College of Aeronautics at Florida Institute of Technology

We are very proud to announce that our recent graduate Zachery Miller was awarded one of the 2023 National Gay Pilots Association – Piedmont sponsored scholarship recipients.

Zach says that aviation “runs in his blood”. He is the first of his family to chase a career in aviation but remembers the spark he felt when his grandparents took him to the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh show at 4 years old.  He has been in love with the field since.

Zach has channeled his love for aviation into a bachelor’s degree in aviation management with a minor in communications from Florida Institute of Technology. As he has gotten older, he has realized that he also has a passion for making a difference in people’s lives. With both of his interests in mind, he seeks to pursue a career in Airline Operations and Planning. This will allow him to focus on both aviation and customer service on a global scale. He dreams of creating policies and proposals that allow for everyone to feel welcomed and valued.

Winning the scholarship reinforced these ideas within Zach. He felt appreciated for both the work he has completed and his future accomplishments. The recognition he has received by Piedmont and the NGPA fortified a feeling of responsibility to use his talents and make positive impacts within the aviation community. He highlights how important it is for companies to sponsor groups like the NGPA.

Congratulations Zach! We are very proud of you!

Two amazing pieces of news at our “Skyward Together” this week!

First the arrival of our new EIGHT Piper Pilot 100i aircraft! The planes were welcomed by a water canon salute and a hangar filled with cheering community members. Florida Tech’s very own certified flight instructors piloted these state-of-the-art aircraft from Piper’s manufacturing facility in Vero Beach, FL to Florida Tech Aviation.

Second, we’re thrilled to share that Florida Tech has received a $1 million grant from the Emil Buehler Perpetual Trust, a long-time university supporter that’s been instrumental in developing our renowned aviation training programs. These funds will support the College of Aeronautics mission to provide students with the highest quality aviation education.

Such an amazing time in the college and such an amazing way to start the 2024 Academic year with new students arriving this coming week!

Congratulations to COA alumnae Jo Damato ’97 who will be testifying as a witness on Capitol Hill this Wednesday, July 10th at 10 a.m. EDT to the House Transportation & Infrastructure Aviation subcommittee. Watch live and show your at the link below!

Eliminating Bottlenecks: Examining Opportunities to Recruit, Retain, and Engage Aviation Talent | Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (house.gov)

https://transportation.house.gov/calendar/eventsingle.aspx?EventID=407637

We were delighted to take our new Provost, Dr. John Z. Kiss, on a tour of our facilities as well as up for a discovery flight of the Melbourne area.

We were able to showcase all the amazing things that are ongoing in the College of Aeronautics and what makes us such a great place to for students to start their aviation career!

We are so excited to have him join the senior leadership team of the university and we look forward to working with him to help the college succeed to greater heights!

We are so incredibly proud to share that our very own Dean of the College of Aeronautics, Dr. John Deaton, was awarded the U.S. Navy Aerospace Experimental Psychology Society (USNAEPS) Capt. Paul R. Chatelier Lifetime Achievement Award.

Dr. Deaton saved in the US Navy as an Aerospace Experimental Psychologist from 1980 to 1995 by conducting critical research into aviation human factors. The award recognizes Dr. Deaton’s “pioneering contributions to aviation research, outstanding contributions as Dean of the College of Aeronautics at Florida Tech, and unwavering dedication to advancing human factors understanding.”

Dr. Deaton has been with Florida Tech and the College of Aeronautics since 2001 and has conducted numerous research endeavors while also educating several generations of students. We are incredibly lucky to have him as our Dean and we wish him a hearty congratulations on such a well deserved honor.

Link to the story is below: https://news.fit.edu/aeronautics-aviation/john-deaton-recognized-with-lifetime-achievement-award-from-navy-psychology-group/

Wishing the Florida Tech Flight Team all the very best of luck at the .aero National Competition! The team has safely made their way up to Janesville, WI this weekend. Events start tomorrow!

Good luck team and GO PANTHERS!

We had a great semester using the headset in our courses. Students in one of Florida Tech’s aviation technology courses were introduced to VTR’s FlightDeckToGo, which allows the user to interact with a fully-functional Boeing 737 flight deck in a virtual reality environment.

Embraer spinoff Eve Air Mobility developing electric 'air taxi' aircraft at Melbourne HQ Eve Air Mobility's U.S. headquarters are co-located inside Embraer’s Engineering and Technology Center at Melbourne Orlando International Airport.

Congratulations to alumnae Jo Damato on being awarded the Alpha Eta Rho award for her “outstanding leadership in fostering and promoting collegiate education and development.”

Jo Damato is the National Business Aviation Association’s (NBAA) Senior Vice President for education, training and workforce development. She has been actively involved in the industry in avenues such as Women in Aviation International, U.S. DOT’s Youth Access to American Jobs in Aviation Task Force, Women in Corporate Aviation, as well as the College of Aeronautics at Florida Tech.

She was also able to meet and get to know several COA students at the Alpha Eta Rho conference earlier this month (pictured in second photo). In Jo’s own words: “I am so proud to be a Panther 4 Life. I was also very proud that Florida Tech had such a strong showing of professional and engaging students attending the conference. They were all so wonderful and welcoming.”

Alpha Eta Rho is a professional collegiate aviation fraternity, of which there is a large student chapter on Florida Tech’s campus. We are very proud of her achievements and are so happy to see the industry celebrate her great work throughout her career.

Florida Tech continues to demo virtual reality technology from VTR. Students are able to interact with controls and systems on the flight deck of a Boeing 737NG on a self-contained system that is completely portable.

We are having a blast at the SUN ‘n FUN Aerospace Expo! If you are attending the expo, we’d love to see you. Stop by the Florida Tech exhibit space, MD-019B, to meet the awesome folks from FIT Aviation and learn all about our jet dragster.

COA STUDENTS!

The first 24 students to sign up for the Florida Tech Homecoming, Thursday, April 4, 2024, at 5:30 pm for the 2-mile Run/Walk will get to race for free by using the below code:

COAStudentscomp24 = limit to 24 students

Please be sure to join our team: College of Aeronautics ‘The Ascent’ Team

Register at this link, https://runsignup.com/Race/FL/Melbourne/floridatech!

Florida Tech continues to demo FlightDeckToGo to our aviation students on our college campus, as well as our flight school. “VTR’s Boeing 737 Training is incredibly effective, fun, and powerful. The experience using the VR headset cannot be compared to any other training aid, and I see it as transformational in the pursuit of knowledge and insight into more advanced aircraft systems.” – Flight Operations Supervisor, FIT Aviation

Florida Tech College of Aeronautics adds the latest airline to its list of pathway partners: Allegiant.

Pictured here is Dean of the College of Aeronautics, Dr. John Deaton signing the contract and receiving a commemorative model aircraft.

Through Allegiant’s Accelerate Program, students with a private pilot certificate and instrument rating will be paired with a pilot mentor in preparation to join the airline as a first officer once they meet minimum flight hour requirements.

Calling All College of Aeronautics...

Florida Tech would like to welcome its newest airline pathway partner, Allegiant Air. Our new partner will be on-campus all day on Tuesday March 5th!

Come witness the signing and learn more about the Accelerate Pathway Program!

Remember to register for the Aeronautics Career Fair this Wednesday 1-4pm!!

The Florida Tech College of Aeronautics and Dean Dr. John Deaton, were recently featured on the front page of Brevard Business News!

Check out the great article highlighting the growth and success of our college!

Congratulations to our very own COA Professor Dr. Meredith Carroll for being named the 2024 Women Inspiring Success & Excellence (WISE) Faculty Excellence Award winner.

Dr. Meredith Carroll ‘03 M.S. is a Professor of Aviation Human Factors, and Founder and Director of the Advancing Technology-interaction and Learning in Aviation Systems (ATLAS) Lab at Florida Institute of Technology’s College of Aeronautics. She has over 20 years of experience studying human/team performance and training in complex systems.

Her research focuses on decision-making in complex systems, cognition and learning, human-autonomy teaming, performance assessment, and adaptive training. She has been funded by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), the Office of Naval Research (ONR), and the Army Research Laboratory (ARL) to study different facets of these areas.

She also worked at the Kennedy Space Center conducting user-centered design of International Space Station payloads, processing facilities, and ground support equipment.
She teaches a range of human factors courses to give students practical, hands-on experience in applying theories of cognition and learning to optimize performance in various situations from aviation to defense.

She received her B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Virginia, her M.S. in Aviation Science from Florida Institute of Technology, and her Ph.D. in Applied Experimental Psychology and Human Factors from the University of Central Florida.

In recognition of Women’s History Month, the Florida Tech Alumni Association will celebrate four individuals (a student, an alumna, a staff member, and a faculty member) who embody the spirit of promoting women’s participation and development within the Florida Tech Community. We are very proud that Dr. Carroll will be receiving this award for all her exceptional research and commitment to student mentorship within our university and our college.

This past weekend, we were so happy to support our Women in Aviation student chapter’s Girls in Aviation Day at our flight line!

What a great day with so many eager participants!

The Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES) Florida Tech Chapter proudly presents Dr. John Deaton as our presentation for this semester. His presentation will be held on February 15 from 5-6 p.m. on his experience as an international crew member on a Mars-simulated habitat. Anyone from our FL Tech campus community is invited to join us in the Olin Life Sciences Building in Room 130!

His biography and additional details on his presentation are listed below.

Biography:
Dr. Deaton is the Dean of the College of Aeronautics at Florida Tech. He is a former Naval Commander, having worked as an Aerospace Experimental Psychologist and completed Basic Flight Training during his Navy career. He was also a semi-finalist in NASA’s Astronaut Training Program. Sponsored by Space Florida, Dr. Deaton was afforded the opportunity to live as a Marsonaut for two weeks at the Mars Desert Research Station in Utah. During this time, he conducted numerous human factors/psychology studies on five other participants from various countries (India, Greece, Italy, and Canada). What it’s like to live on Mars will be discussed in photos documenting his journey and anecdotal comments.

Presentation:
Ever want to go to Mars? Will I did…sort of. As part of a psychology study, I spent two weeks with an international crew (Greece, India, Italy, and the U.S.) on a Mars-simulated habitat in the remote Utah desert. We lived and worked as Marsonauts in the 16-foot diameter habitat, eating what the actual Marsonauts would be eating and facing the challenges of isolation and close group living. I documented (in photos and commentary) all of my experiences and those of the crew in what I think you’ll find a fascinating story of what it would be like to live on the red planet. By the end of this presentation, you will know whether it’s possible to go to Mars and if you might be a candidate.

The College of Aeronautics is proud to restart our relationship with SAMI (Southern AeroMedical Institute) , based in Melbourne, FL. Our students are now able to experience atmospheric conditons at 20,000 feet, and record their symptoms of hypoxia. This is extremely valuable training for any pilot, and we are so fortunate to be able to offer this unique opportunity to our students.

The College of Aeronautics is partnering with Visionary Training Resources (VTR) to integrate virtual reality technology into the classroom.

A virtual reality (VR) headset loaded with VTR’s proprietary software, FlightDeckToGo®, will be introduced into the college’s Advanced Aircraft Systems course, which provides students with an overview of the systems used in air transport category aircraft and focuses intently on the Boeing 737 NG.

The system, featuring a 3D rendering of the flight deck of a Boeing 737 NG, will allow students to utilize VR flight deck familiarization modules with the guidance of checklist and procedures training to augment traditional learning materials such as PowerPoint slides, diagrams, and videos. It will be rolled out later this spring.

Read more about the news at: https://news.fit.edu/aeronautics-aviation/florida-tech-visionary-training-resources-partner-for-classroom-vr/

Check out this great opportunity at ! COA students are encouraged to apply as it will be a great learning experience!

Apply at: https://forms.gle/PHnn3fP8PxHRoub17

The ATLAS Lab at Florida Tech, run by the COA’s Dr. Meredith Carroll, took IITSEC 2023 by storm!

Congratulations to ATLAS Lab members Kendall Carmody and Yarisse Adorno for being awarded the RADM Fred Lewis Postgraduate PhD and Master's Scholarships. Kendall also did a great job presenting their recent research on Human Factors Training Implications for Urban Air Mobility Operations.

Congratulations to Dr. Summer Rebensky, former ATLAS Lab lead, for achieving NTSA' 2023 Top 10 Under 40, as well as winning best paper award with another former ATLAS Lab lead, Dr. María Chaparro Osman.

Join us for a presentation and networking event entitled “Leading Edge Technology and Research in Advanced Air Mobility”.

Monday, December 4, 5:30 - 6:30 pm in Skurla Hall, Room 110.

Information Requirements for Electric Aircraft and Battery Displays
Dr. Meredith Carroll, Florida Tech's ATLAS Lab

Progression to Autonomy and Low Altitude Operations
Mr. Chris Fernando, Hovecon/Florida Tech

Alternative and Sustainable Aviation and Propulsion Systems
Mr. Rohit Goyal, The Boeing Co.

We are extremely proud of both of our 2023 Tony Jannus Scholars Award Winners!

The Tony Jannus Distinguished Aviation Society Scholars Award Program provides financial support to eligible students who are pursuing careers in aviation and are enrolled in colleges or aviation trade schools in Florida. 

In January of 1914, Tony Jannus flew a paying passenger from St. Petersburg to Tampa in a Benoist airboat. This achievement established the Tampa Bay area as the home of the first scheduled commercial airline. Each year, the Tony Jannus Distinguished Aviation Society celebrates this historic aviation achievement by recognizing a distinguished individual for outstanding contributions to scheduled air transportation.

The society also looks to the future by providing scholars awards to eligible undergraduate college students and trade school students who are enrolled in programs that could result in careers in aviation.

Congratulations to Eunseo Heo and Jacob Wolfe on being selected as winners for the 2023 awards!

We have another fun Double Feature Alumni Spotlight! Taylor Rains and Ryan Eberhardt, both COA Alumni, recently got married and are traveling for their honeymoon. Taylor tells us a little about their Story below:

“We met via another COA alum Kyle Fisher, who introduced us in September 2018. Ryan was finishing his degree, and I was already graduated (B.S. Aviation Management) and working as a safety specialist at Allegiant Air in Las Vegas.

We officially got together in March 2019, and Ryan graduated (B.S. Aviation Management w/ Flight) that May and started CFI training. We did long distance up until the pandemic when our industry took the huge hit, with both of us out of work due to layoffs and furloughs.

Fast forward a few years and we eventually relocated to Connecticut. He as a CFI and me continuing doing freelance journalism.

In 2021, he got his position at Republic as a first officer and I started at Insider as a fellow. I was officially hired as an aviation reporter in February 2022. We’re both still at our respective companies, though Ryan is looking forward to moving up to a mainline soon.

And we’ve definitely been taking advantage of those flight benefits! Ryan goes with me on my work trips when he can, flying over in Business on AA to London for an Airshow last year. He then went to Paris this year. So our jobs mesh very well together and he can get some cool access to planes and such. Oh, and yes I’ve been flying with him on his flights. It’s fun to hear his announcements!”

We love to hear about their story and can’t wait to see all the amazing things they will do in our industry!

The Florida Tech 37 Hours of Giving is now live! We would really appreciate your donations to the College of Aeronautics Dean’s Fund. Donations directly impact our ability to do amazing things for our students and enhance their experience!

We thank you all so much!

Florida Tech Giving Day

Florida Tech - Employment
College of Aeronautics

Tenure-Track Aeronautics Faculty – Assistant Professor in Aviation Meteorology

Positions: The College of Aeronautics is seeking tenure-track full-time faculty members for the undergraduate and graduate aeronautical programs. Selected applicants must be in place for the Fall 2024 semester.

Responsibilities:
• Teach the following undergraduate and graduate courses:

• Aviation Meteorology (undergraduate)
• Aviation Meteorology 2 (undergraduate)
• Aviation Meteorology Theory and Practice (graduate)
• Teach additional undergraduate and graduate courses according to qualifications.
• Teach selected courses in person and via distance learning in international and domestic extended-campus programs.
• Advise undergraduate and graduate students on academic matters and career planning.
• Serve on division, school, and university committees as assigned.
• Obtain external funding for and conduct research in contemporary aviation meteorology-related issues.
• Supervise graduate students conducting research.
• Chair thesis and/or dissertation committees.

Minimum Qualifications:
• Doctoral degree in meteorology/atmospheric sciences, aeronautical science (with meteorological emphasis), or a closely related field is preferred.
• Experience in fields directly in or applicable to aviation meteorology.
• Teaching experience.
• Funded research experience or demonstrated capability for funded research in aviation meteorology.
• Ability to publish in peer reviewed academic journals.
• Ability to apply current instructional technology in classroom and distance learning.

Salary: Competitive salary and rank commensurate with qualifications and experience.
To Apply: Qualified applicants should submit a letter of application noting specific qualifications and interests related to the list of responsibilities above and resume or CV through Florida Tech employment webpage https://www.fit.edu/employment/. Florida Tech is an equal opportunity employer committed to excellence through diversity.