Dean s Weekly Significant Activities Report. 12 March Picture of the Week

Transcription

1 Page1 Dean s Weekly Significant Activities Report 12 March 2014 The Dean s Weekly Significant Activities Report is an internal report on all activities conducted within the Departments, Centers & Staff. The Report is provided to the Dean for situation awareness, throughout the organization for shared situation awareness, and to select external organizations for outreach and communication. Portions of the Dean s Weekly Significant Activities Report are further staffed in a report to the Superintendent. POC for the report is MS Lesley Beckstrom at Picture of the Week STEM Outreach: On 8 March, More than 80 students from the tri-state area participated in a full day workshop at the United States Military Academy

2 Page2 Combating Terrorism Center The CTC co-sponsored a special conference on terrorism and counterterrorism in Africa with the Monterey Institute for International Studies last week. Center faculty members Dr. Scott Helfstein and Dr. Geoff Porter gave panel presentations Dr. Helfstein presented his latest research on the crime-terror nexus in Africa and Dr. Porter provided his analysis of the future of counterterrorism in North Africa and the Sahel. The launch of the latest edition of the CTC Sentinel, an issue devoted entirely to Africa, coincided with this event and can be found {insert link here}. The CTC would like to thank BG(Ret) Russ Howard, the founder of the CTC and the current MonTREP Director, for hosting the conference and making this event happen. Dr. Scott Helfstein on the Crime-Terror Nexus in Africa

3 Page3 Dr. Geoff Porter on the future of CT in N. Africa and the Sahel Network Science Center For the latest information from the Network Science Center visit our blog The Central Node: Network Science at the Girls in STEM Workshop This past Saturday 80 girls from NY, NJ, PA, and CT all came together at West Point to learn more about Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. For half of these young women this included learning about network science through a hands-on challenge. The group got a quick introduction to network terminology and concepts then they worked in teams to explore and build political networks, networks found in cities, and finally to visualize networks from their Facebook and interactions. The challenge gave these young women a better understanding of different networks they interact with every day and why researchers study them. One NYC teacher commented, Thank you for letting me know about the STEM workshop last weekend. Four of my girls attended and LOVED it. It was a great opportunity and definitely renewed/reconfirmed their love of science.

4 Page4 Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership 12 March 2014 Completed Events Follow BS&L on Facebook: Sciences-Leadership/ Leadership Majors Engage NYU Honor Students at Seminar on Ethical leadership On 5 March, LTCs Dan Smith and Holly West collaborated with New York University (NYU) Professors Diane Yu and Bruce Buchanan to bring 13 leadership majors from West Point together with 15 students from NYU s undergraduate Honors Seminar in Leadership. The group shared dinner and discussed ethical leadership cases taken from actual business and military situations, as well as from situations depicted by cinema. POC: daniel.smith@usma.edu. Pictured below LTCs Smith and West, NYU Professors Yu and Buchanan, cadet leadership majors, and NYU honor s students at the University President s Penthouse, NYU.

5 Page5 Dr. Morten Ender publishes film review in scholarly journal, Armed Forces & Society Professor Morten Ender had a film review of the documentary Patriot Guard Riders (2012 and directed by Ellen Frick) published in the most recent issue of the scholarly journal, Armed Forces & Society, 40(2): Available online at POC: morten.ender@usma.edu Department of Chemistry and Life Science Cadet Derrick Hall Wins GEM Fellowship Cadet Derrick Hall, Class of 2014 and a chemistry major, has been awarded the MS in Engineering Fellowship by the GEM Foundation. He has been accepted to the College of Science at Purdue University to pursue a Masters in Chemistry. This is truly an exceptional accomplishment for Cadet Hall and the Excel Scholars Program. Cadet Seth Harbol Receives the ACS College Recognition Award

6 Page6 The Mid-Hudson Section of the American Chemical Society announced that Cadet Seth Harbol, Class of 2014 and a chemistry major, has been chosen as a recipient of the College Recognition Award for This award is presented to an outstanding student at each of the colleges in the Section, and consists of a monetary award and a certificate. Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering Pedagogical Research Article Published in Peer-reviewed International Journal. A project report entitled An Engineering Perspective on Collaborative Client-Based Service-Learning Projects in an Introductory Environmental Engineering and Science Course by MAJ Matthew Baideme, MAJ Andrew Pfluger, MAJ Stephen Lewandowski, MAJ Katie Matthew (BS&L), and LTC Jeffrey Starke was published in Science Education and Civic Engagement-An International Journal (Winter 2014). The report describes how collaborative, client-based term projects may increase student confidence and environmental perspective while developing solutions to local environmental issues. The article is available at The POCs are MAJ Baideme at matthew.baideme@usma.edu or MAJ Lewandowski at stephen.lewandowski@usma.edu. Image: First page of published report. G&EnE STEM Outreach I. On Saturday, March 8th, LTC Chris Oxendine from the Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering attended the STEM Symposium at the Nysmith School in Herndon, Virginia. Over 1,600 parents and children attended the event. The symposium provided an opportunity for K-12 students to interact with key business, education, government and non-profit leaders. LTC Oxendine discussed real-life STEM

7 Page7 applications as demonstrated and taught at USMA. The POC is LTC Chris Oxendine at G&EnE STEM Outreach II. On Saturday, March 8th, COL Steve Fleming and CDTs Sallena Samuel and Leyla Baggson from the Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering supported the inaugural STEM for Girls Workshop held at West Point. The workshop provided an opportunity for high school-age girls to interact with cadets and USMA faculty. The G&EnE cadets discussed and demonstrated real-life geospatial information science applications being used and taught in the department. The POC is COL Steve Fleming at Pictures: (L) CDT Samuel discusses airborne imagery with STEM participants, (R) CDT Baggson uses GoogleEarth to teach GIS techniques CSCMO / EV482: Military Geography Lecture. On 3 March, Dr Jack Clarke gave a lecture to Cadets enrolled in EV482: Military Geography titled Armed Forces in Civil Security. Dr Clarke is a Professor of Defense Management and Strategic Studies and the Director of the Program on Civil Security at the Marshall Center in Garmisch, Germany where he teaches numerous courses on civil security, crisis management, and stability operations, as well as developing scenario-based exercises and simulations. The lecture focused on the varying roles European militaries play within their respective countries. From this discussion, Cadets learned how their counterparts, particularly in NATO countries, are often assigned roles and missions that differ greatly from how the US Army is employed domestically. This lecture was organized and supported by the Center for the Study of Civil-Military Operations (CSCMO). POC is Mr. John Melkon at john.melkon@usma.edu or LTC Andrew Lohman at andrew.lohman@usma.edu.

8 Page8 Picture: Professor Jack Clarke lectures to Cadets on the role of Armed Forces in Civil Security G&EnE Faculty Participates in Meteorology Panel. On 9 March, Maj Douglass MacPherson represented military meteorologists during a panel discussion during the 39th annual Northeastern Storm Conference in Rutland, VT. He highlighted the significance of weather on military operations and answered questions ranging from career opportunities in the military to how expectations differ for a military meteorologist versus a broadcast meteorologist. The POC is Maj Douglass MacPherson at douglass.macpherson@usma.edu.

9 Page9 Picture: Maj Douglass MacPherson serves on a panel during the 39th annual Northeastern Storm Conference in Rutland, VT Faculty Member Presents at DSS War Council Event. On 8 March, Dr. Richard Wolfel of the Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering and the Center for Languages, Cultures and Regional Studies, presented on the Geostrategic Dimensions of the conflict in Crimea as part of the Defense and Strategic Studies Program s War Council Event. Dr. Wolfel focused on the Geographical, Geopolitical and Nationalistic dimensions of the conflict in the Crimea. The POC is Dr. Richard Wolfel at richard.wolfel@usma.edu. EV203 Guest Lecture. Students in EV203: Physical Geography concluded their blocks on weather and climate with a guest lecture from Dr. Robert Balling titled, A Climate of Doubt about Global Warming. Dr. Balling is a professor at Arizona State University and currently the director of Advanced Study in Geographic Information Systems. His work focuses upon climate-change issues, particularly how well historical records of climate match numerical model predictions given the ongoing buildup of greenhouse gases. This lecture introduced cadets to the academic side of the debate regarding climate change and global warming to contrast what they hear through television and social media. The POC is MAJ Elizabeth Weaver at elizabeth.weaver@usma.edu.

10 Page10 Pictures: Dr. Balling discusses the uncertainty surrounding global warming with Cadets.

11 Page11 Department of English and Philosophy Past Events 1. Elsie Sannes-Pinnell Art Appreciation Forum: On 9 March, cadets from the Elsie Sannes-Pinnell Art Appreciation Forum traveled to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the largest art museum in the United States. To help cadets navigate through over two million pieces of art, DEP Art Historian Dr. Betsy Chunko met the group and highlighted details about rare works from the Ancient Greek, Medieval, and Egyptian Galleries. Of particular interest to cadets was the ephemeral nature of Etruscan bird art and the pagan scenes carved into wooden French cathedral furniture. Dr. Betsy Chunko explains to cadets (and a few tourists who hopped onto her tour) the funerary and heraldry scenes painted onto a geometric Grecian terracotta krater dated BC.

12 Page12 Cadets from the Elsie Sannes-Pinnell Art Appreciation Forum pose in the hall of Ancient Greek Architecture. The Corbin Women s Leadership Summit performance LTC Mercer organized and produced the premiere performance of The Athena Monologues as part of the Corbin Women s Leadership Summit. The performance took place on Friday evening (March 6) at the Firstie Club.

13 Page13 The Athena Monologues performers, left to right, are: COL Diane Ryan, CDT Tara Mastriano, CDT Stephanie Shubert, CPT James Thomas, CDT Kailee Kunst, CDT Levi Rosdahl (MC), CDT Andrea Steinke, CDT Christmas Linzy, Kathy Silvia (Class of 80), CDT Kirsten Redmon, CDT Ashley Zeigler, and CDT Sarah Baermann, and LTC Mercer (Producer).or FREE >> Department of Foreign Languages Current Week HIGHLIGHTS: 1. Hosting Visitors: DFL did not host any visitors during this time period. 2. Semester Abroad Program (SAP) / Academic trip sections: a. Chinese SAP: Cadets in Shanghai visited the cities of Kunming, Shilin and Guilin as part of their broadening experience. The Cadets observed:

14 Page14 Staring at foreigners is much more frequent in the south, we have found. Additionally, Shanghai is a very busy city where the streets are literally flooded with people. We each experienced Chinese train rides, in hard sleepers and hard seats, as well as the bullet trains, and got into some very invigorating conversations with our Chinese companions. Photo: Cadets Cassie Jones and Tessa Knight visited Kunming, the Stone Forest (Shilin), Guilin, Shanghai, and various sites within those cities. b. Spanish SAP: Cadets James and Trainor at the University of Granada in Spain have begun studying for their mid-term finals next week. In addition, the Cadets have traveled to various locales such as Solobreña and Rota. Cadet James is currently playing football with the Granada Lions and Cadet Trainor is singing with El Coral Ciudad of Granada. c. Spanish SAP in Mexico: Cadet Rachel Anderson took some time from studies at the Tech de Monterrey to visit various museums in Mexico City. d. French SAP: During his Spring Break, Cadet Wesley Sickman at l Université Catholique de Lille visited the Palace of the Popes in Avignon, France and Barcelona, Spain where he visited the Sagrada Familia. Photos: From Cadet Sickman s recent cultural excursions.

15 Page15 Palace of the Popes in Avignon, France Antonio Gaudi s Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain e. Arabic SAP: Nine Arabic Cadets continue their studies in Morocco, Jordan, and Oman. Cadets in Jordan are completing midterms and continue volunteer work at the orphanage. As studies intensify in Oman, Cadets took a break and toured the Sultan Qaboos mosque. The Cadets in Morocco took a break from their studies this week, traveling to the pre-saharan dunes of Merzouga. Photo: Cadet Melissa Thom 15 heads towards the dunes of the easternmost Sahara Desert in Merzouga, Morocco, aboard the only mode of transport used in that era for centuries.

16 Page16 3. Faculty participation in immersion trips, AIADs, and semester abroad maintenance requirements / trips: Dr. John Steigman of the Spanish-section will be escorting Cadets on a Spanishlanguage immersion trip to Puerto Rico over Spring Break. The trip will consist of an eco-tour of El Yunque National Park, a visit to Old San Juan, and various dignitary meetings at the US Army Reserve Center in Puerto Rico. From 14 to 20 March 2014, LTC Shively, the Arabic Desk Chief, will travel to Rabat, Ifrane, and Marrakech, Morocco, to visit and maintain relations with schools and sites where Cadets study Arabic for academic credit. from 14 to 20 March Dr. Julia Praud will accompany eight Cadets over Spring Break to Paris, France with excursions to Versailles and the beaches of Normandy. They will also attend the annual West Point Society of Paris Founders Day dinner during their trip. 4. Major milestones in research or scholarly work: On March 8 th, several faculty members attended the 8th Annual Language Teachers Conference held at Central Connecticut State University. Dr. Johannes Vazulik and Dr. Lawrence Mansour presented a Profile of Successful Learners in Beginning Russian Courses at the United States Military Academy, which examined language learners pre-admission data, standardized test scores, and academic performance in general education courses that augur success in beginning language study. Additionally, Mr. Darrin Griffin, MAJ Jason Garneau and Dr. Sherry Venere presented on the current LX204 Facebook project in Arabic, Russian and Spanish, entitled Extending the Second-Language Classroom through Social Media. In their presentation, they demonstrated the functionality of Facebook as a learner management system similar to SharePoint and how it nurtures student language development and collaboration outside of the Second-Language classroom.

17 Page17 Department of Physics and Nuclear Engineering Completed Events Department Farewell: On 5 March, The Department of Physics and Nuclear Engineering said farewell to Colonel Raymond Nelson, Professor and Deputy Head during an intimate ceremony that was held in the West Point Room. COL Naessens presents COL Nelson with the coveted PaNE Plaque

18 Page18 COL Nelson receiving a special gift from CDT Wink Mrs. Reva Nelson, COL Ed Naessens, and COL Ray Nelson

19 Page19 STEM Outreach: On 8 March, More than 80 students from the tri-state area participated in a full day workshop at the United States Military Academy. Academy faculty and cadet mentors led by Catherine Bale, CSE, engaged the students with exciting hands-on learning modules to include designing robots, 3- D modeling, building bridges, learning about Physics and Chemistry and designing engines. The purpose of this high technology, interactive workshop is to encourage girls to stay engaged in STEM, to introduce students to the United States Military Academy and to provide them with a realistic, engaging introduction to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics designed to encourage them to continue to pursue these areas academically and professionally. We wanted you to know that our daughter, Sydney, loved the STEM workshops. She was amazed at how it opened her eyes to an interest that she did not know that she had! We signed her up because we knew she would love it, and it did not disappoint. Thank you very much for the opportunity and we look forward to more STEM events in the future. Please keep Sydney in mind when opportunities such as these become available within your program and beyond. Jen and Larry Decker See the STEM FACEBOOK page at West Point Center for STEM Education or our website for more photos from the event.

20 Page20 STEM Outreach: On 8 March, LTC Chris Oxendine from the Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering attended the STEM Symposium at the Nysmith School in Herndon, Virginia. Over 1,600 parents and children attended the event. The Symposium provided an opportunity for K-12 students to interact with key business, education, government and nonprofit leaders. LTC Oxendine discussed real-life STEM applications as demonstrated and taught at USMA. Retirement: On 10 March, BG Timothy Trainor retired COL Raymond Nelson, Professor and Deputy Head of the Department of Physics and Nuclear Engineering after nearly 31 years of service to the United States Army. The Ceremony was held in Jefferson Hall s Haig Room. Completed Events Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering 1. Faculty Member Visits O Neill High School Science Club - COL Fred Meyer made a presentation to 20 members of the Science Club at O Neill High School on Thursday 6 March. During the presentation, he talked about what engineers do and discussed some current projects of interest to the students. He also talked about future engineering challenges they will face within their lifetime and about why he chose to pursue the field of civil engineering. POC: COL Fred Meyer, x4093, karl.meyer@usma.edu. 2. New Pilots in Command - MAJ Hans Thomas and CPT Brent Pafford completed their flight progression in the D/CME Cessna 182 becoming the Civil and Mechanical Engineering Department s newest Pilots in Command. The flight section of the ME Program will start flight labs for ME387, Introduction to Aeronautical Engineering, on March 24, 2014 (weather permitting). The flight labs include measuring performance characteristics of fixed wing aircraft and experiments demonstrating the relationship between velocity and aerodynamic forces. The 2 nd AVN detachment is an integral part of the team as we successfully complete these laboratory experiences for the Aeronautical track of the Mechanical Engineering Program. POC: LTC Michael Benson, x6214, michael.benson@usma.edu.

21 Page21 Pictured from left to right are CW5 Carl Schoenwald (2 nd Aviation Detachment Standardization Pilot), CPT Pafford, and CW5 Alan Mack (2 nd Aviation Detatchment Commander). Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Castle Lecture with Guest Speaker, Meg Whitman, CEO of Hewlett Packard Meg Whitman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Hewlett Packard, was the guest speaker at the James C. and Dorothy P. Castle Lecture Series held at 1945 on Thursday, 6 March 2014, in Robinson Auditorium. It was attended by all Plebes. Ms. Whitman and members of her staff arrived in time for a tour of Central Area and an introduction to the history of West Point.

22 Page22 Meeting the Superintendent while Touring West Point This was followed by a buffet dinner in the EECS conference where she met members of the EECS senior leadership and some cadets majoring in the EECS disciplines. Dinner with EECS Her talk was entitled Leadership in the Digital Age and was in a fireside chat format where Prof. Susan Schwartz, IT105 Course Director, asked Ms. Whitman questions. Time was also allocated for cadets in the audience to ask questions. Highlights of her comments included her insights into where technology is going and how that might impact the military, what leadership challenges are impacted by technology, and how she has managed her career. After the talk, many cadets continued the conversation with her until she departed.

23 Page23 Fireside Chat Meg Whitman answers cadet questions after the Castle Lecture. Meg Whitman with cadets after the Castle Lecture.

24 Page24 EECS Dining Out Gatsby Theme! On 01-March, EECS held its annual Dining Out for staff and faculty at Herbert Hall where COL Gene Ressler promoted a future faculty member (Summer 14) to Lieutenant Colonel (LTC Brian Souhan), a grog ceremony was performed, followed by dinner and dancing. Special guests included LTG(R) Rhett and Pat Hernandez, spouse of a former EECS faculty member and generous donor to the department, Ruth (Sam) Bilodeau, Advisory Board Member Jon Bentley, and frequent guest speaker on copyright law, Roland Trope. Everyone had a wonderful time. Department of Systems Engineering On February 27 th cadets from the Department of Systems Engineering attended an evening lecture titled The Role of the System Architect. Dr. Jeffrey Poulin, a graduate of USMA, presented the lecture to students enrolled in SM440, Complex Systems Architecture. Dr. Poulin is the Master Architect for Lockheed Martin and a subject matter expert; he discussed where the

25 Page25 system architect fits in the development of highly complex and technologically advanced systems such as automated mail sorting systems and helicopters. The DSE Faculty Basketball team won the noontime faculty basketball championship this year, decisively beating EECS 28-8 in the final game. Congratulations to all participating faculty throughout the season; you demonstrate a balance of scholarship and athleticism to the young men and women we mentor!

26 Page26 Dr. Mike Kwinn, CDTs Matthew Strack and John Delano travelled to Fort Benning, GA to meet with the Project Manager of Small Unmanned Aerial System, LTC Nick Kioutas (USMA 94), to observe a demonstration of UAV video feeds in coordination with mortar firing. The cadets are part of a capstone group working to increase the accuracy and effectiveness of the mortars by increasing SUAV operator situational awareness. Check out the article in The Bayonet & Saber! THE DEPARTMENT OF LAW New Jersey s topped ranked law school, Seton Hall University School of Law School, invited COL David Wallace, Academy Professor and Deputy Head of the Department of Law, to teach its Human Rights course about the law of armed conflict. The law school students showed great interest in cyber warfare, drones, fully autonomous weapons, asymmetrical warfare and contractors on the battlefield.