STEM Education Center

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has long been a world leader in aviation and aerospace education. As such, the university is committed to the academic disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics – a STEM-based education. The Embry-Riddle faculty and students have worked with the community to share in this commitment to STEM-centered experiential and project-based learning.

In October 2017, Embry-Riddle’s Prescott Campus opened the STEM Education Center and the Jim and Linda Lee Planetarium; one of the intentions being to support existing outreach efforts by faculty and students, increase the scope and offerings of such efforts, and ultimately sustain a culture of STEM literacy and enthusiasm in the Quad Cities.

The Embry-Riddle STEM Education Center fills a vital need for promoting and enhancing STEM education at Embry-Riddle, for schools, youth organizations, and in the community at large.

The STEM Education Center

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STEM Center at a Glance

Our Laboratories

To help students achieve their greatest potential, the STEM Education Center required industry grade laboratories, workshops, and studios worthy of the brilliant scholars who would use them. Although the labs are in use by STEM students at Embry-Riddle, you can schedule a virtual experience to see our facilities first-hand.

A few of the most exciting laboratories in the STEM Education Center include:

The Jim and Linda Lee Planetarium features a state-of-the-art dome theater and powerful digital projection system that allows for presentations of NASA’s library of shared content and 3-D universe exhibitions. The planetarium and theater illuminates the universe to viewers with stunning clarity, and is prominently featured through media and educational outlets within the local area and beyond.

Learn more about the planetarium and view public showtimes.

The Cavendish Lab provides students with the ability to research and experiment with exotic propulsion systems, including the study of matter and antimatter interactions, which could ultimately be used to revolutionize deep space travel. 

The LIGO Optics Lab allows students to investigate and identify the ‘physics reach’ of LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) detectors and their search for Gravitational Waves—a key indicator in the identification and study of black holes. 

The Drs. Charles and Elizabeth Duva Robotics Lab supports multiple courses, labs, and studies in the ever-growing field of robotics engineering and programming. The lab features indoor and outdoor testing areas, and will enable the development of stationary, mobile, and aerial robotic systems. 

The Energy and Thermo-Fluids Lab is where students study how thermos-fluid phenomena work and how it affects engineering design. The energy labs provide experience with standard and green energy experiments. A connected portion of the lab will house an outside energy yard that allows students to experiment with energy harvesting devices. 

The Raisbeck Engineering Design Studio supports mechanical engineering and multi-disciplinary design courses, creating a realistic team based capstone design experience for all students in each stage of the design process from conception and assembly to testing and operation.

The Space Grant Lab supports the students’ work on group projects including our payloads from cube satellites and high-altitude scientific ballooning missions. The lab also includes a cleanroom for continued payload and instrument development. 

The Keickhefer Foundation Forensic Lab empowers students with industry-grade forensic biology equipment. Studies in this lab include sampling and analysis of DNA evidence and blood types, polymerase chain reactions (PCR), genetic sequencing, microscopy techniques, biochemical analysis of body fluids and environmental contaminants, anatomy and physiology, as well as microbial identification.

The Margaret Morris Foundation Wildlife Science Lab prepares wildlife professionals to study animals, their habitats, and their ecosystems. This lab will be used for ecology, ornithology, mammalogy, and plant identification courses, which aid graduates in dealing with the management of wildlife issues in urban, rural, and airport settings.

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