William “Bill” Yucuis graduated
from the United States Air Force Academy in 1974 with a Bachelor’s degree in
Aeronautical Engineering. Bill spent 20 years in the Air Force, primarily
as a pilot, and flew F-4 and F-16 aircraft. In between F-4 and F-16
assignments, the Air Force sent him to Purdue University where he earned a
Master’s degree in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering. Bill then returned
to the Air Force Academy where he was an Assistant Professor in the Department
of Astronautical Engineering. Bill retired from the Air Force in 1994 and moved
to Orlando, Florida, where he began a second career in public school education.
Bill taught 8th grade
math for six years in Orange County, where he was head of their Math Department
for two years.
Bill was hired by Lyman High School in 2002 to start a
four-year Aerospace track for the Seminole County Institute for Engineering Magnet
program. The Aerospace track required students to take an Aerospace class
as an elective each year. They spent the
freshman year concentrated on basic engineering skills. The sophomore year
focused on aircraft. The junior year emphasized astronautics, including orbital
theory and mechanics, propulsion, and support systems. They used the textbook, Understanding Space, which is the introductory space text used at
the US Air Force Academy. The senior year, students worked on engineering
projects, many which included some kind of state or national competition. During
this time, Bill was an Adjunct Professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical
University for one year and Seminole State College (SSC) for five years. As an
Adjunct Professor at SSC, his students earned two college credits for an
Introduction to Engineering Careers course and an Engineering Concepts Methods
course where they learned to use EXCEL and MATLAB software to solve engineering
problems. Bill retired from teaching in June 2014.
Bill earned numerous outstanding
teacher awards including the AFA State Teacher of the Year and Lyman High
School Teacher of the Year. Bill was named by the USA Today newspaper to their 2007
All-USA Teacher Team, one of 20 teachers selected nationwide for their
promotion of teaching in the Science, Technology, Mathematics, and Engineering
(STEM) fields. In 2007, Bill
earned National Board Certification from the National Board for
Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS).
Bill has been active volunteer for many years in the Air
Force Association (AFA), working.at the local, state, and national levels. He
has served as a Chapter President, a Chapter and State Education Vice
President, the Florida State Executive Vice President and Florida State
President. Bill has been a member of the AFA national Aerospace Education
Council for 7 years, which directs and oversees all AFA Education Programs. In
2015, Bill was Chairman of an AFA Space Task Force which developed
StellarXplorers, the first national high school space competition, and continues
today as the Chief of Academics and Training.
