Former Prepsters Return: 
Former USMAPS prepsters reached back to Cadet Candidates to offer tips on making a successful transition to USMA. The cadets shared their USMA experiences and answered questions in small and large group settings.
Critical Thinking about Leadership: Information Literacy and Critical Thinking Plebe classes hosted a select group of outstanding upper-class cadets to learn firsthand lessons in cadet leadership. Fourth class cadets Justen Anka, Lindsey Danilack, Eric Triller, Patrick Samuels, Will Goodwin, Ashli Carlson, Orlando Sonza, Chris Kelly, Duncan Aylor, Samuel Sands, Danny Freeman, Christopher Bolin, Alex Morrow, Bill Owens, Jacob Swatley, Sally Sittnick, and Isaac Murray engaged in informal conversations over topics including academic achievement, scholarship competitions, summer training requirements, physical and military development and preparing for their initial leadership opportunity when assigned their new cadet in the Fall.
MX400 Guest Speaker Series: 
Four lieutenants and a captain from 3-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team (Joint Base Lewis-McChord) who recently redeployed from Kandahar Province spoke about their combat experiences to 550 firsties in MX400. In the middle of the event, cadets posted questions for the speakers via a mobile application. In addition to answering some of the questions during the event, the speakers continued to engage in the mobile discussion space after the event—even a day after—thereby extending the learning outside the walls of Robinson Auditorium.
Cadet in Society of Women Engineers Magazine: Cadet Jennifer Alonso ’14, CE major, along with COL Daisie Boettner and Dr. Elizabeth Bristow were among the women highlighted in the Winter 2013 Society of Women Engineers Magazine. The article by Sandra Guy is entitled “Women in Military Labs Contribute on a Multitude of Fronts” and highlights the many contributions women in the Department of Defense are making in science and technology. The article can be accessed at http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/swe/winter13/#/40.
PY201 – Evolution of Beauty: 
PY201 (Philosophy) students enjoyed an evening lecture on "Evolution of Beauty" with USMA Band member SFC Sam Kaestner and the West Point Woodwind Quintet. Encouraging cadets to think associatively and innovatively, the event illustrated how art and music from Neoclassical, Impressionist, and Abstract-Expressionist traditions can facilitate and complement the exploration of larger philosophical ideas. The presentation creatively juxtaposed works of visual art by Jacques Louis David, Claude Monet, Mark Rothko, and Chuck Close with the ensemble’s performances of music by W. A. Mozart, Maurice Ravel, John Cage, and Nico Muhly.
