Department of Foreign Languages
Spanish: Spanish Semester Abroad Cadets Connor Wernecke and Benjamin Greif participated in an onsite camouflage testing project in Mexico for the Sensation & Perception class. The testing was coordinated by the former head of Engineering Psychology, Dr. Tim O’Neill in Mexico with the cooperation of the Mexican Marine Special Forces and the company Protactic. The coordinators reported that the project was successful in no small part due to the cadets’ Spanish abilities. Dr. O’Neill reported that the cadets uncomplainingly helped execute the mission in less-than-ideal weather conditions, setting up the experiment, aiding the testing subjects, and working as interpreters between the Mexican military and English-speaking scientists. In addition, Ben and Connor were working side-by-side with the Mexican Marines’ Special Forces’ Special Ops Unit, “an elite military unit within an elite military unit,” Mexico’s primary defense against drug cartels. Dr. O’Neill summed the event up as follows: “Connor and Ben were invaluable to the execution of two demanding research efforts. Having two research assistants who understood experimental method, spoke Spanish, and are not bothered by hours of hard work under bad conditions made the whole thing possible.”
Arabic: Eight Arabic students in Jordan and Morocco have completed their studies and are preparing to return to West Point. The Cadets in Morocco visited the Sahara desert at Merzouga, travelling by camel; one presented a tactics class in Arabic and one ran in a half-marathon. They return to West Point on Wednesday. The Cadets in Jordan wrapped up their studies and attended a presentation from a group of visiting Yemenis, followed by a traditional Yemeni meal. They return to West Point on Friday 15 May.
Russian: The Russian Language Section held a dinner for the graduating Russian concentrators at Dr. Lawrence Mansour's home. Cadets were able to spend the evening enjoying the company of their fellow cadets and instructors, as well as a selection of Russian foods.
Department of Physics and Nuclear Engineering
Hail and Farewell: On 8 May, the Department of Physics and Nuclear Engineering held a Department Hail and Farewell at Schlesinger’s Steakhouse. COL John Hartke was welcomed back to the Department by COL Ed Naessens from his year-long Operational Experience. Departing faculty members that were honored at the event included MAJ Sam Heider, MAJ Eric Marshall, COL Bryndol Sones, and LTC Dave Williams.
Retirement Ceremony:On 12 May, the Department of Physics and Nuclear Engineering celebrated the retirement of Lieutenant Colonel Samuel H. Amber after twenty-one years as a commissioned officer in the United States Army. LTC Amber excelled in leadership positions in the field artillery, space operations, and at the United States Military Academy. Beginning as a tank company fire support officer in Korea and culminating as an assistant professor and Director of the Space and Missile Defense Command Research and Analysis Center, he amassed an unparalleled record of accomplishments as a strategic leader, soldier, professional engineer, educator, and scholar. LTC Chad Schools acted as Master of Ceremonies of the ceremony while COL Ed Naessens presented the Meritorious Service Medal, the Presidential Certificate of Appreciation for Service in the Armed Forces of the United States of America, the United States Flag which was flown over the United States Military Academy, and the Department of the Army Retirement Certificate and Pin. The ceremony was held in the West Point Room in Bartlett Hall. A small reception was held after LTC(R) Amber made his remarks.
Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering
West Point’s Exceptional Performance in the 2015 RecycleMania Competition. Competing against more than 450 colleges and universities, West Point took 2nd place in the 2015 RecycleMania cardboard category. Additionally, West Point finished 4th in the “Per Capita Classic (total pounds of recyclables collected per person),” 4th in bottles and cans category (an improvement over USMA’s 8th-place finish during 2014) and 17th in paper recycling. The installation, cadets and faculty members strongly supported the recycling effort at West Point allowing these remarkable results. The Department of Cadet Activities and MWR are large supporters of the effort offering cash and prize incentives to the cadet companies that recycle the most during the competition. Additionally, the Cadet Energy and Environment Chain of Command, led by Cadet Will Moore, and the ESSW Club led by CDT Carissa Pekny were active in motivating the Corps of Cadets to increase recycling efforts. Both the Energy and Environment Chain of Command and the ESSW cadet club are initiatives of the Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering in an effort to encourage Cadets to think globally and apply their understanding of human-environment interactions to develop appropriate sustainable solutions to problems. In USMA’s internal competition, the top performing companies received cash rewards in the amounts of $750, $400 and $200 for first, second and third place, respectively. This year’s top three companies were Company C3 (first place), Company A1 (second place) and Company C1 (third place). On 29 April 2015, the Brigade Tactical Officer, COL Steven Merkel, presented each of these companies and supporting staff from MWR, DPW and DCA with their 2015 RecycleMania awards.
EV401 Camp Buckner Water Treatment Plant Tour. Cadets enrolled in EV401, Physical and Chemical Treatment Processes, visited the Camp Buckner Water Treatment Plant on April 27th. The plant operates seasonally to treat water from Lake Popolopen for consumption at Camps Buckner and Natural Bridge. Cadets appreciated the compact and logical layout of the plant, which helped them conceptualize the entire water treatment process.
Art Hinaman (left) and Bill Dauer (right) of the U.S. Forest Service discuss wildfire control to students in Environmental Geology (EV391b). On Wednesday, 6 May 15, Art Hinaman and Bill Dauer, of the U.S. Forest Service, were invited to West Point as guest speakers to talk about wildfires and the Forest Service to students in Environmental Geology (EV391b). Art Hinaman, Assistant Director, Aviation, discussed the use of aviation assets in fighting wildfires. He also talked about the principles of fighting wildfires, and the three elements of a fire triangle: heat, oxygen, and fuel. If one or more of the three elements are removed, the fire will go out. Bill Dauer, Forest Engineer, spoke to cadets during Dean’s Hour about the history of the Forest Service, the many activities in which the Forest Service is involved, and the historical relationship the Forest Service has with the Army. The information shared by both guest speakers was well received by the cadets. Art Hinaman is a 32 year veteran of the Army and National Guard, and Bill Dauer is USMA Class of 1981 and former West Point football player.
USMA 5K/10K. On Saturday, 9 May 2015, three teams from G&EnE competed in the USMA 5K & 10K runs. Two of the department teams competed in the 5K while one competed in the 10K. The teams performance were impressive with Team Dirt (MAJ Christian Robbins, MAJ Rich Knox, and MAJ Colin Tansey) finishing second and Team Green (CPT Rich Rogers, CPT Laurel Miller, and CPT David Zgonc) finishing fourth in the 5K. Team G&EnE (COL Mark Read, LTC Philip Dacunto, and MAJ Lauren Koban) finished first in the 10K.