Daytona Beach, Fla., Aug. 8, 2007 – If you want to convince today's students that they can find passion and adventure in the study of math and science, you can engage their hearts and minds this week by encouraging them to look to the skies as the Space Shuttle Endeavour journeys to the International Space Station with elementary school teacher Barbara Morgan and an Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University alumnus, Col. Benjamin Alvin Drew, on his rookie flight.
A U.S. Air Force officer and NASA astronaut, Drew will serve as a mission specialist on shuttle flight STS-118, charged with providing support to the numerous technical operations scheduled for this voyage. He follows in the footsteps of NASA astronaut Daniel Burbank, a 1990 graduate of Embry-Riddle with a Master of Aeronautical Science degree from Langley Center in Virginia, who flew previously with the Shuttle Atlantis in 2000 and 2006.
In addition to Commander Scott Kelly and his five crew counterparts, Drew takes with him the hopes and dreams of Embry-Riddle's 35,000 students from around the world and coast to coast, who will watch in awe as he represents their own aspirations in aviation and aerospace exploration.
A 1984 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy with two Bachelor of Science degrees in astronautical engineering and physics, Drew completed his Master of Aerospace Science degree from Embry-Riddle's Las Vegas Campus in 1995 and a Master of Strategic Studies in Political Science from the U.S. Air Force Air University in 2006. His work is a testimony to all aspiring students of the worlds one can conquer through the study of math and science.
Drew was asked in his NASA interview how important it is for young people to be interested in exploration and in acquiring the skills that it will take to explore the universe farther. He responded, "Interest from people in school right now and young people is absolutely vital … it's a lifeblood having new people coming up with new ideas and new innovations."
It appears that Congress concurs with Drew's encouragement of a new generation of aerospace pioneers, given that they passed H.R. 2272/S. 761 last week "to ensure our nation's competitive position in the world through improvements to math and science and a strong commitment to research."
According to "The Legislative Highlights," Title II of the agreement "affirms the importance of NASA's aeronautics program to innovation and to the competitiveness of the United States." It further encourages NASA to address aging workforce issues and to emphasize its Undergraduate Student Research Program.
Embry-Riddle's mission every day is to actively engage its traditional, military, and workforce students at each of its three campuses – Daytona Beach, Fla.; Prescott, Ariz.; and Worldwide – in the active pursuit of aviation and aerospace research and innovation. Each of the 4,800 degrees conferred in the last year will go a long way toward easing the impending workforce shortage.
"While we are proud of each and every one of our thousands of hard-working Embry-Riddle graduates, it is always exciting to see their successes celebrated in such a public manner through the launching of a space shuttle or the unveiling of a new technical innovation," said Martin Smith, chancellor, Embry-Riddle Worldwide Campus. "The accomplishments of people like Col. Drew act as daily inspirational reminders to our students of the possible end result to years of educational endeavor."
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world's largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, offers more than 30 degree programs in its colleges of Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business, and Engineering. The university educates more than 34,000 students annually in undergraduate and graduate programs at residential campuses in Prescott, Ariz., Daytona Beach, Fla., and Worldwide at more than 130 centers in the United States, Europe, Canada, and the Middle East, and through online learning. For more information, visit www.embryriddle.edu.
