Trendsetters - May 2006

Psyched
Degrees: Bachelor's, 1985, SUNY-Geneseo, psychology; Ph.D. in psychological development, 1991, University of Rochester
Task: Lead Embry-Riddle's push into securing more private corporate money and government funds for research and development

For instance: Coordinating efforts to further develop Embry-Riddle's research capabilities on unmanned aerial vehicles for military and civilian uses and, with external relations Vice President John Metzner, turn Daytona's airport with $18 million to $30 million in government and Lockheed Martin and Transtech Airport Solutions funding into a test-bed for new airport management and security technology. "This is big. This is big. Everyone in aviation will want to come see this." She hopes to draw in additional private companies and their technologies.

Bio: Raised on an apple farm in western New York, Frederick-Recascino, 41, started college at 17 with a certainty that psychology was her field. After a doctorate at the University of Rochester, she taught in Utah and at UCF before joining Embry-Riddle six years ago.

Attraction: Embry-Riddle's human factors and systems department emphasizes scientific psychology, the interplay of humans and technology and ergonomics and designing products that are easier for people to use. "This is where psychology should be going," she thought. Joining Embry-Riddle turned out to be "the best move I've made in my entire life."

Military Support

"The overarching theme is developing chemical and biological sensors that would be effective in homeland security and combating terrorists and also supporting the military in battlefield situations," says the University of North Florida's Jay Huebner, 66, of three Department of Defense research grants totaling $2.7 million he's working on. Huebner is a Kansas native and founding faculty member at UNF. His first professional work was on the Atlas rocket. He has degrees in physics and electrical engineering and post-doctoral work in biophysics and photochemistry. A favorite saying: "Dividing nature into academic disciplines is a concession to human weakness."

Tags: Trendsetters, Around Florida, Education