Scholarly Commons (Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University)

This dissertation studies three physical-layer optimization problems that share a common difficulty: the forward model, whether an electromagnetic solver or a statistical channel model, is either too expensive to evaluate at design scale or too unstable to hold across a single processing block. The first two problems are treated in their own right, as problems in antenna design and in multi-user …

Pseudospectral collocation is a widely used direct transcription method that discretizes continuous systems with spectral accuracy and high fidelity while requiring relatively few collocation points. The special orthogonal group, SO(3), is both a Lie group and a manifold, and thus demands on-manifold optimization techniques to preserve its geometric structure. Riemannian optimization is enabled b…

Cybersecurity has become a global concern as cyber-attacks have become more common, and the cost of the damage caused by them continues to increase. There are several approaches to improve the cyber security of systems such as Digital Signatures, hashing, watermarking, and encryption among others. Digital Signatures are a cryptographic technique used to verify the authenticity and integrity of di…

Shipboard helicopter operations occur within a highly unsteady environment referred to as the dynamic interface (DI), encompassing the coupled effects of the ship airwake, rotor wake, flight dynamics, and pilot response. A central aspect of the DI is the aerodynamic interaction between the ship airwake and the rotor wake, which degrades handling qualities and increases pilot workload, yet the und…

Close-proximity operations in the vicinity of Near-Earth Asteroids (NEAs) are essential for scientific studies and possible future planetary-defense missions. Unlike motion around large celestial bodies, spacecraft dynamics near small, rotating asteroids are dominated by weak, highly irregular gravity fields. While full characterization of an asteroid’s shape enables high-fidelity gravitational m…

This thesis presents the development and validation of a methodology for predicting total acoustic emissions from a one-fifth scale electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) rotor in both hover and edgewise flight conditions. The approach couples sectional two-dimensional Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (2D-RANS) airfoil simulations with rotor loading predictions from the Comprehensive Hierar…

Effective communication is a critical component of successful collaboration in group projects and team settings. However, systematically tracking and analyzing team communications can be challenging, especially in complex, multi-member teams such as those found in the aerospace industry. This paper explores an information-theoretic approach that leverages encoding techniques and graph theory to a…

There is a robust history of theoretical work on ionospheric plasma patches and their attendant plasma fluid irregularities, particularly within the polar cap region. Within this region though, plasma theory does not always yield tractable problems with succinct analytic solutions that are conceptually illuminating. Observational research methods and techniques, using a multitude of ground-based …

This lecture explores the relationship between space security and environmental sustainability, examining how responsible practices in outer space can contribute to the protection and security of Earth’s environment.

Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) is widely recognized for its ability to manage complexity across a system’s lifecycle, yet many traditional top-down frameworks struggle when applied to organizations dominated by legacy systems, fragmented documentation, evolving stakeholder needs, and increasing integration requirements. Furthermore, modern systems cannot be designed in a vacuum—most syste…

Public safety professionals routinely respond to incidents ranging from domestic disputes to violent crimes. This repeated exposure puts officers at risk for vicarious trauma (VT), a condition in which individuals develop stress symptoms from indirect exposure to others’ trauma. VT often overlaps with secondary traumatic stress, burnout (exhaustion from long-term overwork and emotional strain), a…

Modern life relies on technology that is based on a scientific understanding of the world around us, obtained from centuries of study. Scientists are still exploring the nature of fundamental physical laws in the universe. Our modern understanding of the universe relies on Einstein’s General Relativity (GR) to describe known gravitational phenomena and the Standard Model (SM) of particle physics …

The U.S. National Science Foundation Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (NSF LIGO) was the first to detect gravitational waves, back in 2015. By increasing the sensitivity in the detectors, scientists can observe more gravitational waves, and of various types; however, increasing the sensitivity also makes the equipment more susceptible to detecting external noise, which interfer…

Effective cybersecurity education requires theoretical knowledge and hands-on experience to prepare students for real-world challenges. While foundational concepts are presented in textbooks, many lack practical applications, resulting in insufficient preparation for troubleshooting and securing complex network systems. Additionally, as cybersecurity tools rapidly evolve, educational resources mu…

The IREC (International Rocket Engineering Competition) is an international rocketry competition in which Embry-Riddle has participated most recently in the past two years. Over 150 teams participate worldwide and aim to build a rocket that reaches a specific target altitude. This goal drives research and innovation and allows teams to experiment with unique approaches that incorporate multiple f…

Massive stars provide much of the energy in their host galaxies in the form of both ionizing radiation and feedback to the interstellar medium. Most massive stars are found in multiple systems, allowing us to measure how the stars interact and move and to obtain direct measurements of stellar masses. This project aims to measure spectroscopic data for two massive binaries that are in long orbits …

Cold cases represent unresolved questions shaped by time, community involvement, and evolving investigative methods. This undergraduate research examines how the “small-town effect” can both positively and negatively influence the progression of a criminal investigation. The project focuses on the unsolved murder of a woman in a small coastal town in California, a case that remains significant wi…

The Blended Wing Body (BWB) configuration offers significant aerodynamic efficiency improvements over conventional tube-and-wing aircraft, particularly for long-range transport at high-subsonic cruise conditions. Prior research has demonstrated the benefits of optimized spanwise lift distributions and propulsion-airframe integration, but these factors are often studied independently. This project…

Human trafficking has previously been an underappreciated issue, and prior to 2015 there was no real foundation for child forensic interviewing. Upon the publication of the Child Forensic Interviewing Guide and the Forensic Interviewer’s Toolkit, there were more recommended guidelines in practice. However, these mainly relate to child abuse, assault, and neglect, and most of the literature surrou…

The Prescott Observatory Team for Analyzing Telescopically Observed Echelle Spectra (POTATOES) will create a team of observers who utilize the campus observatory. POTATOES will do this by recruiting freshmen and sophomores to be volunteer observers and learn to collect and reduce data. By teaching these skills earlier in their college careers, students are better prepared for creating and working…