Projects Day: Our “Return on Investment”

Projects Day at the United States Military Academy began in 2000 when one academic department invited external guests to witness the applied research its cadets had done in support of the Army and the Department of Defense. Now, with projects sponsored by over 80 agencies and organizations, including the West Point Association of Graduates, Projects Day encompasses research in all 13 academic departments, the Department of Military Instruction, and the Department of Physical Education. According to Brigadier General Tim Trainor ’83, Dean of the Academic Board, sponsor feedback from the event demonstrates that the quality of work being done by our cadets is “phenomenal” and “making a difference.” Major Riley Post ’01, Economics Instructor with the Department of Social Sciences, told a group of graduate donors that he sees Projects Day as a microcosm of West Point. “Today, we get to see a return on investment… three-to-four years coming to academic fruition,” he said, but he also linked his own cultural immersion experience as a cadet in 2000 with Crossroads Africa with his work as a company commander in 2007 building trust with tribal leaders in Basra, Iraq, to suggest that these projects will continue to pay dividends for the cadets later in their Army careers. With over 250 research posters, papers, and presentations taking place all over post, Projects Day and West Point will be making a difference for our country well into the future.

See Photos from Projects Day 2013.