Cadets and faculty from West Point's Black and Gold Leadership Forum visited Washington D.C. Over the course of the visit the Cadets interacted with LTG Joseph Anderson, LTG West and GEN Milley. LTG Anderson, the Army G-3/5/7, gave a "State of the Army" brief, and led a conversation focused on leadership development, and what young leaders can do to improve their unit's readiness. After the brief from LTG Anderson, the cadets met with LTG Nadja West, the US Army's Surgeon General and Commanding General of the U.S. Army Medical Command. In addition to completing a tour of the Pentagon, they also met with the US Army Chief of Staff, General Mark Milley. Following the visit to the Pentagon, all Black and Gold members visited the Capitol Building, where they were given a private tour and visited the headquarters of the Central Intelligence Agency. At the CIA, cadets were given a tour of headquarters, and operations brief, and a tour of the CIA museum. Additionally, cadets met with dozens of USMA grads currently employed at the CIA. The panels with recent USMA graduates focused on leadership development, leading peers in challenging environments, and being a leader of character. The visit was incredibly impactful for all involved – Black and Gold members left D.C. inspired to continue their journey to becoming leaders of character for our Nation.

Yearling right fielder Amelia Trotter was named the Army West Point Athletic Association (AWPAA) Athlete of the Week on Tuesday afternoon. Trotter excelled in the leadoff spot during a 3-0 week for the Black Knights, compiling a .636 average (7-for-11), .667 on-base and 1.273 slugging percentage. The second-year outfielder belted a pair of homers, drove in four and crossed home six times while going a perfect 4-for-4 in stolen bases. In a Wednesday tilt against Iona, Trotter batted 3-for-4 with a run scored and tied her career high in stolen bases with three. Over the weekend, the Plano, Texas, native picked up her 30th hit and fifth double of the season in the opening game of a doubleheader against UMass-Lowell. She then erupted offensively in the second game, batting a perfect 3-for-3 with two dingers, a stolen base and a career-best four runs scored and four RBIs. At this point of the season, Trotter ranks third on the team in batting average (.308), hits (33) and doubles (5), while leading the team in home runs (4) and slugging percentage (.505). Read More

As part of the Mounger Writing Center's ongoing effort to develop elite undergraduate scholars, three Cadet Writing Fellows presented papers at the annual UCONN Conference on the Teaching of Writing. Yearling cadets Hope Hack, Sam Reichenthal, and Philippe Sanchez each presented papers as part of a panel chaired by LTC Alan Brown and entitled "Re-Imagining Engagement and Multimodal Innovation in the Writing Center." Fellow conference participants consisted primarily of first-year writing faculty and/or graduate students from across the country; the cadets represented one of only two undergraduate panels at the conference. Each cadet explored ways to re-imagine writing center engagement strategies and enlarge how Writing Fellows see the "big picture" that new media and more varied "composing technologies" present. Following the presentations, the audience engaged the cadets in a thoughtful 30-minute dialogue, allowing the cadets to expand on their papers and exchange ideas.

Matt Salyer of the Department of English and Philosophy was one of several writers invited to read at The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine (New York City) as part of The Inferno of Dante Alighieri: A Reading. This annual event “takes place in the Crossing of the Cathedral, with selected Cantos read by honored guests, distinguished poets, eminent translators, visiting scholars, and Inferno regular readers.” Other readers featured included Princeton’s David Yezzi, Discovery Award-winner Meghan Maguire Dahn, Kate Tufts Award-winner Doug Anderson, Guggenheim Foundation fellow Rachel Hadas, and the Cathedral’s Poet-in-Residence, Marilyn Nelson. A National Book award finalist, Professor Nelson taught poetry to USMA Cadets in 2001 and looks forward to continued engagement with West Point.

Fueled by a nine-goal second half, the Army West Point women's lacrosse team secured its first winning season in program history with a 15-8 victory over Colgate on Wednesday afternoon at Michie Stadium. With the win, the Black Knights improved to 9-6 with two games remaining in the 2018 season to lock up their first-ever season with a winning record. After conceding the first goal, Army caged six straight in less than 10 minutes to get out to a five-goal advantage. Manuela Cortes got things started for the Black Knights with her team-leading 23rd goal of the year before rookie Cameron Manor put the home side ahead with a man-up tally. Samantha Stewart, Megan Raftery and Rachel Hornick capped the 6-0 run with Hornick scoring the final two goals 1:14 apart. Read More

Nine faculty members and 55 cadets from the Department of History conducted a staff ride to analyze the Battle of Antietam near Sharpsburg, Maryland. The participants not only investigated and scrutinized Union and Confederate tactics and decisions made on the 1862 battlefield, but evaluated the significance of the actions in altering the scope and purpose of the Civil War for the North. Along with stops at places that witnessed catastrophic American casualties such as the Cornfield, the Sunken Road, and Burnside Bridge, cadets and faculty visited Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia, home to the infamous nineteenth-century federal arsenal that was captured by the Confederacy in the days leading up to the Battle of Antietam as well as by abolitionist John Brown in 1859.

The Army West Point softball team trailed in a pair of games to Albany, but rallied back in both to secure two wins on Wednesday afternoon at the Army West Point Softball Complex. The Black Knights (20-21) combined for 17 hits in the twin bill against the Great Danes (19-12). Amelia Trotter continued to produce in the leadoff spot, batting 3-for-8 with a home run and two RBIs. Taylor Drayton was the team's primary run producer, driving in five of the Black Knights' nine runs on the day. She also belted a home run and went 4-for-6 at the dish. In the circle, Macey Newbary got the game one start and went a solid six innings, allowing just three runs on five hits. Newbary received a no decision though as the game was tied when she exited. Courtney Springman got the win in one perfect inning of relief. Read More

Space & Astrophysics and the Astronomy Club participated in a joint trip section to the Amateur Astronomy Association's (AAA) of New York evening lecture at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. The lecture was titled "The Great American Eclipse of 2017 and Others" and was given by Prof. Jay Pasachoff, Field Memorial Professor of Astronomy and Director of the Hopkins Observatory at Williams College. Prof Pasachoff discussed the many nuances of the August 2017 total solar eclipse, and contextualized them in terms of other total and partial eclipses that have or will happen. As luck would have it, Dr. David Kraft, a former faculty member of the Department of Physics and Nuclear Engineering hosted the event for AAA. A total of twenty-four cadets attended and were accompanied by LTC Diana Loucks and Dr. Paula Fekete.

Mr. James A. Gagliano '87 was a guest speaker in COL Reed's Leadership in Combat class. Mr. Gagliano and he retired from the FBI, after 25 years of service, on December 31, 2015. His vast experiences in the FBI included work in organized crime, gangs, narcotics, and money laundering investigations. He was also a member of the Hostage Rescue Team (HRT), the FBI's elite counter-terror unit located in Quantico, VA, participating in numerous overseas deployments and high-risk tactical resolutions. Mr. Gagliano was awarded the FBI's Medal for Bravery, the FBI's second highest award for valor, for actions in June of 1993 while serving on the SWAT Team. He brought these experiences to the classroom as he shared the lessons he learned while operating in "in extremis" environments. This included thoughts on communication, building teams, inspiring others, overcoming adversity, and courage.

Firstie Ty Galyean and cow Brady Miller of the Army West Point sprint football team were named to the inaugural Collegiate Sprint Football League (CSFL) All-Academic team, announced by the league Wednesday afternoon.

Student-athletes on the CSFL All-Academic team must have a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA and are selected by each school's respective coaching staff for displaying exemplary performance in their academic coursework.

Galyean boasts a 3.72 grade-point average as a Civil Engineering major. The Rogers, Ark., native is a three-time All-CSFL honoree, including first team accolades each of the last two seasons. The senior co-captain was one of the top receivers for Army in 2017, posting a team-high 25 receptions for 319 yards and five touchdowns. For his career, Galyean hauled in 52 catches for 803 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Miller sports a 3.93 GPA while majoring in Military History. The Glen Rock, N.J., native split time under center throughout the 2017 season, going 37-for-61 through the air for 294 yards and five touchdowns. He added 30 rushes for 88 yards and a score on the ground.

The Black Knights open the 2018 season on Sept. 14 at Chestnut Hill with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m.

Eight cadets from the Cadet Community on Civil Military Operations travelled to Princeton University to attend the Defending Democracy Forum. The main issue was "Civil and Military Responses to Weaponized Information." The event was the fourth annual iteration of the Veteran's Invitational that was started with Yale in 2015 and hosted by West Point 2016-17. It is expected that veteran alumni from Harvard will sponsor the event in 2019. The cadets attended panels ranging from foreign policy and military operations, technological challenges, attacks through disinformation and propaganda, to the measures the United States could take to deter adversaries from sowing unrest. Keynote speakers included David Ignatius of the Washington Post and GEN(R) Michael V. Hayden, former CIA and NSA director.

The Army West Point baseball team earned its 10th-consecutive win here Wednesday night thanks to a 6-3 victory over Holy Cross. The Black Knights remain atop the Patriot League standings with a 12-2 mark, while the Crusaders fall to 6-7 for fourth place in the conference. It was a pitcher's duel for much of the early going as the two starting hurlers allowed just two hits in the first three innings. The Cadets finally broke through in the fourth after Jon Rosoff was hit by a pitch with one out. John McKenna shifted him over to second following a single to right field to place two runners on base. The Crusaders registered the second out of the frame but during the ensuing at bat Rosoff advanced over to third on a passed ball. Trey Martin then beat out an infield single, which allowed the senior to score for the game's first run. One inning later the Black Knights tacked on three additional runs thanks to a big one-out double to left field. The Cadets earned three walks in the frame to load the bases for Rosoff, who posted his team-leading ninth double of the year. Read More

Four Cadets attended the Rochester Symposium for Physics Students in Brockport, NY with LTC Corey Gerving to present research to fellow undergraduate physicists. The symposium consisted of three sessions, each with two separate discipline-specific technical sessions. The conference was held on the campus of the State University of New York's Brockport campus. At the conference the cadets gave two presentations, attended the opening session, technical sessions and the conference reception. The presentations were: "Construction of a Magneto-Optical Trap to Cool Rubidium Atoms" by cadets Jafr Kazmi, Samir Streatfield, and Meaghan McGovern and "Establishing a Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) analysis system at the United States Military Academy" by cadet Scott Nieboer. All of the cadet presentations were very well received for both their technical merit and quality of presentation.

Terry L. Allbritton has been selected as the second Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Equal Opportunity (ODIEO) chief for the U.S. Military Academy. Allbritton replaces Donald Outing, currently vice president for Equity and Community at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Allbritton comes to USMA with a vast and varied experience in diversity and inclusion, including his 25 years of military service.

Allbritton is a graduate of Howard University, the Command and General Staff College, the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute and Georgetown University Government Affairs Institute.

In April 2014, he received his certification from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management for successful completion in the Diversity and Inclusion Master Game-Changer Course, and in April 2017, became certified as an emotional intelligence coach and trainer. Full Story»

Photo: (From left to right) Amos Maldonado, administrative assistant; Ellen Peterson, program coordinator; Terry L. Allbritton, chief diversity officer; and Lt. Col. Rodlin Doyle, Equal Opportunity Program manager

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Seventeen cadets and two officers traveled to Boston for the Investment Club's annual visit. The group visited Harvard Business School where cadets had the chance to learn about cases ranging from finance, to leadership and strategy. The cadets also completed a case study on considerations when buying a first home with Real Estate Professor Charles Wu. Additionally, cadets met with Marsh Carter '62, the former CEO of State Street Bank and Chairman of the Board of the NYSE. The cadets then spent time at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) to learn about the business and financial ecosystem. While at BCG, cadets met with former academy graduates who now work as consultants. The veterans shared how their experiences as officers provided them with valuable skills for solving problems in business and spoke to the cadets about the importance of learning at every opportunity in the Army while focusing on being the best at their jobs as officers. Finally, the group visited Analytical Space, a startup co-founded by Justin Oliveira, a Harvard Business School graduate and NASA alumnus that makes small satellites with high data transfer rates. The cadets had a chance to meet the lead investor (Reed Sturtevant of The Engine) as well as speak to the founder to learn about the risks, challenges, and investing structures of startup companies.

The third History Department Trivia Night of the semester was held at the First Class Club. As always, support from the cadets, staff, and faculty was excellent. The night was sponsored by the Directorate of Cadet Activities (DCA), the Association of Graduates (WPAOG), and the Office of the Director of Intercollegiate Athletics (ODIA), to include gift cards to the winners, as well as apparel and other items in the raffle. Well over 150 cadets competed, on 33 teams (the largest ever turnout) battling over questions supplied by Prof. Matt McDonough, MAJ Nick Browning, and MAJ Greg Hope. "The Beerlin Airlift" were eventually declared as the winners in a sudden death playoff. The winning question was "What year was the first Army-Navy baseball game?" If you think you know the answer to this question come out and join in next time. Please come out to the next event held on May 9 at the First Class Club at 8pm. Staff and Faculty are always welcomed to form teams and come compete for bragging rights over their cadets.

The forty-seven cadets enrolled in Introduction to Applied Aerodynamics conducted a wind tunnel laboratory on the Civil and Mechanical Engineering's (CME) Aerolab Educational Wind Tunnel. Cadets first computed dynamic similarity parameters to ensure the experimental setup was appropriate for comparison to an Army Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS). Cadets collected experimental data for a National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) 2412 airfoil (shape of a wing or blade) and a custom CME-3D-printed airfoil while under a 15-minute time limit. In the lab upcoming report, cadets will compare theory to experiment, and later compare this data to that obtained in the C-182 flight laboratories.

Yearling Ben Harvey of the Army West Point wrestling team was named a National Wrestling Coaches' Association (NWCA) All-Academic honoree for his outstanding performance both on the mat and in the classroom. This is Harvey's second time being recognized for his academic accomplishments after earning an Academic Achievement Award from the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) last season. Awarded annually, the NWCA All-Academic team is comprised of 155 student-athletes. Five Division I champions made the team, while seven additional runners-up were included. In all, 42 All-Americans were All-Academic selections. Of the 155 individuals, 123 were at minimum NCAA Division I qualifiers, up from 115 a year ago. As an American Politics major, Harvey sports a 3.774 grade-point average through his three semesters at West Point, including a 3.884 GPA in the fall.

In his second season at Army, Harvey competed to a 22-11 record at 174 pounds while going 6-2 in duals. The New Palestine, Ind., native posted nine wins over ranked opponents on the year, including three against top-10 foes. He finished his first appearance at the NCAA Championships with a 4-2 record, becoming just the 15th wrestler in program history to record four or more wins at nationals. Harvey was also the first Army grappler to advance to the blood round since Matt Kyler did so in 2010 and the first to progress that far after dropping his first match since Patrick Simpson in 2006.

Faculty from the West Point Graduate Scholarship Team led an "Open and Honest Teams" workshop for KSL selectees in the library. The workshop included a combination of group discussion and breakout sessions for the various summer leadership command teams (CBT1/2, CFT1/2, SGR1/2/3, A/ASLT, SLE and CCBT). The purpose of the workshop was multifaceted. The workshop allowed participants to "break the ice" and begin forming bonds with other members of their summer leadership team. Additionally, the workshop aimed to sharpen the techniques and appreciation for feedback and disclosure on high-performing teams. The workshop pushed cadets to express their excitement and fears surrounding their KSL role in the summer. Further, the workshop explored the distinction between resume and eulogy virtues and the ways in which a leader can stand out without alienating other members of his/her team. Based on these discussions, each workshop participant developed (and shared amongst their team) personal learning goals to carry with them throughout the summer.