankings (September 2023). This is a significant accomplishment and demonstrates the program's quality. The graduate program also continues to thrive, ranking No. 25 (tied) in April 2023 and second in Florida. Currently, we have 23% female students and 24% underrepresented minorities in our B.S. program, which is about 7% and 9% (respectively) higher than the national average for Aerospace Engineering programs.

Our research activities have been increasing significantly, with research expenditures more than tripling over the last five years. Some notable current and recently awarded external projects are:

• Department of Education Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need — GAANN. PIs: Lyrintzis, Engblom, Henderson, Leishman, Namilae.
• NSF CAREER, “Multiscale Optimization of Additively Manufactural Spatially Varying Cellular Microstructures.” PI: Tamijani.
• Air Force Research Lab, “Improved Image Processing for Orbit Estimation.” PI: Henderson.
• NSF, “Collaborative Research: Software Infrastructure for Analysis of Infection Propagation Through Air Travel.” Namilae: ERAU PI in multi-university collaboration.
• AFSOR, “A Machine Learning-Based Transfer to Predict Warhead In-Flight Behavior From Static Arena Test Data.” PI: Bevilacqua.
• Florida Space Grant Consortium, “CubeSats Hosting Flexible Appendages for On-Orbit Testing of Advanced Control Algorithms.” PI: Bevilacqua.
• Supernal, “Inceptor Configuration Study for Simplified Vehicle Operations (SVO).” PIs: Collins, Anderson.
• ONR, “Fused Deposition Modeling and Additive Fusion Technology for Continuous Fiber-Reinforced Composite 3D Printing.” PIs: Tamijani, Gnanamanickam, Namilae.
• Air Force, “Experimental Testbed for Development and Validation of Autonomous ISAM/OSAM Systems.” PIs: Nazari, Lovell, Dogan.
• Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), “Integrated Flight and Propulsion Controls for Rotorcraft — Phase 2.” PIs: Collins, Anderson, Dogan, Prazenica.
• Moog Inc. Aircraft Group, “Multi-Copter Coaxial Rotor Design, Analysis and Testing.” PIs: Collins, Ricklick, Currier, Leishman.
• NASA ULI, “Safe, Low-Noise Operation of UAM in Urban Canyons via Integration of Gust Outcomes and Trim Optimization” (subcontract to University of Boston), PIs Golubev, Lyrintzis, Mankbadi.
• AFSOR, “The Response of Wall Turbulence to Large‐Scale, Space‐Time Perturbations.” PI: Gnanamanickam.
• FAA, “Shielded UAS Operations — Detect and Avoid (DAA).” PI: Moncayo.
• ONR, "Active Control of Jet Noise via Bi-Modal Excitation." PIs: Mankbadi, Golubev.
• NSF-REU Site, “Exploring Aerospace Research at the Intersection of Mechanics, Materials Science and Aerospace Physiology.” PIs: Madiyar (Physical Science) and Mello.
• NIH, “A Data Analytics Framework for the Application of Pedestrian Dynamics to Public Health.” PI: Namilae.
• VLRCOE-Vertical Lift Research Centers of Excellence — subcontract from Georgia Tech, “Holistic Representation of Ship-Airwake-Rotor Interactions for Naval UAS Operations.” PIs: Leishman, Gnanamanickam.
• NASA KSC, “Phase II: Development of an SE(3)-Based Rigid Body Pose Estimation Scheme for Unknown Moments of Inertia,” a.i. Solutions, Inc. PIs: Nazari, Henderson, Prazenica.
• FAA, “Investigate Detect and Avoid (DAA) Track Classification and Filtering.” PIs: Prazenica, Henderson, Nazari, Moncayo, Stansbury EECS, Spence COA.
• AFSOR, “Novel Space Science Test via Adaptive Control and Integral Concurrent Learning Leveraging On-Orbit CubeSat Structural Identification.” PI: Bevilacqua.
• NASA, “GNC Efforts in Support of the University of Florida’s Research for NASA’s Instrument Incubator Program (IIP).” PI: Bevilacqua.
• NSF, “Understanding the Coupled Interactions Between Hair-Like Micromechanoreceptors and Wall Turbulence.” PI: Gnanamanickam.
• NSF, “Cyber: Perceptual and Cognitive Additive Manufacturing (PCAM).” PI: Kim, co-PIs: Rojas, Song (EECS).
• ARO, “Understanding the Coupled Dynamics of Particles and Wall Turbulence.” PIs: Gnanamanickam, Zhang.

Our students have been involved in many interesting projects. One example is a project led by Dr. Henderson in which the students are developing a camera (EagleCam) to take a picture of a moon landing (the first camera to do so). The department also participates in many collegiate competition projects undertaken by undergraduate students with notable successes, including these excellent accomplishments:

• 3rd place (1st in the U.S.) in the AIAA Design, Build, Fly (DBF) 2023 competition, with 100-plus teams competing. Embry-Riddle has placed in the top three teams for three years in a row, which is unpreceded.
• 2nd place in AIAA Engine Design Competition (2020)
• 1st place in the AIAA Individual Design Competition (summer 2017)

Our successes across these various areas are thanks to the guidance from very talented faculty who are leaders in their fields. In fact, a recent (10/23 for the 2022 year) Elsevier/Stanford study named several of our faculty among an international list of the world’s top 2% of scientists recognized for their career scholarly impact (excluding self-citations). There are 1,130 names in the Aerospace Engineering discipline. The following Embry-Riddle Distinguished Professors are recognized in this list: Dr. Gordon Leishman #26, Dr. Mark Balas #39 (visiting), Dr. John Ekaterinaris #199, Dr. James Gregory #383, Dr. Tasos Lyrintzis #460 and Dr. Reda Mankbadi #707. In addition, Dr. Bevilacqua is on the 2021 list, and Dr. Tamijani is on the 2022 list.

I am also proud to highlight the work of our researchers at the Eagle Flight Research Center (EFRC). The EFRC is an aerospace research and design facility that aims to further manned and unmanned flight through work related to alternative propulsion, flight control, autonomy and the development of novel aircraft. Currently, the EFRC is conducting research for sponsors such as the FAA and NASA, as well as for corporate partners and in-house initiatives. The EFRC is engaged in: modifying a Diamond HK-36 motor-glider from gas to electric propulsion; designing, building and testing a 70+ kW serial hybrid electric power plant; researching simplified vehicle operations for UAM control concept evaluation; analyzing and testing rotor optimization models; researching integrated high lift propulsion; and designing, building and testing two quad-rotor research testbeds. In the past year, the EFRC has offered 100-plus undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to apply classroom learning in a state-of-the-art practical environment, guided by experienced faculty and staff with specialties in fixed- and rotary-wing flight dynamics and control, flight testing, aeroelasticity, electrical engineering, air-breathing propulsion, parameter identification and aerodynamics. Over the past five years, the EFRC has received more than $4.8 million in research grants and remains a hub for aerospace innovation.

Best Regards,

Dr. Tasos Lyrintzis
Distinguished Professor and Chair