Center for Enhanced Performance On 24 SEP the CEP hosted Ms Emily Cook, a 3X U.S. Olympic team member, for a presentation to cadets and an OPD for the CEP staff. In the cadet presentation Ms Cook, a freestyle skier, shared her personal journey from novice skier to Olympic team member, with emphasis on the process of persevering through potentially career-ending injuries. For the CEP staff OPD Ms Cook detailed her use of customized audio and video files to facilitate recovery and competition readiness. POC for the event is Dr Zinsser at x7814.
Defense & Strategic Studies Programwarcouncil.org On Monday Major Cavanaugh (DSS) hosted the Korengal war counsel, which brought author Sebastian Junger, Major Dan Kearney, and producer Nick Quested to USMA. The event included the actual war council, a faculty question and answer period, a book signing, and the screening of Junger’s newest movie entitled Korengal. All events were well received and generated a large turn out.
Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership Follow BS&L on Facebook. Cadets visit Burke Rehabilitation Hospital and Burke Medical Research Institute (BMRI) The Burke Rehabilitation Hospital and Burke Medical Research Institute (BMRI) was pleased to host a visit by United States Military Academy cadets on Friday, 26 September. The visit gave select cadets majoring in Life Sciences, Psychology and Kinesiology the opportunity to learn about the cutting-edge work done by Burke neurologists, physical and occupational therapists, and researchers. Burke's affiliation with Weill Cornell Medical College gives it a unique position as a world-class primary treatment and research center in the New York City area. POC: Dr. Kevin O’Donovan, x5020.
New York District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Orientation and Harbor Inspection Tour On Friday, 26 September, cadets enrolled in EV481 “Water Resources Planning and Design” traveled to New York City to learn about the mission, capabilities, and operations of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) New York District. COL Paul Owen (District Commander) oriented the cadets to his organization at District headquarters, and then Deputy Commander LTC John Knight led the group on an inspection of New York Harbor aboard the Hayward, one of the District’s drift collection vessels. Throughout the visit, cadets and district representatives discussed USACE support to military construction and civil works projects, particularly those regarding navigation and coastal protection. POC is LTC Phil Dacunto, Philip.dacunto@usma.edu.
“Soldiers for citizens” conducts dog handling training with “puppies behind bars” Soldiers for Citizens, a service club sponsored by the Center for the Study of Civil-Military Operations (CSCMO) and the Cadet Community on Civil-Military Operations (C3MO), coordinated dog-handling training with over 80 cadets from across the Corps. Puppies Behind Bars, the organization providing the training, works with prison inmates in training dogs to serve a variety of roles from bomb-sniffing to therapy. These particular dogs will be given to wounded warriors to assist them in coping with injuries both external and internal. Now aware of the specific procedures required to handle a working dog, these cadets will work in following weekends to socialize the dogs so they are prepared to assist their “battle buddies” in the coming years. POC is John Melkon at john.melkon@usma.edu and Cadet Samuel Thompson at Samuel.Thompson@usma.edu
G&EnE Faculty support to 1st Regiment’s Open House G&EnE Faculty members talk to cadets from 1st Regiment during an evening barbeque on 24 September. CDT Justin Ganzer, the 1st Regiment Academic Officer, coordinated with several departments to host an open house event in the regimental area. At the event, yearlings and plebes were encouraged to discuss academic programs with faculty in an informal setting with food, music, and a collegial atmosphere. G&EnE majors from the classes of 2015 and 2016 also stopped by to chat with faculty and enjoyed the nice weather before the start of evening study period.
On Saturday 20 September, the Department of History and the Wargames Committee sponsored a Napoleonic Warfare simulation held in the History Department Library. Dr. John Stapleton, OIC of the Wargames Committee invited Nigel Marsh, designer of Carnage and Glory II, a computer-moderated game system for simulating Napoleonic tactical warfare. Saturday’s battle, the fictitious battle of Arnsdorf, was loosely based on the 1809 battles in Bavaria between the Austrian Army and Napoleon’s Franco-German forces. The simulation pitted a small, largely German force composed of eleven battalions, two cavalry squadrons, and three companies of artillery against an Austro-Hungarian force composed of ten battalions, four squadrons, and three artillery companies. The game ran three hours, in which time the cadets played seven turns. The German-Allies established their artillery with clear fields of fire, employed combined arms assaults, and counter-attacks effectively, reacting well to Austro-Hungarian over-enthusiastic aggression. The Austro-Hungarians, played well and had moments of local success, but ultimately, were undone by their lack of a coherent plan of action. Although this war game was the first of its kind for many, the cadets and faculty had a great time. Indeed, Mr. Marsh concluded in his After Action Review: “It was a great afternoon of gaming, and a pleasure to run.”
Company F2 cadets and a Department of Systems Engineering professor perform service for Habitat for Humanity. Cadet Zachary Ramirez (CIC) and Dr. Bruce Keith (DSE) coordinated efforts to bring 25 cadets from Company F2 to a Habitat for Humanity site in Yonkers, NY on Saturday, 20 September 2014. The event served as a company service activity for F2 and a great opportunity for the Westchester Office of Habitat for Humanity to populate a worksite with many enthusiastic, able-bodied volunteers. The cadets worked various tasks, including placing siding on the house, affixing tile to a bathroom wall, building a soffit, and moving materials around the site. The Habitat for Humanity Office in Westchester has undertaken a veterans’ housing initiative, to provide housing solutions and employment opportunities to U.S. veterans returning from Afghanistan and Iraq with affordable housing in Westchester County, NY (see http://habitatwc.org/veterans-initiatives/). To date, the H4H Office has built or is building six homes for veterans. The cadets’ volunteer activities, which are always welcomed on the site, helped to make this initiative a reality for a few veterans.
SS490B: The Artic: Exploring the World’s Last Frontier. Cadets in SS490B (The Arctic: Exploring the World’s Last Frontier) completed a two-day trip section to Washington, DC. The course, taught by State Department Professor Dr. Ed Canuel, contends with interdisciplinary issues covering international/domestic politics, law, science, economics and society. During the trip, cadets engaged with top-level decision-makers, gaining insights into the Arctic, the foreign policy decision-making process and leadership. The cadets met with the U.S. Arctic Ambassador Admiral Papp, State Department Counselor Ambassador Shannon, senior State Department officials, military and security experts (at the NSC and Pentagon), Shell office directors and Greenland’s Minister Plenipotentiary to the United States.
POC: edward.canuel@usma.edu
Army Debate Places at Rutgers: The “Dean’s Corps Squad team,” Army Debate, competed at the Rutgers-Newark Regional Debate Tournament this past weekend, the 26th -28th of September. USMA brought three open teams, one JV team, and four novice teams. In the novice division, two teams cleared. Ian Holbrook and Sajon Weeks were octo-finalists while the team of TJ Collins and Matt Watts won all six of their preliminary debates and earned second place overall in the tournament. Army Debate is very proud of all the hard work each team put into the tournament and the way the cadets represented USMA and the U.S. Army at this year’s first competition!
Jazz Forum event The Jazz Forum met on 23 September to hear from SFC Mike Reifenberg, Jazz Knights saxophonist, as he discussed the evolution of jazz. SFC Reifenberg spoke to a group of 20 cadets and faculty about the history and development of the genre while also playing examples from different time periods. The POC is MAJ Paul De Leon, DEP, paul.deleon@usma.edu.
Cadet Capstone Team Meets with Collaborators at Army Research Laboratories: The Warrior Web Boot Attachment Capstone team, made up of CDTs Robert Mason, James Hill, Jameson Albers, and Kyle Okular were accompanied by their faculty mentors, Dr. Becky Zifchock and MAJ Amber Walker on a trip to Aberdeen Proving Ground in MD. The team used this as an opportunity to meet with their collaborators at Army Research Laboratory (HRED), as well as the Wyss Institute at Harvard University. In addition to defining the design goals and constraints of their capstone project, the team was afforded the opportunity to wear the device that has been designed by the Wyss Institute to meet the goals of the Warrior Web DARPA program: to create wearable technology that will prevent and reduce musculoskeletal injuries and provide movement assistance. POC is Dr. Becky Zifchock: rebecca.zifchock@usma.edu.
Cadet Capstone Team(s) Meet with ARDEC Collaborators at Picatinny Arsenal: 36 cadets and faculty traveled to Picatinny Arsenal on 5 September to tour laboratory and range facilities and meet with Cadet Capstone project sponsors. The Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering has a long-standing relationship with the Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC), sharing subject matter expertise and resources to solve problems of interest to the Army and Department of Defense. This year’s projects include designing towards improvements in ammunition resupply, non-lethal threat detect/defeat, and aerial vehicle platforms. POC is LTC Mike Benson, ME404 Course Director: michael.benson@usma.edu or MAJ Amber Walker: amber.walker@usma.edu.
Cadets Learn about Energy Efficient Architectural Design. Mr. Eric Fred, AIA from Hudson Design Architecture in Garrison, NY delivered a guest lecture to Cadets enrolled in CE490 – Special Topics in Civil Engineering: Energy Efficient Buildings on Thursday, 25 September. Mr. Fred discussed important concepts that the students should consider for their engineering design problem in CE490. Mr. Fred explained the interplay within architectural design between:
- local climate
- building orientation
- passive solar and thermal mass
- earth tubes and air flow
- clerestories
- daylighting strategies
- building envelopes
Mr. Fred proved himself a natural teacher, masterfully wielding the five colors of chalk on the blackboards as he explained the lesson learning objectives. The Cadets gained practical insight on the tools and techniques they can employ as they design their own net zero energy dream home for any location in the United States. POC is MAJ Scott Katalenich, Course Director for CE490 at scott.katalenich@usma.edu, x5425.
Soldiers for citizens” conducts dog handling training with “puppies behind bars