Cadet Development-“Cadets teaching Cadets”: 
Cadet Julian Watson provided a thought-provoking presentation on the human brain to Class of ’00 MAJ Adam Grim’s PL100 (General Psychology for Leaders) class. Cadet Watson is majoring in Engineering Psychology and as part of a class project in PL391 (Sensation and Perception), he demonstrated the Mind Flex which uses brain waves to power various games. The Mind Flex measures the concentration and intensity of brain waves through an electroencephalography (EEG) sensor attached to the participant’s head
Cadet Development-Depression Research: USMA cadets and faculty met with colleagues at Rockefeller University to conduct a laboratory meeting discussing an ongoing collaboration in depression research. This meeting was conducted in the first week of a new interdisciplinary study seeking to better understand the correlation of the human p11 protein with depression. A goal of the work is to develop a simple physiological marker that could be used to help diagnose and better understand depression or PTSD, and ultimately contribute to reduced suicide rates within our Army. The collaboration involves 3 institutions: USMA, Rockefeller University and Karolinska Institute, Stockholm Sweden. Cadet Janelle Runion ‘13 briefed 2000 Nobel Prize winner in Physiology/Medicine, Dr. Paul Greengard, and members of his research group, on the radiometric light data collection and analysis the Photonics members of the team are contributing to the study. The study which began in January will be collecting light data every half hour through May 2013.
Rutgers Quantitative Finance Summit on Risk Management: 
Seven cadets from the Systems Engineering Department’s honors program went to the “Rutgers Quantitative Finance Summit on Risk Management”. The event was held at the NYSE and included a panel of senior financial risk managers from major organizations including sovereign wealth funds, hedge funds and Bloomberg. The group got the chance to visit with professionals in the financial industry and tour the exchange. The tour included visits to the trading floor, the iconic balcony where the opening and closing bell is rung, and the executive board room.
Computer Science Cadets in “Code War”: The team of firstie CS majors Steve Rogacki, Isaiah Salsman, Nolan Miles, and Sean Coffey competed in the Windward International Collegiate Programming Championship, also known as "Code War.” In the grueling eight-hour contest, more than 100 teams from a dozen states and four countries struggled to create sophisticated Artificial Intelligence strategies.
Leader Challenge 16 “The New PL”: 
Every platoon in the Corps of Cadets conducted a Leader Challenge to hone their judgment and decision-making as a future officer. With the support of 144 staff and faculty platoon mentors and over 400 cadet facilitators, each participant “put themselves in the shoes” of CPT Haley Hamilton ’10 as she navigated the complexity of her first training event in her new platoon. Officers and cadets spent 55 minutes discussing everything from risk management and working with NCOs to leadership and culture change.
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: 80 plebes from the History Department travelled to Washington, D.C. for an afternoon in our nation’s capital and a day of special programming at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Cadets unanimously agreed that the day’s highlight was discussion with Holocaust survivors Bob Behr and Henry Greenbaum, both of whom were either liberated by, or later served in the US military. The trip’s primary sponsors, Lorraine and Martin Beitler, joined the USMA group at the Holocaust Museum.
STEM Outreach in Poughkeepsie: 
Cadets and officers hosted the Children’s Home of Poughkeepsie for a STEM outreach event. During the tour, cadets on the Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition team and Joint Cooperative Unmanned Systems Initiative team talked to the young men and women about robotics topics such as, sensors, and programming. The tour culminated with an opportunity to drive Packbot systems in the Robotics Laboratory. The purpose of the event was to ignite an interest in pursuing education after high school for youth from the Poughkeepsie area.
