Department of Systems Engineering
Capstone team presents the results of their research to BG Bob Marion, The Army Program Executive Officer (PEO) for Aviation. On 27 April, Cadets Gino Debartolo, Robert Sagona, and Jeff Powers flew to Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, AL, to present the results of their senior capstone project on how real-time full motion video (FMV) from small unmanned aircraft systems (SUASs) could be delivered to dismounted infantry platoons. After considering cost, weight, and impact on modeled probability of mission success, the cadets recommended a system composed of a Thales Mission Model radio to receive the FMV signal and the existing Nett Warrior smartphone-based end user device for display, deployed to squad leaders and above.
CDT Jed Lee briefed his honors project to CASCOM leadership. Cadet Lee and MAJ Beskow traveled to Fort Lee, Virginia on Wednesday and briefed Brigadier General Ainsworth and other leaders from the Combined Arms Support Command (CASCOM) on CDT Lee’s honors project. CDT Lee’s honors project helped CASCOM optimize the assignment of Soldiers to Army Schools under the new One Army School System (OASS) construct. The project garnered significant interest in CASCOM as well as in TRADOC.
Capstone team presents their results to the Corpus Christi Aviation Depot (CCAD). Cadets David Jaye (SE), Nate Green (EM), and Stephen Kerns (SM) visited Corpus Christi Aviation Depot (CCAD) to present the results of their Systems Capstone work. Much of the Army’s equipment is coming to the end of its planned life cycle. At the same time, the Department of Defense and the Army are facing severe budget reductions for the foreseeable future. As a result, the planned modernization and acquisition of new equipment will be delayed. The Army is now forced to keep and maintain current equipment as opposed to retiring old systems and buying new ones. With the increased investment in the current systems, the organizations and depots that maintain and refurbish the Army’s equipment are becoming increasingly valuable assets. Corpus Christi Army Depot (CCAD) is the Army’s only facility for repair and overhaul of rotary wing aircraft. CCAD receives approximately 10 rotor blades per day for the Black Hawk helicopter. Each blade is routed through a detailed inspection and rework process consisting of approximately 67 sequential operations which take approximately 45 days per blade. Recently CCAD has expanded and reorganized the rotor blade refurbishment facility which provides an opportunity to re-examine processes, adjust positioning of work stations, and improve efficiency. The cadet team was tasked to develop a discrete-event simulation model of the CCAD rotor blade refurbishment process in order to identify inefficiencies and examine “what if” scenarios to improve key performance metrics. With the help of the discrete-event simulation model, the cadet team was able to identify alternatives that can significantly reduce Work in Process (WIP) and increase rotor blade throughput.
Cadet team presents an update on their research to BG Cole and BG Trainor at the NSRDEC-USMA Projects Day. On 4 May, Cadets Alexandra Baker, Olivia Nardone, and Michael Robinson traveled to Natick, MA to present an update on their “CLDT Experimental Platoon” research. The group presented the results of controlled experiments in the spring to help shape the design of a field experiment to be conducted this summer at CLDT. The group has helped design an experiment that will integrate Nett Warrior and energy harvesting equipment into a cadet platoon this summer during training. Nett Warrior will be evaluated by a test developed at West Point this academic year to measure the situational awareness provided by the system, while the current capability of an energy harvesting ruck sack to generate power for dismounted tactical use will be evaluated.
SE450 project team wins second place at the inter-service academy Flightline of the Future competition. Nine cadets representing four project teams from SE450, the third course of the systems engineering core engineering sequence, traveled with their instructor, LTC Eric Tollefson, to Lockheed Martin’s Center for Innovation in Suffolk, VA, to participate in the Flightline of the Future inter-service academy competition sponsored by Lockheed Martin on 27 April 2015. All four teams were competitive and presented themselves well. In particular, the team consisting of Cadets Andre Solomon, Valerie Kutsch, and Michael Roberto placed second in the Innovations category. Cadets Samantha Reid and Austin Welch were also on the team, but were unable to attend the competition. Their project evaluated the application of robotic exoskeletons in deployed and remote locations to mitigate repetitive motion injuries that impact soldiers across a number of Army specialties. Through their evaluation of several types of exoskeletons, they were able to recommend a solution to reduce repetitive motion injuries, thereby improving unit effectiveness and efficiency. Teams also had the opportunity to observe the quality of work of, and interact with, cadets and midshipmen from the Air Force and Naval Academies. The performances of all four teams brought great credit upon the Academy.
Department of Foreign Languages
Spanish: As Spanish-language cadets finish up their spring semester in Mexico, they are leveraging numerous opportunities for cultural immersion (to include historic site visits) and language practice outside of the classroom. CDT Benjamin Greif hosted friends and parents, accompanying them to see: local ruins; the balet foklórico - a production showcasing the local dances of Mexico; the main cathedral in Mexico City; and the Museo de las Bellas Artes. CDT Jeremy Tetro has been traveling often with friends to the town of Pachuca, enjoying the slower pace of the smaller city, visiting with his friends’ family and immersing himself in local culture. CDT Brian Fydenkevez made his first visit to Puebla, a city southwest of Mexico City. While there he visited the buried ruins of Cholula, the largest known pyramid in the world, where visitors can still explore the now buried ruins of the pyramid complex through the still-existing tunnel system.
Arabic: Arabic students in Jordan and Morocco are entering their final weeks of their study abroad. In Jordan, Cadets are getting ready for the last two weeks following an Orthodox Easter trip to Israel. In Morocco, in addition to preparing for the final stretch, Cadets traveled to the seaside resort of Agadir and ancient city of Marrakech, from which Morocco gets its name.
Portuguese: LTC Carlos Caravela from the Portuguese Army spent last week with DFL in anticipation of establishing a new study abroad exchange program between USMA and the Portuguese Military Academy. He sat down with faculty from the Portuguese Section and COL Ebner to discuss possibilities. He also had the opportunity to tour West Point and NYC with the FAEP cadets.
German Language Forum: On 29 April 2015, USMA German Club hosted its final event at USMA for AY2015. It involved singing traditional German “Studentenlieder” or songs, the showing of a German film (“Nordwand”), pizza, and a traditional Bavarian card game known as Schafkopf. In addition, three members of Columbia’s German Club attended and enjoyed the festivities. The USMA German also enjoyed the company of some new visitors from within the cadet ranks making the event lively and fitting for an end of the academic year event at the Academy.
Polish Language Forum: Eight cadets of the Kościuszko Squadron traveled to Washington, DC to take part in wide-ranging cultural immersion and regional awareness activities. At the Pentagon Poland Desk cadets spent an enlightening morning with State Department and Foreign Area Officer representatives discussing contemporary US/NATO joint activities with Polish Armed Forces and officer career paths in international military affairs.
Later cadets were hosted at the Polish Embassy by Land Forces Attaché, Ltc Karol Sobczyk, and Foreign Ministry Vice-Consul DR Dorota Markiewicz who briefed cadets on goals of Poland’s bilateral military relations with the US and the role of Polish Armed forces in NATO readiness planning and regional training, as well as deployments to the Balkans, Iraq and Afghanistan.
During a visit to the Kościuszko Foundation, cadets met well-known architect DR Julian Kulski, who as a boy of 12 served in the clandestine Home Army in Nazi-occupied Poland. Mr Kulski gave cadets each a signed copy of his award-winning memoir, The Color of Courage. While at the K Foundation, cadets also toured an exhibit chronicling the life of Polish Underground activist Jan Karski who braved three trips out of Poland to provide the Allies with proof of Nazi death camps.
Ending an event-filled day at the Institute for World Policy, cadets met with LTG (ret) Edward Rowny, USMA Class 1941, founder of the original Kościuszko Squadron cadet club in 1940. Cadets and the General also traded views on contemporary issues, such as women’s service in combat arms, USMA’s Honor Code, and the need for leader training.
Other: On Monday, 27 April, DFL celebrated the annual induction of cadets and faculty into the USMA chapter of Phi Sigma Iota Foreign Language Honor Society. This year, 20 cadets form the Class of 2015 and 17 from the Class of 2016 were inducted in the ceremony celebrated in the Regimental Room of the Cadet Mess Hall. For the first time, Persian was an official part of the ceremony; CDT Judelyn Farrow and CDT Samuel Somers were inducted for their outstanding work in Persian. DFL’s Persian faculty, Dr. Amir Irani-Tehrani and Mrs. Stephanie L. Irani-Tehrani, were inducted, as well. The keynote speaker was the Hon. Pedro Pierluisi, Member of Congress-Puerto Rico. Mr. Pierluisi discussed the importance of acquiring a second language within a cultural context, his own experience as a bilingual speaker, as well as highlighting the contributions of Puerto Rican citizens in the US military, pointing out that soldiers form the US territory have fought in every major conflict the US has waged since WWI.
Projects Day: The Department of Foreign Languages hosted Project's Day in Washington Hall to provide cadets an opportunity to present the findings of their capstone projects through formal, small-group briefings. In their projects cadets used their language proficiency, cultural awareness, and regional proficiency, along with capabilities and knowledge acquired in courses across the curriculum, to analyze and offer recommendations for complex real-world issues. Cadets conducted briefings in front of DFL faculty, peers, and invited guests, using the foreign language they are studying. DFL welcomed the following guests to 2015 Project's Day:
- Colonel Stoebe, Military Advisor Permanent Mission of Germany to UN
- Colonel Ramires, Military Advisor Permanent Mission of Brazil to UN
- Colonel (Retired) Creighton, Chief Operating Officer at the East West Institute
- Sergeant Major Misher, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne)
Department of Physics and Nuclear Engineering
Projects Day: On 30 April, the Department of Physics and Nuclear Engineering hosted a morning poster session followed by a lunch social. The poster session included 28 projects presented by over 40 P&NE Majors. Faculty members evaluated cadets on their knowledge of the project and their posters on organization, visual clarity, and professionalism. The Thomas Young Award for best poster will be presented at our Department Awards Ceremony during Graduation Week. Many of the projects are of current interest to DoD organizations and our external sponsors included the Army Research Office (ARO), the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), the DoD High Performance Computing Modernization Program (DoD-HPCMP), the High Energy Laser Joint Technology Office (HEL-JTO), the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory (MIT-LL), and the Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC). The lunch social was attended by over 80 cadets, faculty and guests and as usual the liquid nitrogen ice cream was a big hit.
COL(R) Dr. Jeffrey Musk, the Chief of DTRA J9-NTD (Nuclear Technologies - Detection), visited to attend Projects Day and speak with cadets. During his visit, he also provided a FA52/PaNE Colloquium to discuss the current state of DTRA detection and other relevant topics to the Nuclear Technology and CWMD community.
Dr. Robert Burke, research scientist from the US Army Research Laboratory’s Sensors and Electron Devices Directorate from Adelphi, MD visited the Department of Physics and Nuclear Engineering on Projects’ Day. Dr. Burke viewed and judged the poster presentations of numerous cadets from our Nuclear Engineering and Physics programs. A highlight at the poster session for Dr. Burke was viewing the work done by CDT Connor Cabrey on low pressure vacuum deposition growth of graphene. The poster was partly based on research done during Spring Break by CDT Cabrey and Dr. Paula Fekete under the supervision of Dr. Burke at ARL, Adelphi. After the poster session, Dr. Burke was given a tour of the Photonics Research Center by LTC Kirk Ingold.
Triathlon: During 1-4 May, LTC Ken Allen traveled to St. Croix, US Virgin Islands with 5 cadets from the triathlon team to compete in the Ironman 70.3 St. Croix triathlon on 3 May 2015. The team was extremely successful with the top male (Remington Ponce-Pore ’18) female (Paige Dougherty ’18) and the OIC (LTC Ken Allen) each winning their respective age groups and earning a spot in the 2015 Ironman 70.3 World Championships. The three women cadets, Paige Dougherty ‘18, KeriAnn Murphy ‘17, and Jennifer Niemann ‘17 earned 1st, 2nd and 3rd in both the women’s 18-24 year-old division and 1st – 3rd in the women’s military division. The men were just as successful with Remington Ponce-Pore ’18 and Thomas Hinds ’16 earning 1st and 2nd in the men’s 18-25 year-old division and 1st and 3rd in the men’s military division. LTC Allen was 1st in the men’s 45-49 year-old division. With the results of this race, the team has qualified a total of 6 cadets for the World Championships in the fall.
Interdisciplinary Project Briefings: On 4 May, MAJ Shawn Fitzgerald traveled to New York City with cadets to Grand Central Tech (venture capital/startup accelerator) to present PH252 Interdisciplinary Project Briefings. The experience of pitching to venture capital personnel in NYC cannot be replicated here at West Point and greatly enhanced realism and overall learning with regard to this project. It is important that cadets interface with small business leaders. This has many positive civil-military implication as well a contributing to the Superintendent’s priority of increasing our partnership capacity with leaders in NYC. Blog: http://www.grandcentraltech.com/gct-blog/
Social Network Analysis Club Guest Speaker. On 13 April Ben Chartock gave a talk, ‘Six Degrees of Restaurant Reviews’ to several faculty and cadet members of the Social Network Analysis Club (SNAC). This talk offered a unique approach to using big data and network science to solve real world issues. He used a data set of 229,000 restaurant reviews, to investigate the research question, "Where is the best place to eat?". Using a network science approach to map a network of restaurants and to rank restaurants based on patterns of reviewer behaviors. This network helps explain economic and business activity.
The 2015 Network Science Excellence Awards were presented to the following projects:
1st Place: Keystone Pipeline Environment cost and Benefit Network by CDTs Jessica Zhu and Kelsey Wohleben, Advisors: Dr. Chris Arney and MAJ Dan Koban
2nd Place: Analyzing the Syrian Civil War and the rise of ISIS through Twitter and Social Media Analysis by CDT Jonathan Day, Advisors: Dr. Chris Arney and Dr. Kate Coronges
3rd Place: Dealing with Big Data and Using Network Analysis to Better Understand the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process by CDT Paul Stetekluh, Advisors Dr. Chris Arney and Dr. Kate Coronges
NSC would like to thank the judges for this year's competition, Dr. John James, Dan Evans, and Yulia Tyshchuk and congratulate all of the winners.
Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering
Environmental Program Firstie Hudson River Cruise. On the evening of 30 April, the Environmental Program held a Hudson River cruise to honor our soon-to-be-graduating environmental science and environmental engineering majors in the Class of 2015. The boat ride allowed us to spend time with our majors and to interact socially during our two hour supper cruise. The event was highlighted by a reading of Senior Superlatives in which classmates had previously voted on such things as most likely to make General Officer, most likely to have kids first, and most likely to start a record label.
Project’s Day Poster Conference. Cadets, faculty, and guests packed the Dirt Department hallways on the morning of 30APR15 for Project’s Day. In total, 24 posters were displayed representing the research, analysis and hard work associated with honors theses and projects. Research was supported by various outside agencies to include the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Assistant Secretary of the Army Installations, Energy and Environment, and the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency whose senior analysts provided research prompts focusing several cadets on issues of national strategic importance. The degree of preparation and effort involved in individual and team projects was impressive and showed in the cadets’ presentations. The department was honored also to host Assistant Secretary of the Army, the Honorable Ms. Katherine Hammack as well as various members of the AOG, USMAPS cadet candidates and cadets from across the Academy who walked through our hallways with an interest in learning and supporting their peers. We are very proud of our cadets and their intellectually stimulating projects.
Cadets and faculty attend the 2015 Association of American Geographers Conference. Faculty and Cadets presented their research to the broader academic Geography community at the Association of American Geographers’ (AAG) Annual Meeting in Chicago, Illinois from 21-25 April 2015. Presentations showcased the intellectual talents and contributions of the faculty and cadets while gaining insights and perspectives from other scholars outside the military on topics relevant to the Army and our nation. Cadets and faculty were able to attend other sessions and get a better sense of the state of geography through panel presentations and poster discussion. Presentations ranged the geographical spectrum from human and environmental geography, physical geography, geosciences, and geospatial information technologies and applications over the course of the conference. Cadets were able to select intriguing and relevant discussions over the course of the conference, increasing their knowledge of the field and providing opportunities for critical reaction. On the morning of the 23rd, Cadets were able to meet with former graduates and faculty, as well as both current and future staff and faculty from the Geography and Environmental Engineering department at West Point during a breakfast hosted by D/GENE.
Geospatial Research Laboratory, US Army Engineer Research and Development Center Guest Lecture. On April 28th, CPT Mike Mailloux, Special Forces officer, presented “Military Applications of Geospatial Information”. CPT Mailloux’s discussion focused on how geospatial technologies are used to support operations. He also discussed new technologies that are being developed and how the Army plans to implement those tools into operations.
Latin Dance Club Army Social. On Saturday, 2 May 2015, the West Point Latin Dance Club hosted their annual Army Social. The event was an opportunity to introduce cadets to the diversity of latin dance. Cadets demonstrated their skills with performances that ranged from Mexican Ballet Folklorico to Dominican Bachata to Salsa. The club cadets even taught classes to those who wanted to learn how to dance Bachata and Salsa. Club OIC’s, Majors Ricardo Fregoso and Colin Tansey helped coordinate the event, but it was largely cadet planned and executed. The event was an excellent opportunity to demonstrate the diversity of cadets and cultures at West Point.
Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering
Soil Drilling Demonstration - On Monday, 4 May, Cadets in the CE371 Soil Mechanics and Foundation Design course were treated to a demonstration of soil drilling techniques. Drillers from the subsurface exploration company Parratt-Wolff, Inc. demonstrated various drilling, in-situ testing, and soil sampling techniques. Mr. Bill Morrow, Vice President of Parratt-Wolff, delivered an outstanding presentation. Soil drilling and testing is a process that is best learned in a hands-on, experiential-learning environment.
2015 Soldier Design Competition Result : The 12th annual Soldier Design Competition was hosted at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and co-sponsored by the Institute for Soldier Nano-technology and the USMA Center for Innovation and Engineering. Twelve total teams competed, including seven from USMA and five from M.I.T. USMA teams won four of the five prizes including first place at the event which was held at M.I.T. on 4 May 2015. Winning teams included designs related to an M249 Suppressor System (CME Cadets Conor Haaser, Christopher Kolster, Connor McLeod, and Matthew Shoenberger and faculty advisor Dr. Chris Conley), Nerve Regeneration (CLS), an Excalibur munition carrying system (CME Cadets Taylor Ferguson, Andrew Barthel, Austin Hunt, and Albert Sheppard, faculty advisor LTC Josh Keena), and a Soldier Cooling system (CME Cadets Ioannis Wallingford, Jason Rho, Erin Kelly, Sarah Lowry, Joseph Samuels, Brendan McKinley, Zachary Lee, Tyler, Sowell, John Beck, and Zachary Glass and faculty advisors LTC Mike Benson and MAJ Dan Fox). Teams from USMA completed quarter-final and semi-final rounds to win the opportunity to represent West Point at the competition.
CME Projects Day at the Kimsey Center. On 30 April, the department of Civil & Mechanical Engineering staff and faculty, along with nearly 700 cadets, guests, and visitors from a broad cross section of constituents viewed project presentations and posters. Senior leaders from RDECOM and DARPA; students from West Point Middle School, Industry representatives, alumni, donors, parents, and cadets from all classes joined in this showcase of cadet excellence from the Class of 2015.
MA 255 Seminar: Practical Applications of Differential Equations. On 22 April, LTC Benson and several cadets from C&ME presented to 279 students enrolled in MA 255 from the class of 2018 on various applications of differential equations. While LTC Benson started and finished the seminar, the highlights for the students were the three cadet presentations regarding independent study efforts they had undertaken as they pursued their varied interests. The cadet briefings included CDT Meyer Ungerman discussing an assistive walking device, CDT Richard Steele and his work using a proprioceptive MyoBand gyroscopic control system, and CDT Jon Spirnak describing experimental fluid mechanics research. The cadets painted a compelling story on the challenges and benefits of disciplinary depth using the independent research model.
Cadets Earn Professional Credentials in Sustainability. Seven Civil Engineering Cadets and one Environmental Engineering Cadet recently became Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Associates and Envision Sustainability Professionals.
The Cadets became members of the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI) and passed a qualifying examination to become EnvisionTM Sustainability Professionals (ENV PV). Since they are still undergraduate students, ISI recognizes their achievement and has issued them provisional (PV) certificates. Upon graduation with a bachelor’s degree, ISI will convert their certification to the full Sustainability Professional (ENV SP) level. ISI is a non-profit organization founded by the American Public Works Association, the American Council of Engineering Companies, and the American Society of Civil Engineers. The construction industry seeks out individuals with the ENV SP credential to design and build sustainable infrastructure systems including roads, bridges, pipelines, dams, levees, water treatment facilities, power plants, etc. By earning this credential, these Cadets are prepared to lead integrated design teams in addressing sustainability issues while building infrastructure that conserves, or even helps to restore, the natural environment.
Additionally, these Cadets earned the LEED Green Associate credential. As the Engineer-in-Training is to the Professional Engineer, the Green Associate is the first stage to becoming a LEED Accredited Professional (AP). This credential signifies to industry that an individual has demonstrated current knowledge of green building technologies and best practices for creating more sustainable buildings. The U.S. Green Building Council developed the LEED Green Building Rating System to be a voluntary, consensus-based, and market-driven tool to evaluate building design and performance. Since 2008, the Army has required a minimum LEED Silver or equivalent rating on all applicable building projects. Pursuing LEED certification supports the DoD’s Unified Facilities Criteria (UFC) 1-200-02: High Performance and Sustainable Building Requirements, which defines the minimum requirements for planning, design and construction, renovation, repair, maintenance, and operation of DoD facilities. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers maintains a database of all uniformed and civilian personnel holding these credentials because of their increasing importance in civil works construction.
SourceAmerica Design Competition Finalists. Cadets Connor Howlett, Luke Martin, and Christal Theriot are finalists in the SourceAmerica Design Competition for their design of a heavy duty stapler assembly aide device to assist workers with disabilities perform their job more efficiently. The finals for the competition will take place in Washington, D.C., 8-10 June 2015. Finals are required to make an oral presentation, create a poster about their project, and demonstrate use of their device. Their design project was the cadets’ mechanical engineering capstone design project.
Department of History
Stand Up and Fight! The Creation of U.S. Security Organizations, 1942-2005, edited by COL Ty Seidule and former Department of History member Jacqueline E. Whitt has been published by the Army War College Press and the Strategic Studies Institute. The book started as a project to help U.S. Cyber Command when it first formed, and morphed into a collection of essays that explores how new National Security Organizations are formed, organized, funded, and managed in the first years of their existence. In all, 14 past and present members of the Department of History contributed to the book, including COL Ty Seidule, COL Gail Yoshitani, and COL Greg Daddis. The book is available for free at the following URL: http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pubs/display.cfm?pubID=1264.
On 5 May 2015, the Department of History conducted the final round of its popular “Trivia Night at the Firstie Club” for the current academic year. It went off in rousing fashion as over 70 cadets showed up to compete for prizes and determine who possesses the most "trivial" knowledge. "The Four Horsemen of the Quizpocalypse" claimed the top prize in a tightly contested match of three games of trivia. They won $100 in DCA gift certificates as the top team. They had also previously claimed the title of most creative team name, earning a pitcher of their beer of choice. Raffle prizes were also given away throughout the night thanks to the generous support of the West Point Association of Graduates. The department’s Trivia Night events have proven to be very popular among the cadets and will return on a monthly basis next year.
Department of English and Philosophy
Cadets showcase their talent and intellectual depth in Projects Day Presentations. The Department of English and Philosophy once again hosted a number of Projects Day events that highlighted the intellectual rigor and creativity of Cadets. Senior thesis writers presented their arguments and fielded questions from the audience in an academic conference setting. Cadets from Dr. Wisor’s criticism class presented creative projects that engaged course material and critical perspectives in interesting and important ways. Meanwhile, Cadets enrolled in the Bard Seminar were joined by their counterparts from Bard as both groups presented capstone papers and fielded questions. A tradition now, EN102’s Academy Idol competition highlighted the best Shakespearean monologue before a panel of distinguished judges. Finally, Cadets from the Shakespeare elective put on a full production of Much Ado About Nothing.
Cadets and Faculty are inducted into the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi. APL Majors Ashton Wolf (’15) and Lila Garner (’16) were inducted into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi. First founded in 1897, Phi Kappa Phi's mission is "To recognize and promote academic excellence in all fields of higher education and to engage the community of scholars in service to others." Cadets Wolf and Garner epitomize these ideals through their outstanding work in the academic program. Congratulations also to DEP IT Specialist Robert McLoughlin for being inducted into Phi Kappa Phi as a faculty member. Mr. McLoughlin is a role model for Cadets and faculty alike as a life-long learner who has tirelessly pursued achievement in academics.
Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership
Cadets Studying Combat Leadership Attend Judgment-Based Engagement Training. The lawful and ethical use of lethal force is an issue at the heart of effective combat leadership. Leading well in this regard requires a pragmatic and integrated knowledge of psychology, physiology, tactics and the law. The centrality and importance of this issue made it an important theme of PL471 (Leadership in Combat) this semester. From 1-3 May, cadets in PL471 visited the US Air Force Expeditionary Center at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, where they engaged in experiential learning designed to develop their judgment and capability to lawfully and ethically wield lethal force in ambiguous, stressful, dynamic and rapidly evolving situations.
Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science
Cyber Academic Club Brings Hacking Awareness to the Boy Scout Camporee. The EECS Association for Computing Machines (ACM) Cadet Special Interest Group for Security, Auditing and Control (SIGSAC), or more appropriately, the "Cyber guys/gals", recently hosted a Webcam Hacking event during the 53rd Annual Boy scout Camporee. The event was designed as an outreach and awareness session, focusing on cybersecurity and the growing dominance of computers in our everyday lives. Scouts were invited to compete against 20 other competitors in a race to take over webcams. A mission inbrief was given to every competitor, explaining how Internet traffic works and how it can be vulnerable to attack. After the inbrief, scouts were then placed in the competitive tent in a race to reveal the identity of other attackers by accessing their webcam. After the competition, a final outbrief was conducted that discussed the operation and how knowing these concepts is important for personal security on the Internet, along with how to pursue further education in this field. The success and popularity of this event was noted with a constant line of over 100 people waiting to compete throughout the day. Approximately 2000 boy scouts attempted the competition with many skipping their graded stations to compete multiple times (true fact!) It was also noted by many troop sponsors that during open question and answer sessions that there were more questions about cyber than any other station/ event at the Camporee! A few parents/ leaders (by a few, like a few hundred) said it was an eye opening experience in which they wanted to learn more about. Boy scouts even said that they now figured out what they want to do for college and asked how they should begin preparing. Overall, this was a huge success, not only for SIGSAC, but also the ACI, and USMA.
Fast Facts:
- 15 Cadet SIGSAC volunteers spent 3 nights at Lake Frederick setting up and maintaining the station.
- Approximately 2000 Boy scouts participated in Webcam Hacking challenge out of approximately 6000-7000 attendees.
- 3 stations: Inbrief, competition, outbrief
- 35 minute average wait to get into the competition
- Most popular event measured by comments on skipping graded events, line length and word of mouth
- All SIGSAC volunteers sponsored a troop, conducting morning PT and attending dinners to build relationships.
Eight West Point EE, CS, and IT Cadets Present at the National Conference for Undergraduate Research
BY: CPT Jeremy Spruce (EE&CS)
From April 15-18 eight EE, CS, and IT major Cadets and one Officer from the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science attended the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) 2015 and presented their research or capstone project work. The cadets gave the two oral and two poster presentations on site at Eastern Washington University in Spokane, Washington.
NCUR pulled attendees from around the country and presented the opportunity for Cadets to choose from the over 2,000 talks, posters, and artistic presentations. The exposure to students from multiple disciplines and backgrounds gave a deeper insight into the various academic disciplines outside of the EE&CS department. Each Cadet oral presentation had an audience between 6 and 40 people. The Cadets each presented in a very professional, engaging manner that spoke of their deep understanding of their subject matter, and an interest in developing the studies further. The audiences listened intently, asked many good questions, and offered excellent suggestions.
The four hour-long poster presentations each saw between 20-30 interested visitors and each presenting cadet had ample opportunity to describe their work and discuss it in detail with a variety of interested individuals. The poster visitors offered good insight and, through their interest, inspired each cadet to continue their efforts to deliver top capstone or research products. In addition to giving their presentations, each Cadet attended a wide variety of talks, posters, and artistic presentations throughout the conference. Because NCUR is discipline non-specific, there were presentations from almost every college major available worldwide and presented in almost every imaginable format. The cadets were greatly enriched by attending presentations from within and outside of their disciplines.
The Cadets asked challenging questions of the presenters and spoke with them after their presentations to further their understanding and knowledge of the subject. The Cadets were also able to spend some time in downtown Spokane participating in the NCUR scavenger hunt and seeing the Spokane Falls riverfront park. Overall the trip was one of the longest and furthest distance traveled but worth the time spent given the experience gained by the Cadets both as a presenter and audience member. This trip was funded and made possible by the Professor and Mrs. Harry Van Trees Professional Development Fund gift to the Department Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Each Cadet is writing Prof. and Mrs. Van Trees heartfelt and deeply appreciative thank-you letters.
West Point Women’s Boxing
The West Point Women’s Boxing Team held their annual awards dinner at the home of their Assistant OICs MAJ Jamar Wright from the Department of Mathematical Sciences and CPT Mari Torres from the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. The team competed in the United States Intercollegiate Boxing Association (USIBA) National Championships last month where Cadet Molly Box defeated her opponent to with her weight division title. The team will transition to the National Collegiate Boxing Association (NCBA) next season. At the dinner, several team members recognized its leadership and received awards for beating Air Force. OIC CPT Richard Juten provided words of encouragement as they bid farewell to three Firsties graduating later this month. The fighters presented special gifts to their departing Firsties: CDT Molly Box (outgoing team captain), CDT Rita Wiley and CDT Yomanda Martin, in appreciation for the mentorship, advice and friendship they provided throughout their tenure. Additionally, these warriors bid a heartfelt farewell to their OIC Dr. Patrice Benson who dedicated the past three years to ensuring they had access to everything needed for success. Each OIC was presented with a pair of boxing gloves signed by all of the fighters.
The graduating members presented gifts to their teammates and spent the evening sharing food and memories with tears of joy and sorrow as the year comes to a close. The evening culminated with a team viewing of the Mayweather vs. Pacquiao boxing match they will not soon forget.
“It was a season of great victories and hard defeats, but regardless of where the team stands on the winner’s blocks, the team stands together. This is the end of one season, and also the beginning of another. There is a lot of work to be done, but no doubt that when the team returns from summer training NCBA best be ready because the West Point Women’s Boxing Team is coming for the belt!” (Sarah Gold ‘16, Team Captain.)