Caroline Brozovich's fingers and lips have turned blue-grey, her movements are sluggish, and her eyes half-shut, as though she's peering through a fog. The oxygen around her is now as thin as the air at 30,000 feet, the cruising altitude for jet aircraft. If Brozovich were piloting an airliner, she and her passengers would be minutes away from unconsciousness - and death.

But Brozovich is a flight student at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world's leading aviation and aerospace educational institution, and her instructor has just handed her an oxygen mask.

They are inside the university's new High Altitude Laboratory, a modern high-tech facility for teaching aspiring pilots how to recognize the symptoms of oxygen loss at high altitudes. Embry-Riddle is the first university in the United States to acquire the unique lab for the purpose of high-altitude hypoxia awareness training. The lab can accommodate 8-10 people per training session and will include a flight training device at a later date. Read More

Embry-Riddle celebrated its inaugural Veterans Appreciation Day at the Daytona Beach Campus, honoring veterans from the university and local community in a special ceremony that featured Scott O' Grady, an alumnus who survived alone for six days after his plane was shot down over Bosnia in 1995.

"I felt like we had an obligation to recognize those who have made so many sacrifices for our country," said President John Johnson. "We owe our existence and our freedom to those veterans like former Captain Scott O' Grady who have put themselves in harm's way and served our great nation so valiantly."

After a brief ceremony recognizing veterans from the five branches of the military service, keynote speaker Scott O' Grady recounted his harrowing story when, in 1995, the F-16C jet he was piloting was shot down by Serbs as he patrolled the no-fly zone over Bosnia. Evading capture by Serb patrols, he lived off the land for six days before he was rescued by U.S. Marines.

While most consider him a hero, O' Grady defines heroism in different terms. "The only thing I was doing out there was trying to survive, and a hero is someone who reaches out to help someone else," he said. "Those who came to rescue me are my heroes."

In honoring all veterans, O' Grady said, "In the history of our beloved nation there has always been the solider who has fought and died so that we may be free. May we always remain grateful to all veterans for their service throughout the history of our country."

Read the Daytona Beach News Journal Article.

Find your next job April 13 - 16, during the Spring 2009 Virtual Hiring Event!

To participate:

• Login to your EagleHire account at http://erau.erecruiting.com
• Click on the event graphic
• Review companies and positions of interest
• Apply for jobs suited for you

You must have a resume uploaded into the system that has been approved prior to applying. Full-time positions will be viewable to job seekers on April 13th, at midnight.

For more information, please visit the eaglesNEST Career Center.

On Friday, April 3, 2009, eleven Alumni Chapter leaders arrived in Prescott, Ariz. for the three-day Chapter Leaders Conference held on the Prescott campus. On Friday evening, the Chapter leaders welcomed the soon-to-be-alumni at the Senior Night Out in downtown Prescott at the Hotel St. Michael. Nearly 180 new alumni were there enjoying southwest fare, a live band and great conversation. Read more.

View more photos of the chapter leaders in Prescott here.

Daytona Beach Campus
The Spring Commencement ceremony for 735 students of Embry-Riddle's Daytona Beach campus will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, May 5, at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach.

The guest speaker will be Dr. Steve Sliwa, a former Embry-Riddle president who is currently the CEO and president of Insitu, a designer and manufacturer of unmanned aerial vehicles for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance in military and civilian operations. Read more

Worldwide Campus
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Worldwide Campus will hold commencement ceremonies for 348 students on Saturday, May 2, 2009 at 9 a.m. in the ICI Center of the Daytona Beach Campus. A reception will follow the ceremony in an area on the north side of the ICI Center.

Commencement speaker Sir Stuart Matthews will be awarded the first Worldwide Campus honorary doctorate in aviation degree for his significant contribution to the aviation industry. Read More

Prescott Campus
John Wing, Founder and Chairman of Wing Aviation, will speak to graduates at the Prescott Campus Commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 2, 2009. Wing has been a member of the Board of Trustees for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University since June 2007.

Since the 1980's, Wing has been recognized as a world leader in the creation of the independent power industry. He is also a founding owner of the Boston Brewing Co., which produces Samuel Adams beer. In addition, Wing is the owner of several corporations, principally related to real estate and oil and gas investments, and is an active investor in the securities industry world wide. Read More.