Eric Harmatz's Blog

Today is my last last day of classes in my undergraduate career. It’s a bittersweet day for me, as I can still clearly remember being a freshman here in 2010. I remember coming in as a confused Aerospace Engineering student, transferring to Aviation Business, and now here I am: on the final approach to graduating with honors in the College of Business.

As I get ready to depart and move onto the next stage, I wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you. Thank you to everybody who I have come into contact with during the past four years. Having the opportunity to get to know each and every one of you has been amazing. I am lucky and honored to have the group of friends that I do, and together with my professional social network, I’ve had the opportunity to meet some really amazing people.

These past four years have been nothing short of spectacular, and I’m sure I’ll look back on these years for the rest of my life. I’m extremely lucky to have my personal passions aligned with my professional goals, and I look forward to starting my career in July.

I’m going to miss Embry-Riddle and specifically the College of Business. I will miss my amazing friends, my hard-working classmates, and the committed and enthusiastic faculty and staff.

You all have made these past four years, hands down, the best four years of my entire life. It’s going to be hard to see Daytona Beach on the flight information display screens at CLT and ATL without shedding a tear with a smile.

Thanks again.

Eric

Join us this weekend as we reflect back on the past four wonderful years…

It seems like it was just the other day that I was preparing a year end reflection for 2012 – and now it’s time for me to do the same for 2013. These years fly by… and they only accelerate as time goes on. I still vividly remember my late night chat into the wee hours of the morning on January 1st, 2013. That was a good night, and I still smile thinking back to it.

It’s hard to believe another year is in the books. Every year since 2010, I’ve compared the concluding year to the year before. It has seemed that since 2009, every year has been exponentially better than the previous. Well, that is if you can quantify “better”. But let’s not do a quantitative analysis…

Here we are at the threshold to 2014, and as I look back upon 2013 and recall the adventures, the good times, the bad times, and the changes the year brought upon me professionally and personally.

Travel wise, I had the privilege of joining IGNITE on their first annual IGNITE Abroad trip to Hong Kong. After the trip, I was able to connect with David and Yoselin from high school and give my friends from ERAU a tour of San Francisco.

Also, my family established a presence in Phoenix, AZ enabling me to spend more time in that metro area. I turned 21 in 2013, and I spent my birthday in PHX with my friend Jonathan and my family, and it was definitely a fun time.

I had the pleasure of attending the AAAE annual conference this year in Reno, NV, and was able to develop a friendship with the other student from my school, William, who attended the conference with me. Ever since then, he has become one of my best friends at ERAU. Speaking of airports, who can forget our tour of MIA (including the American Airlines 777, and the infamous Howard Johnson Experience) or my amazing internship with the San Diego Airport over the summer?

I also had the opportunity to meet Jessica, who up until April did not even believe I existed. Apparently, I was the “Elusive Eric Harmatz” whose presence was only tweeted about. Through Jessica, I met Jeremy and together with Paul (and Jacob, in December) we were able to explore the San Diego craft beer scene.

2013 also brought a lot of career hunting, which ramped up as I filed my intention to graduate in the Spring. After careful consideration and traveling across the country to interviews, I have accepted a position in Atlanta, GA starting in Summer 2014!

It’s definitely going to be different – relocating from SAN to ATL (by means of DAB). But it’s a journey I’m excited to be making.

As we get ready to begin 2014, and my final semester in college, it’s important to realize that these days are limited. My New Years Resolution is to enjoy the present more, and not to get too caught up in the past or too scared of the future.

Who knows what 2014 will have in store. But let’s take it one day at a time. In just 365 days, I’ll have a report on 2014. Let’s hope it’s a good one.

Thanks to my amazing friends for making 2013 awesome. I look forward to seeing you all in 2014.

Onward and Upwards into the New Year,

Eric

I went on a tour of the SIDA at JAX (Jacksonville Int’l Aiport) last Saturday and it was amazing. From the baggage handling to the bird mitigation, I got to see how they handled operations. Here is one of my favorite photos that I took, of a Southwest Airlines 737 taxing to the ramp. I’ll upload more to an album on Flickr later.

N774SW taxing to the ramp at JAX

I’m thinking of resuming this blog to share my stories from my Embry-Riddle Daytona Beach.  I just need more time, but once the time opens up expect a major revamp and more updates.

Check out the HTHMA Garden website!

http://sites.google.com/site/hthmagarden/home

John O’Reilly’s Class at High Tech High Media Arts, Point Loma, San Diego, California

The Future of Nuclear Generated Electricity

“A clean air solution is needed to mitigate the movement of carbon through electricity generation, as the current methods of generating electricity produce a significant amount of emissions, and this is expected to rise.”

Pottstown Limerick NPP/Used via Creative Commons License, Photo by: Mike Webkist

Electricity is important, it is the engine that drives everyday operations and technological advances. However, our society is growing at an unprecedented rate and our electricity demands continue to rise exponentially. We are projected to use 28 terawatts worldwide in 2110, compared to the 13 TW of electricity our society uses now (Lewis, 2005).

In addition, the current generation methods used for energy produces a substantial amount of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere. The purpose of my research is to show that nuclear energy is a feasible method for mass production of energy in the future, as nuclear energy is a clean air generation method, it provides a substantial amount of energy, and it has the ability to utilize a closed fuel cycle enabling for a more efficient use of supplies. My research also explores the concerns that we need to address before large-scale deployment.

Since Nuclear energy is a clean air generation method, it does not release carbon dioxide emissions when in operation. A clean air solution is needed to mitigate the movement of carbon through electricity generation, as the current methods of generating electricity produce a significant amount of emissions, and this is expected to rise. Nuclear energy produces a substantial amount of energy for its footprint.

One of the largest hurdles to large-scale deployment of nuclear energy is the disposal of waste and the safety of transporting the waste. An alternate waste “reuse” method can be implemented to cut down on waste.

We cannot rely solely on nuclear power in the future, however, we will probably see more nuclear energy plants being built and more nuclear reactors deployed during the next 100 years. Though not the complete answer to solving our energy crisis, nuclear energy is a feasible method of planning for tomorrow’s energy requirements.

Pottstown Limerick NPP/Used via Creative Commons License, Photo by: Mike Webkist

“A clean air solution is needed to mitigate the movement of carbon through electricity generation, as the current methods of generating electricity produce a significant amount of emissions, and this is expected to rise.”

Electricity is important, as it is the engine that drives everyday operations and technological advances. However, our society is growing at an unprecedented rate and our electricity demands continue to rise exponentially. We are projected to use 28 terawatts worldwide in 2110, compared to the 13 TW of electricity our society uses now (Lewis, 2005).

In addition, the current generation methods used for energy produces a substantial amount of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere. The purpose of my research is to show that nuclear energy is a feasible method for mass production of energy in the future, as nuclear energy is a clean air generation method, it provides a substantial amount of energy, and it has the ability to utilize a closed fuel cycle enabling for a more efficient use of supplies. My research also explores the concerns that we need to address before large-scale deployment including safety reputation of nuclear energy, operational costs, and waste mitigation.

While nuclear energy has a bad reputation from the Three Mile Island and Chernobyl incidents, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is committed to a safe future of nuclear energy generation as it can play a key role in tomorrow’s energy generation.

Since Nuclear energy is a clean air generation method, it does not release carbon dioxide emissions when in operation. A clean air solution is needed to mitigate the movement of carbon through electricity generation, as the current methods of generating electricity produce a significant amount of emissions, and this is expected to rise. Nuclear energy produces a substantial amount of energy for its footprint. The findings presented in my research compare a San Diego County nuclear power plant to a nearby wind farm, and explore the efficiency of both based on the amount of land the generation stations utilize.

One of the largest hurdles to large-scale deployment of nuclear energy is the disposal of waste and the safety of transporting the waste to the site. An alternate waste “reuse” method can be implemented to breed the used uranium into plutonium to cut down on waste, which is currently being done successfully to power the country of France using nuclear energy.

We cannot rely solely on nuclear power in the future, however, we will probably see more nuclear energy plants being built and more nuclear reactors deployed during the next 100 years. Though not the complete answer to solving our energy crisis, nuclear energy is a feasible method of planning for tomorrow’s energy requirements.

Pottstown Limerick NPP/ Used via Creative Commons License, Photo by: Mike Webkist

“A clean air solution is needed to mitigate the movement of carbon through electricity generation, as the current methods of generating electricity produce a significant amount of emissions, and this is expected to rise.”

Electricity is important, as it is the engine that drives everyday operations and technological advances. However, our society is growing at an unprecedented rate and our electricity demands continue to rise faster than an increase. We are project to use 28 terawatts worldwide in 2110, compared to the 13 TW of electricity our society uses now.

In addition, the current generation methods used for energy produces a substantial amount of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere. The purpose of this paper is to show that nuclear energy is a feasible method for mass production of energy in the future, as nuclear energy is clean air, it provides for a substantial amount of energy, and it has the ability to utilize a closed fuel cycle enabling for a more efficient use of supplies. This paper also explores the concerns to address before large-scale deployment including safety reputation of nuclear energy, operational costs, and waste mitigation.

While nuclear energy has a bad reputation from the Three Mile Island and Chernobyl incidents, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is committed to a safe future of nuclear energy generation as it can play a key role in tomorrow’s energy generation.

Since Nuclear energy is clean air, it does not release carbon dioxide emissions when in operation. A clean air solution is needed to mitigate the movement of carbon through electricity generation, as the current methods of generating electricity produce a significant amount of emissions, and this is expected to rise.

Nuclear energy produces a substantial amount of energy for its footprint. The findings presented in the paper compare a San Diego County nuclear power plant to a nearby wind farm, and the nuclear power plant produces more energy per acre.

One of the largest hurdles to large-scale deployment of nuclear energy is the disposal of waste and the safety of transporting the waste to the site. An alternate waste “reuse” method can be implemented to breed the used uranium into plutonium to cut down on waste.

We cannot rely solely on nuclear power in the future, however, we will probably see more nuclear energy plants being built and more nuclear reactors deployed during the next 100 years. Though not the complete answer to solving our energy crisis, nuclear energy is a feasible method of planning for tomorrow’s energy requirements.

My idea for exhibition is smoothie tastings!

Here is a recipe that I am considering from “smoothie-recipes.com”

The Robert Kuhl-Aid (Strawberry Banana)

An easy strawberry banana smoothie recipe usually consists of nore more than a few strawberries, one ripe banana and some type of liquid like milk or juice. An example of easy strawberry banana smoothie recipe is listed below:

Ingredients:
6 large strawberries
1 banana
1 cup of whole milk

Directions:
Just blend all ingredients till smoothy texture is formed and all fruits well blended. See how easy a mix that was, no need to add any extra flavoring because the fruits provide all the great taste in this smoothie.

We could get the strawberries from the garden, but only if we can produce a lot. If not, we will go to Trader Joes or a local farmers market and get Carlsbad based strawberries. They are in season here in California. Right now, I don’t know where I would find the bananas, but I don’t want to import them from the southern hemisphere.

See the blog post below for more information.

One of my ideas that I have for our garden exhibition for Environmental Science is to make smoothies using the fruits (and/or vegetables) of the garden and selected fruits from Trader Joes. I’ve heard from John that the strawberries from the garden are tasty, and I would definitely incorporate those, but I would probably purchase local (non-Ecuadorian, Guatemala, etc.) bananas to add to the smoothie. We can then create a placard for exhibition that shows the origins of the fruits in the smoothie and compare it to the origins of the fruits from Jamba Juice. I could try to bring in my mom’s Vita Mix in order to make a lot of smoothies and to provide samplings for everyone. If we had to incorporate a third ingredient, I would probably choose oranges.

What would be really cool about this is that it will be tasty but really good for you, all the vitamins in the fruits.

Another idea I am tossing around (pardon the pun) is a delicious fruit salad! This will be easy, as it requires no heating and can be prepped the night before and would basically be the same thing as the smoothie just in solid form and with other ingredients that I would draft with my partners.

I look forward to this tasty exhibition, and sharing with the community the fruits of our labor.