The Social Sciences Department (SOSH) conducted their annual New Instructor Orientation Boat Ride. The two-hour ride on the Superintendent's boat gave the new instructors and their families time to mingle with senior faculty while enjoying the sights and history of the Hudson Highlands. More than seventy faculty members and their families attended! The boat ride capped off a week of team-building activities, as new instructors also hiked up the Trail of the Fallen on Tuesday morning.

Cadet Ammon Okazaki has been working to repurpose an explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) robot into a system that can autonomously detect and map gamma radiation fields. He is working with scientists from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) and U.S. Army officers pursuing graduate degrees in nuclear engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. The project is sponsored by USMA's Robotics Research Center (RRC) and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency's (DTRA) Nuclear Science and Engineering Research Center (NSERC). Ammon started working on it this past semester as part of an independent research course. During the past spring semester, he designed an adjustable mounting assembly for the array of sensors and explored alternate detector configurations to optimize the directional sensitivity of the system.

As part of his Academic Individual Advanced Development (AIAD) experience, Ammon has adjusted his mounting scheme and 3-D printed his design for use on the unmanned ground vehicle. Additionally, he has been using UC Berkeley's high-performance computing cluster to run high-fidelity stochastic models of the detector systems and writing code to efficiently extract data from the output. He has also had the opportunity to see some of the other innovative radiation detection research that is going on at LBNL in the Applied Nuclear Physics program as well as explore the food, culture, and attractions of the Bay area.

Army West Point Golfers Dean Sakata and Nick Turner were tabbed Srixon/Cleveland Golf All-America Scholars by the Golf Coaches Association of American (GCAA) on Wednesday. Sakata wrapped up his Black Knights career tied for 10th-place at the 2018 Patriot League Championships after he carded a 228 (+12). He finished as an All-Patriot League Second Team selection and graduated with a 3.288 cumulative GPA. Turner was Army's top golfer at the conference championships, taking fifth place after he posted a mark of 223 (+7). The junior garnered All-Patriot League First Team praise for this accomplishment and boasted a 3.752 cumulative GPA. A new record number of student-athletes earned All-America Scholar status including 265 in Division I, 126 in Division II and 23 in NAIA.

To be eligible for Srixon/Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar status an individual must be a junior or senior academically, compete in at least three full years at the collegiate level, participate in 50-percent of his team's competitive rounds, have a stroke-average under 76.0 in Division I, 78.0 in Division II, 78.0 in NAIA and 79.0 in Division III, and maintain a minimum cumulative career grade-point average of 3.2. A recipient must also be of high moral character and be in good standing at his college or university. Read More

Dr. Scott Silverstone and Cadets Joseph Asemah, Donia Nichols, Natalie Hales, and John Rogacki, are in the Grand Strategy Program Academic Individual Advanced Development (AIAD) focusing on the strategic history of NATO and its current challenges. During the first week they visited NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, where they spent time with Mr. Dave Johnson, a Russia expert with NATO's International Staff, and LTC Kevin Steele, with the US Mission to NATO, right before the NATO summit meeting. The team then travelled to Fulda and Geisa, Germany to spend five days on the former inner-German border to study the Cold War German divide at the Point Alpha Foundation, a research organization supporting the continuing study of the Cold War in Germany and preserving the history of American forces that supported the defense of West Germany. The team held seminars with the foundation's research staff, toured the former border observation posts and garrisons maintained by the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, and spent two days touring the Cold War border with LTC(R) Bradley Gavlin, who was on duty with the 11th ACR at Observation Post Alpha the night the Berlin Wall was opened.

LTC Landon Raby, CPT Erick Martinez, CPT Charles Ouellette, CPT Luke Plante, and CPT Nathaniel Sheehan attended the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) National Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. LTC Raby presented a paper entitled "Integrating Army Doctrine and Engineering Design: Preparing Millennials to Become Future Officers" and authored by LTC Raby, CPT Martinez, and COL(R) Jeffrey Starke, and Dr. Patrick Baker. LTC Raby also moderated a panel discussion entitled "Veteran Identity and Inclusion." CPT Ouellette presented a paper entitled "Informing an Environmental Ethic in Future Leaders Through an Environmental Engineering Sequence" and authored by CPT Ouellette, CPT Plante, CPT Martinez, LTC Benjamin Wallen, and COL(R) Starke. CPT Sheehan presented a paper entitled "Collaboration in Assessment and Individual Validation for the 'Digital Native'" and authored by CPT Sheehan, COL(R) Starke, and MAJ David Zgonc, and he received the award for best paper in the Environmental Engineering Division. In addition to providing the Department of Geography & Environmental Engineering (GENE) attendees an opportunity to present research, the conference attendance helped GENE's faculty gain exposure to research from and network with industry leaders and faculty members from other universities.

Cow running back Kell Walker was selected to the Watch List for the 2018 Paul Hornung Award presented by Texas Roadhouse. The Paul Hornung Award, now in its ninth season, is given annually to the most versatile player in major college football by the Louisville Sports Commission and football legend and Louisville native Paul Hornung. The winner and his family will be honored at the annual Paul Hornung Award dinner presented by Jewish Hospital Sports Medicine, to be held at the Galt House Hotel in downtown Louisville in March 2019. This will be The Paul Hornung Award's third year as an associate member of the National College Football Awards Association.

The Paul Hornung Award has an impressive legacy. Saquon Barkley, the 2017 Paul Hornung Award winner, was the second pick in the 2018 NFL Draft; the three 2017 finalists also are currently on NFL rosters. The six most-recent winners, including Barkley, were NFL first round draft picks in their respective years. Kell Walker is one Army's most versatile players on the field. He has played multiple positions in the backfield and has contributed to special teams throughout his Army career. Last season, Walker averaged over 100 all-purpose yards per game and had a 7.3-yards-per-carry average with 629 yards on 86 carries. Walker was also Army's leading receiver with 111 yards on five catches. Read More

Cadet John Erskine’s article “Politics and Cartography: The Power of Deception through Distortion” was published in the online journal Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs (CCEIA). The article discusses how maps can portray information in many different ways and that a skilled Cartographer can manipulate the conveyed information in ways to influence a reader. His article can be found at: https://www.carnegiecouncil.org/publications/ethics_online/politics-and-cartography-the-power-of-deception-through-distortion.

COL Rich Melnyk conducted an orientation flight in one of the department’s C-182 aircraft with the Vice Dean for Operations, COL Mike Yankovich. The two discussed the history and overall purpose of the flight lab program and conducted an overview of the aircraft. In flight, COL Melnyk demonstrated many of the aerodynamic principles and procedures that the department uses on all three flight laboratories including high and low G flight, static and dynamic stability, stalls, and control coupling.

Professor Michael Labare and Dr. George Kennedy traveled to Blue Mountain Lake, NY to attend the annual NEMPET (Northeastern Microbiology, Physiology, Ecology and Taxonomy) meeting. They presented two posters covering the research conducted by cadets over the last year. They were accompanied by Samantha Schultz, a summer intern from the University of New England and Michaela Labare, a volunteer summer intern also from UNE. The posters and co-authors were: Protecting the Warfighter from Pathogens, George Kennedy, Michael Min, Michael Nguyen, Jacob Fitzgerald, Samantha Shultz, Michael Butkus, Jeff Starke, Dwight Bowman, and Michael P. Labare. Protecting the Warfighter from Parasites, Megan Gagnon, Sarah Chamberlin, Katherine Iwanyk, Michaela Labare, M. Butkus, D. D. Bowman, and M. P. Labare.

LTC Matthew Armstrong recently attended both the Society of Industrial and Applied Math (SIAM) Annual Meeting and the SIAM Conference on Mathematical Aspects of Materials Science held concurrently in Portland, Oregon at the Oregon Convention Center. While there he presented the following two talks: Mathematical Aspects of Modeling the Rheology of Complex Material and Comparison of Global, Stochastic Optimization Algorithms with Toy Problems and fitting Multi-Parameter Models to Dynamic Systems.

Life Science cadets Serica Hallstead '20 and Jacob Keith '20 spent the past three weeks working on developing antibody therapeutics for potential use against viruses such as Ebola virus while on their Academic Individual Advanced Development (AIAD) at the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Disease (USAMRIID) in Fort Detrick, MD. The cadets worked in the lab of Dr. John Dye, one of world's leading researchers on filoviruses whose involvement in the development of the ZMAPP therapeutic proved invaluable during the Ebola epidemic of 2014-2015. In the "cold side" of the Dye lab, where researchers safely study the non-infectious parts of these otherwise deadly viruses, the cadets infected cells with a recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus that is enclosed with an Ebola glycoprotein. In this way, they were able to mimic Ebola infection and then use cell biology and molecular biology assays to evaluate the effectiveness of using antibodies to treat these mock infections.

In addition to conducting experiments in routine laboratory conditions, they were privileged to partake in USAMRIID's containment training lab. Here, the cadets donned the Biosafety Level 4 (BSL-4) "space suits" to simulate working in a BSL-4 seeing. The Dye team set up Lincoln Logs and dominos for the cadets, as well as the Operation board game. At first, the cadets were only able to set up 5 dominoes before knocking them over by accident, but they improved over time. The cadets also practiced switching air hoses, so they could move around the lab while maintaining their suit's airflow. Working in BSL-4 conditions is extremely valuable to developing ways to detect, treat, and ultimately vaccinate Soldiers against such deadly viruses, and the cadets gained an immense appreciation for the skill and training required for such work.

Firstie fullback Darnell Woolfolk was selected to the 2018 Walter Camp Player of the Year Watch List on Friday. In addition to the Camp honor, Woolfolk was named to the Maxwell Award Watch List earlier this month. In all, 41 schools and 11 conferences (including independents) are represented on the list with defending national champion Alabama, Miami (Florida), Clemson, Ohio State and West Virginia each having two players. There are 38 offensive players (17 quarterbacks, 15 running backs and six receivers/tight ends) on the list along with 12 from the defensive side of the ball. "We are proud to continue the great work of Walter Camp and recognize the best college football players in the nation," Foundation president Michael Madera said. "This watch list is a great start to what is shaping up to be another exciting year of college football." Woolfolk has been a work horse for the Black Knights over the last two seasons with a total of 1,412 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns on the ground. Last season, he averaged 81 rushing yards per game and gained 5.2 yards per carry as one of Army's leading rushers. He finished second on the team in rushing in 2018 with 812 yards in 10 games after missing three due to injury. He gained over 100 yards in two games in 2018, including a career high 132 against Temple at home which clinched a bowl berth for the Black Knights. Read More

The Class of 2021 completed Cadet Field Training (CFT) requirements with a 7.15-mile Run Back from Camp Buckner this past Sunday as the Class of 2022 began its final phase of Cadet Basic Training (CBT) as it marches out to Camp Buckner for its mandatory two-week field training requirement and then anticipation of a 12-mile return (March Back) to West Point August 13 -- the culminating event for Cadet Summer Training. To see more photos click here.

Carefree summer fun coming your way! This Saturday, dance the night away with The Benny Havens Band at Trophy Point to the best of pop, hip-hop, rock, R&B, country - you name it!

Click here for more info: Benny Havens Band: Dancing Under the Stars

Or watch live on YouTube: https://youtu.be/-R7uOHupBLQ

The Army West Point football team kicks off its fall camp tomorrow with the first of 14 practices scheduled as head coach Jeff Monken begins his fifth year at the helm.

Tickets are still available for all home games at Michie Stadium. The Black Knights start their home season by hosting Liberty and Hawaii in back-to-back weekends on Sept. 8 and 15, respectively.

Army then welcomes Miami (OH) on Oct. 20, before wrapping up its home slate with three-straight games against Air Force (Nov. 3), Lafayette (Nov. 10) and Colgate (Nov. 17). Army fans interested in purchasing tickets can do so by calling 1-877-TIX-ARMY or online by clicking here.

The below dates and times are subject to change. To get behind the scenes coverage, follow football on Twitter at @ArmyWP_Football and for up-to-date information and videos throughout camp visit GoArmyWestPoint.com.

2018 Army West Point Preseason Camp Schedule
Thurs, Aug 2 - 3:30 pm | Fri, Aug 3 - 3:30 pm | Sat, Aug 4 - 3:30 pm (Closed Practice to Media) | Sun, Aug 5 - 3:55 pm | Mon, Aug 6 - 2:40 pm | Wed, Aug 8 - 3:00 pm | Thurs, Aug 9 - 3:00 pm | Fri, Aug 10 - 3:00 pm | Sat, Aug 11 - 3:00 pm | Mon, Aug 13 - 3:00 pm | Tues, Aug 14 - 3:00 pm | Wed, Aug 15 - 3:00 pm | Fri, Aug 17 - 3:55 pm | Sat, Aug 18 - 12:15 pm

Econ major CDT Patrick Sutherland graduated from the US Army’s Sapper Leader Course on Friday July 27. Pat completed 28 days of training on a myriad of combat engineer tasks to include conventional and expedient demolitions, waterborne operations, air operations, mountaineering, and breaching. The course culminates in an intense 12-day field training exercise focused on small unit operations and all aspects of mobility, counter-mobility, and survivability. Pictured with Pat are his fellow graduates and his Political Thought instructor, Major John Chambers, a former commander of the Sapper Leader Course.

Photo: Pat and his Political Thought instructor, Major John Chambers, a former commander of the Sapper Leader Course

Firstie Kristen McCarty and cow Nikki Polhamus of the Army West Point women's lacrosse team were both named to the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Zag Sports Division I Academic Honor Roll. In total, the IWLCA honored 462 student-athletes from 105 different institutions. To be eligible for this honor, student-athletes must be a junior, senior or graduate student and have earned a cumulative academic grade-point average of 3.50 or higher.

McCarty collected her second academic honor from the IWLCA, being named to the team in 2017. She has also been named to the Patriot League's Academic Honor Roll in each of the past three seasons and earned a spot on the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Academic Honor Roll this year. The Allentown, Pa., native graduated in May with a 3.708 GPA and a degree in Environmental Engineering. McCarty is a member of the Medical Service branch and posted to Fort Rucker, Ala., for Medevac training. Read More

The West Point Parachute team is back in the Hudson Valley. After a long (and hot) summer full of rigorous military training around the world, the teammates have made their way back to the West Point area for summer jump training. On July 31, every Class of 2021 team member made their fifth skydives on their way to graduating to coach level jumps (the firsties are coach rated jumpers). The rest of the team worked hard on honing in their accuracy skills under canopy.

 The Army West Point football team began its fall camp yesterday afternoon at West Point.

The Black Knights took their skills back out to the turf on Howze Field and Goldstein Field for their first official day of practice. Due to a brief pop-up thunderstorm, the Cadets shifted their practice to their indoor facility before wrapping things up back outside.

Army is out on the practice field again today at 3:30 p.m.

COL Archie Bates, MAJs John Borland and Jacob Absalon, spent time recruiting students, Officers, and NCOs to join the West Point community. As the department personnel team, they had the opportunity to meet with junior captains, drill sergeants, JROTC instructors, & alumni in the Fort Benning & Atlanta, GA area. It was a productive and rewarding trip.