jk Dean s Weekly Significant Activities Report 26 October 2016

Transcription

1 jk Dean s Weekly Significant Activities Report 26 October 2016 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 Follow WP_Scientist on Twitter Picture of the Week Department of Systems Engineering: Cadets at a Habitat for Humanity Westchester County 1

2 Department of Mathematical Sciences Cadets Showcase METL Analysis Tool to U.S. Army South Commander On Friday, 21 October 2016, Cadets Gustavo Maldonado ( 17, Co. B-4), Bryce Wikins ( 17, Co. B-2), and Kevin Talty ( 18, Co. H-3) briefed their capstone project to the US Army South Commander, Major General Chinn. The Cadets are investigating ways to improve the Army s Training Information System to allow more efficient, effective, and intuitive access to training information. They have created a web-based platform that automates the METL crosswalk procedure, produces a network graph, and applies Google s search algorithm to identify structurally important tasks. The Cadets will present their tool to the Training Management Directorate with the potential to be incorporated into the Digital Training Management System. This research project is affiliated with the USMA Network Science center. LTC Mike Scioletti, MAJ John Bacon, MAJ Katie Fidler, and CPT Scott Warnke serve on the advisory panel. Point of contact for this is the primary advisor, MAJ Donald Koban, donald.koban@usma.edu. Cadet Kevin Talty ( 18) and MAJ Donald Koban answer questions during a brief to U.S. Army Sout Commander, Major General K.K. Chinn. Recent Advances and Future Capabilities Reviewed with U.S. Army South Commanding General The Department of Mathematical Sciences shared recent advances from Network Science Center research, on 21 October 2016, with Major General K.K. Chinn, 2

3 Commanding General for U.S. Army South. Discussion included advances in: frameworks for undermining or strengthening social networks, network insights into team dynamics, characterizing ambiguous environments with multi-layer networks, and quantifying error in dark networks. Future work discussed included: identification of influential personnel and organizations in multi-layer networks; using networks to identify organizational capability mismatches in operating environments; and analyzing asymmetric advantages and risks. U.S. Army South is responsible for Theater Security Cooperation in the Southern hemisphere in order to strengthen regional security and counter transnational threats in defense of the homeland. Point of contact for the Network Science Center is LTC Jon Roginski, (From left to right around the table) Dr. Bill Pulleyblank, CPT Ryan Miller, CPT Seth Lotts, LTC Jon Roginski, CPT Dusty Turner, and MAJ Mat Fukuzawa introduce themselves to the Commander of U.S. Army South, MG Clarence K.K. Chinn, as they discuss potential collaboration between the West Point Network Science Center and U.S. Army South. 3

4 Institute for Innovation and Development Mr Dan Howett and COL John Graham collaborated on the proposed Department of Energy Award for Projects Day 2017 (May 4). Mr Tim Unruh, DOE Program Director, has approved a plan to award a prize to the top cadet project in the energy domain for The details and timeline of the nomination and competition criteria are to be worked out. However, based on the framework of the current Scott Clark Award and the TRADOC Award, 6-10 finalists will compete on Projects Day and be awarded during Grad Week. This will be the first external agency award for Projects Day. COL John Graham presented on the Making the Future panel. The IEEE Technology Time Machine is the IEEE s flagship conference on future technology directions. The overall theme of TTM 2016 is Making the Future. Building upon the IEEE s major technology initiatives, TTM 2016 brings together experts from research and industry to provide an overview of these technologies and explore how they may be leveraged towards making the future through their research, products and services. COL Graham presented on "DOD Research Investments & Future Force Education". COL Barry Shoop is the current President of IEEE. IEEE's core purpose is to foster technological innovation and excellence for the benefit of humanity. COL John Graham: Presentation at IEEE 4

5 Civil and Mechanical Engineering Civil Engineer Cadets visit Blakeslee Prestress Inc. On 21 October, Blakeslee Prestress Inc. hosted the cadets enrolled in the CME Department s Concrete Course, CE483. Cadets received presentations on structural modeling software, pre-stressed concrete beam behavior, and a facility tour from the company leadership. This was the 10 th year that Blakeslee has hosted this event. 28 cadets and four staff and faculty attended the event. POC is CPT Lyle Milliman at lyle.milliman@usma.edu. Rick Fitzgerald, Blakeslee Plant Manager, explains to cadets how this shear wall is attached to the foundation using high strength grout. CPT Milliman presents a certificate of appreciation to Blakeslee s Senior Vice President, Bob Vitelli Department of English and Philosophy Visiting Scholar in Professor McGowan s Senior Seminar in Advanced Literary Study On October 18th Dr. Richard Primack visited West Point from Boston University. Professor of Biology at BU, Dr. Primack is Editor-in-Chief of the international journal, Biological Conservation, and author of the acclaimed book, Walden Warming. After a vital two hour session with cadets in Dr. McGowan's EN433: Senior Seminar in Advanced Literary Study, this year studying "Migration Arts," Dr. Primack visited West point's Special Collections where he had a chance to explore rare 19th century journals and field records kept by West Point scholars. Afterwards, Dr. Primack joined faculty 5

6 and cadets in the West Point Club for lunch and wide-ranging conversation. POC is Dr. Tony McGowan, DEP Dr. Richard Primack talking to Cadets in Professor McGowan s EN433: Senior Seminar. Creative Writing Forum On Monday, 17 October, Cadets in the Creative Writing Forum attended a spoken word poetry event in Albany, NY. The event is part of a tour that renowned spoken word poets Andrea Gibson and Sarah Kay recently began. Sarah Kay, who teaches poetry internationally and has been featured in a Ted Talk entitled If I Should Have a Daughter began the event with three powerful poems about human experiences. She was followed by Andrea Gibson who is known for holding no punches when it comes to current social issues. Cadets had an opportunity to meet and take pictures with the two performers. POC is CPT Robert Briggs, DEP (robert.briggs@usma.edu). 6

7 Actors and Directors answer cadet questions in Cullum Hall. [Left to Right]: Reg Rogers, Anna Chlumsky, Lila Neugebauer, Shane McRae, Joanne Tucker, William Jackson Harper, Jackie Cruz, Bill Heck, Marylouise Burke, Tonye Patano, and Saidah Ekulona. Cadets pose with Sarah Kay and Andrea Gibson after getting some of their merchandise signed at The Linda Theater in Albany, NY. October 31: Dean s Hour Lecture, Kwame Anthony Appiah Department of History Department of History Faculty alumni MAJ Rocky Rhodes and MAJ Chuck Bies received awards for their performance at Command and General Staff College. MAJ Bies received the General George S Patton Award for master tactician and MAJ Rhodes received the General John J Pershing Award for being the top distance-learning 7

8 graduate. MAJ Rhodes also recently defended his PhD at the University of North Carolina and deployed to Afghanistan, where he is serving as the S3 for 2-3 CAV. Dr. Zachary Kaufman, currently a Senior Fellow at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government and a Visiting Fellow at Yale Law School and Yale University's Genocide Studies Program, spoke to faculty and cadets in LTC Steven Gariepy s International Law class about his most recent book, United States Law and Policy on Transitional Justice: Principles, Politics, and Pragmatics. Kaufman, a guest of the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, will soon be taking a position at the Pentagon as the Senior Advisor on Atrocity Prevention and Response. He visited the Academy to meet with Dr. David Frey, Director of the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, who has worked closely with the previous two Senior Advisors. A Marshall Scholar and a member of the Marshall Board, Dr. Kaufman also spoke with cadets applying for the Marshall Scholarship. 8

9 On Tuesday 18 October 2016, LTC Rick Black from the Department of History s Center for Oral History served as a guest speaker for PL361: Qualitative Research Methods, a Sociology elective taught by Dr. Morten Ender in BS&L. The cadets in the class had just finished several lessons on interviewing skills, and LTC Black focused on oral histories, using several interviews from the Center for Oral History s African-American Military Experience archive to reinforce to the cadets the skills he spoke about during the class. He also discussed methods used to prepare for the interviews, different interviewing techniques, and the technical considerations for collecting oral histories. On 18 October, COL Bryan Gibby presented a LDP based on his experiences as a BCT S2 in Operation Iraqi Freedom to the First Regiment cadet staff. The LDP provided cadets with a short explanation of a S2's battle staff role in the military decision-making process, interaction with the unit XO, S3, and S6, and pre-deployment training. Operational vignettes illustrating the S2's combat role included the Battle for Sadr City and the fight against Kataib Hezbollah in eastern Baghdad in

10 Professor Robert McDonald gave a pair of talks about his new book, Confounding Father; Thomas Jefferson s Image in His Own Time. The first took place at the David Library of the American Revolution in Washington s Crossing, PA. The second occurred at Monticello s Reobert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies. The talk is available online at the following link: He also appeared on Bloomsberg Radio s RealClear Radio Hour to discuss the book and the Spirit of The appearance is available as a podcast at the following link: Current Week HIGHLIGHTS: Department of Foreign Languages Russian: On 20 OCT, the staff of the Shorefront (Brooklyn) Young Men and Women s Hebrew Association (YM/W HA) hosted 63 Russian-Language Cadets, providing them the opportunity to speak in small groups with Russian-speaking residents of the area, including a number of WWII veterans. The Cadets then had the chance to sample Russian cuisine for lunch and engage in additional activities while immersed in a Russian-speaking environment. Cadets developed a greater understanding of the Russian émigré community in the United States and made a positive impression on the local community. 10

11 CDT Calabro enjoys a laugh with two members of the local community Spanish: On Friday, 21 October, MG Clarence Chinn, USMA Class of 1981 and Commanding General, US Army South, spoke with students in LS475. MG Chinn addressed the importance of language and culture and encouraged students to take advantage of opportunities such as semester abroad, AIADs, MIADs, and FAEP to build relationships with foreign Cadets and foreign militaries. After class, MG Chinn had lunch with several Portuguese and Spanish majors interested in pursuing the Foreign Area 11

12 Officer functional area. The discussion focused on career opportunities in Latin America. MG Clarence Chinn spoke with students in LS475 on the importance of language and culture Center for Language, Culture, and Regional Studies (CLCRS): LTC John Gregory (CLCRS/DFL), CDT Neil Harte, and CDT Philip White meet with renowned China Law expert Dr. Jerome Cohen (NYU), Dr. Ira Bekin (NYU), and Dr. Maggie Lewis (Seton Hall) at NYU for research discussion and a law seminar on 24OCT16 at New York University. 12

13 CDT Neil Harte and CDT Philip White listen to world-renowned China Law expert Dr. Jerome Cohen speak during a law seminar at New York University on 24OCT16. On 24 October, LTC Gregory took Cadets Neil Harte and Philip White, both Chinese- Law double majors, on a trip section to New York University to meet with national China-law expert Professor Jerome Cohen and other China-law scholars. The meetings focused on LTC Gregory's preliminary findings as the Primary Investigator on a Minerva-supported grant into Chinese Rule of Law Efforts. They also discussed further development of the research project. LTC Gregory and the cadets attended a Chinalaw working group for lunch and then attended Professor Cohen's China-law seminary in the evening. Upcoming HIGHLIGHTS Next two weeks: CLCRS: On 28 October, at the invitation of Fu Jen University, LTC Gregory will travel to Taiwan to give a talk to FJU faculty and USMA cadets studying there on semester abroad. The title of the presentation is "How West Point Internationalizes its Cadets." On 3 November, LTC Gregory will travel to mainland China to engage with Chinese legal scholars, lawyers, and judges on the Rule of Law Project. On 11 November, he will be joined by five USMA cadets who will attend a Chinese trial and engage with legal scholars. 13

14 Department of Law Federal Judge Visits Advanced Constitutional Law Class On 25 October, US Chief District Court Judge Colleen McMahon visited with cadets in the Advanced Constitutional Law seminar taught by Department of Law Professor and Constitutional Law Chair, Tony DiSarro. Judge McMahon was appointed to the federal district court by President Clinton in 1998 and currently serves as the Chief Judge for the Southern District in Manhattan. Chief Judge McMahon had a lively discussion with the cadets about searches and seizures and the 4 th Amendment. She also recounted conversations she had with late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia with regard to interpreting this constitutional right. Cadets in the Advanced Constitutional Law Course with Chief Judge Colleen McMahon. Department Of Social Sciences Presidential Debate Watch Party 14

15 The AP Stem hosted a Presidential Debate Watch Party at USMAPS on Wednesday, 19 October. AP faculty made presentations to the entire Cadet Candidate Battalion on the state of the 2016 election, memorable moments in debate history, and civil-military relations in an election year. Cadet Candidates also played bingo during the debate, listening for key points from each of the candidates. MAJ Steve Kreeger provides pre-debate analysis to the Cadet Candidate Battalion CYCON 2016 International Relations Instructor CPT (P) Nerea M. Cal presented her paper, Crossing the Rubicon: Identifying and Responding to an Armed Cyber-Attack, at CyCon US 16. Her paper addressed the question of what constitutes an armed attack in cyberspace against which a state can retaliate based on a claim of self-defense pursuant to Article 51 of the UN Charter and argued for a legal avenue by which states can respond to cyber-attacks by non-state actors. In addition to presenting, CPT(P) Cal attended the conference with five Sosh majors: Patrick Dancer, Hannah Fairfield, Miranda Bass, Sungpyo Choe, and Tyler Pachesny. The cadets enjoyed the speakers and panels and attended a fireside chat between Ted Koppel and General(R) Keith Alexander. 15

16 Cadets with GEN(R) Alexander at CyCon 2016 Viking Branch LPD Along with nine other instructors from across USMA, CPTs Adam Alexander, John Chambers, Liz Verardo, and Alex Deep participated in a branch panel discussion with cadets from 1 st Regiment in attendance. Following the presentation, the faculty members were available to engage individual cadets and answer questions about their respective branches. 16

17 Combating Terrorism Center The Combating Terrorism Center s latest reports continue to receive major news media attention. The Center s report on Islamic State media output, Communication Breakdown: Unraveling the Islamic State s Media Efforts, by Dr. Daniel Milton was featured in an article in The Wall Street Journal by Felicia Schwartz. On the same day, the CTC s report on drones by Don Rassler, Remotely Piloted Innovation: Terrorism, Drones and Supportive Technology, was featured by CNN in a piece by Jamie Crawford. Then on 24 October, the drone report was featured in a piece on CNBC. 17

18 Chief Joseph Pfeifer, chief of Counterterrorism and Emergency Preparedness in the New York Fire Department and a CTC senior fellow, spoke to cadets taking SS464: Homeland Security and Defense during Dean's Hour on 25 October. Chief Pfeifer discussed the importance of leadership and the decision-making process during 18

19 times of crisis. Chief Pfeifer was the first chief at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, and he provided the cadets with an in-depth look at his thought process during that difficult time. Chief Pfeifer also discussed the important lessons that were learned from that crisis, which were put into action during Hurricane Sandy in 2012, and he outlined his perspectives on potential attacks against the homeland that will require the cadets leadership. Chief Joseph Pfeifer of FDNY lectures to cadets in SS464: Homeland Security and Defense on 25 October. Chief Pfeifer spoke about his personal experiences as the first chief to arrive at ground zero on 9/11. 19

20 Department of Physics and Nuclear Engineering Completed Events Colloquium: On 19 October the D/PNE hosted a colloquium with leaders from Lawrence Livermore, Los Alamos, and Sandia National Laboratories to discuss research opportunities for cadets and faculty. AAPT Meeting: Dr. Paula Fekete and Cadets Calvin Nguyen (physics major) and Ryan Hellmers (mechanical engineering major) attended the regional meeting of the American Association of Physics Teachers held this past weekend at Wesleyan University. The two cadets are currently working on a PH489 project in the New Cadet Observatory with Dr. Fekete and their attendance and presentation at the meeting marked their first ever at a scientific conference. The talk was entitled the History of the West Point Observatories and a History of Astronomy Instruction at the US Military Academy. They also attended the opening session of the conference on Friday night in which several demonstrations, originally presented at the first AAPT National Meeting, held at Wesleyan 66 years ago in 1950 were resurrected among other interesting, but more recent, demos. Another highlight of the trip was the Teslamania contest, in which physics teachers presented their favorite demonstrations in a friendly competition format. Some photos below depict the two cadets volunteering to assist one of the participants in the contest, a retired physics teacher from upstate NY. On Saturday morning, they attended several presentations in addition to the one given by the cadets and Dr. Fekete. Cadets were most impressed by the presentation of Dr. Linda Dake of Utica College. Her talk, entitled A Multi-Level Seminar for Physics Majors: A Good Deal for Everyone presented Utica College s approach to developing and maintaining an engaging and welcoming environment in their small physics department to all physics majors. The seminar course, offered for credit to all majors in the department, involves all physics faculty and majors reading a science-inspired book and meeting in an informal seminar setting to discuss the science behind the most recent chapter read. Cadet Nguyen left the meeting with the idea of trying to implement this model at our own local SPS Club s meetings, attempting to bring physics faculty and cadets together to discuss physics in the popular science literature. Dr. Dake presented the myriad positive developments the adoption of this course brought to their physics majors in particular and their physics program in general. 20

21 Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology: The ABET Advisory Board visited the department on 24 October. 21

22 (Above) Members of the ABET Advisor Board are briefed by the NSERC s MAJ Andrew Decker Members of the ABET Advisory Board pose for a photo with COL Naessens, LTC Allen, and Dr. Moretti Colloquium: On 25 October, the NSERC Colloquium Series presented Dr. Jeffrey Musk (COL/R), the Chief of DTRA J9-NTD (Nuclear Technologies Detection). The topic of this unclassified event was ongoing research within the Nuclear Detection Office and FA52 assignments within the DTRA. Future Events Habitat for Humanity: MAJ Josh Molgaard is coordinating a Habitat for Humanity team build for 29 October. Volunteers will be working on a project in Newburgh. BSA Nuclear Science Merit Badge Workshop: On 29 October, LTC Chad Schools is spearheading a workshop providing local Boy Scouts the opportunity to earn a merit badge in Nuclear Science. Topics will include radiation detection, types of radiation, particle accelerators, fission and fusion, nuclear energy, radiation applications, particle physics, and more. The goal is to make the lessons as interactive and engaging as possible. 22

23 Department of Systems Engineering Cadets at a Habitat for Humanity Westchester County Habitat for Humanity Trip to Yonkers, NY. On 01 October, 11 cadets from Company I3, along with MAJ Craig Brewer, traveled to Chappaqua, NY to help transition an old church and Quaker meeting location into affordable living quarters, in a very affluent community, for two families. Some of these cadets were a part of the initial teardown phase of this project in the spring last semester. During this trip, the cadets were handling jackhammers, shovels, tampers, and picks in order to break concrete around the house and refill trenches with the surrounding dirt mound which saved H4H over $3,000 they would have paid a local contractor to do. Overall, CDTs Nolan, Gould, Daigle, Shyamkumar, Vogel, Brehm, Rapp, Batista, Gilbert, Jaquish, and Abercrombie enjoyed the work at this site and felt a sense of accomplishment after their service to the community. The POC for this event is MAJ Craig Brewer at craig.brewer@usma.edu. 23

24 On 15 October 2016, five Cadets from the Society of Women Engineers volunteered for Scout s Day hosted by the Scout Master s Council. At the event, cadets spent time with elementary and middle school aged children from troops in bordering states. Cadets facilitated various exercises with the goal to help students think with engineering concepts. An additional goal was to engage students in discussions about their future and what the United States Military Academy has to offer. The Cadets also provided information on additional outreach events to interested parents. The Scouts learned a great deal about STEM fields, West Point, and the opportunities in their future. The event also allowed the cadets to share personal stories about the parade taking place in the vicinity of the event. Cadets from the Society of Women Engineers explain engineering concepts to the boy scouts and teach them how to use those concepts to build with K NEX and Legos. POC: CPT(P) Jasmine Walker Motupalli SISE Conference Presentation CPT James Comstock attended the 5 th Annual World Conference of the Society for Industrial & Systems Engineering (SISE) in Fremont, CA, on 13 October Attendees gathered from across the United States and from several foreign countries to share their research, which spanned the gamut of Industrial and Systems Engineering sub-disciplines. At the conference, CPT Comstock presented his paper on Collaborative Logistics, a review that analyzed the development and growth of this innovative logistics field. SISE is a valued partner of USMA and sponsors the annual General Donald R. 24

25 Keith Memorial Capstone Conference each May. Attending the conference continued to strengthen and preserve that relationship. POC: CPT James Comstock, x4399. Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership Sociology LTC Remi Hajjar, Dr. Morten Ender, Cadet Brandon Atkins, and Cadet Trudy Bonner all attended and participated in the 2016 Inter-University Seminar on Armed Forces and Society Conference in Ottawa, Canada, from OCT 16. Each of them presented their research and papers, which concentrated on the topics of cultural diversity and adaptations in military culture. POC: LTC Hajjar, 25

26 Sociology faculty and cadets pose with Royal Military College of Canada cadets at the IUS Conference in Ottawa, Canada. LTG Caslen Attends PL377 Social Inequality LTG Caslen attended Social Inequality during J hour. He participated in the discussion on pregnancy discrimination and biases against hiring applicants of color due to ethnic sounding names. CDT Netteange Monous, a junior, (seated next to LTG Caslen in the photo) lead the discussion. She highlighted the current challenges still faced by women in the workforce such as losing their jobs due to pregnancy and the impact of lack of medical care and employment has on poor and working poor families. She also raised the specter of a former commander in Iraq who threatened to court martial soldiers who were sent back to the rear from Iraq due to pregnancy. LTG Caslen offered insights and perspectives from his time as a combatant commander in Iraq and discussed policies he supported for dual military couples during the Iraq/Afghanistan conflicts. Finally, CDT Monous raised the issue of the lack of awards such as Academy Awards in Hollywood is not a question of talent but a question of opportunity: actors of color are repeatedly white washed or offered fewer roles and thus are not eligible for many prestigious awards. Point of Contact for this is CPT Dawson, Jessica.Dawson@usma.edu 26

27 Management Dr. Lissa V. Young and Cadet Collin Parker (Class of 2017) addressed J.P. Morgan's Women's Global Leadership Summit on Thursday 20 October 2016, at the J.P. Morgan offices on Park Avenue in New York City. Dr. Young spoke about "Authenticity and Leadership Crucibles: Rising from the Flames". Dr. Young and Cadet Parker were honored to dine with the Honorable Dr. Condaleeza Rice, the Provost of Stanford University. PL300: Military Leadership ereader Dr. Karen Boroff (Seton Hall University) and MAJ Matt Pratt (Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership) recently authored and presented a case study at the justconcluded annual meeting of the North American Case Research Association (NACRA). The case, entitled The Incident in Kabul, centers on conflict management. Their case study earned the Gold Award as the very best case of the entire conference. The case will be used as a centerpiece in the Conflict Management chapter of the new PL300: Military Leadership ereader. 27

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