jk Dean s Weekly Significant Activities Report 31 August 2017 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. POC for the report is Mr. Besim Hoxha at 845-938-6318. Picture of the Week Left to right: LTC Christopher Korpela, RRC Center Director, Dr. Robert Sadowski, Army s Chief Roboticist, Brigadier General Cindy Jebb, West Point s Dean of the Academic Board, and COL Berry Shoop EECS Department Head presided over the ribbon cutting and official opening of the Robotics Research Center (RRC) on Friday, 25 August 2017. 1
Office of the Dean Robotics Research Center Opening. Brigadier General Cindy Jebb, West Point s Dean of the Academic Board, presided over the ribbon cutting and official opening of the Robotics Research Center (RRC) on Friday, 25 August 2017. Also participating in the ceremony was Dr. Robert Sadowski, the Army s Chief Roboticist, and former Electrical Engineering Program Director. The RRC will be the premier resource for expertise and academic scholarship in the field of robotics that enables interdisciplinary cooperation and concentrates Academy-wide research efforts in robotic systems. The center will support margin-of-excellence educational, scholarship and extracurricular activities focused on autonomous systems to educate and inspire leaders of character who are prepared to think critically, innovate and apply robotic systems in the Army. Left to right: LTC Christopher Korpela, RRC Center Director, Dr. Robert Sadowski, Army s Chief Roboticist, Brigadier General Cindy Jebb, West Point s Dean of the Academic Board, and COL Berry Shoop, Department Head, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Point of contact is LTC Christopher Korpela, christopher.korpela@usma.edu. 2
Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering MAJ Lyle Milliman and Team Take First Place in 2017 Folds of Honor Golf Tournament. On 24 August, golf tournaments were held across the country to raise awareness and funding for the Folds of Honor foundation. The mission of Folds of Honor is to provide educational scholarships to spouses and children of America s fallen and disabled service members. For the third consecutive year, The Tuxedo Club hosted and paired active duty soldiers and veterans from the West Point area communities with club members and golf professionals from the greater New York City metropolitan area. MAJ Lyle Milliman and CPT (P) Tim Ashcraft represented the Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering. MAJ Milliman s team took first place with a score of (-18), in large part due to his net eagle, birdie, and birdie on the last three holes respectively to close out the day. Twenty seven teams competed. POC is CPT(P) Tim Ashcraft at timothy.ashcraft@usma.edu. MAJ Lyle Milliman (center) of the Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering accepting the first place trophy with his teammates at the 2017 Folds of Honor Golf Tournament at The Tuxedo Club. 3
Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science USMA Cadet Amateur Radio Club Makes Their First European HF Radio Contact From Their New Station in Bartlett Hall West Point s Cadet Amateur Radio Club W2KGY made their first HF radio contact from their new station located in Bartlett Hall with an amateur radio station in Pau, France - callsign: F5RAG, on 20 Meters (14.245MHz). This is a 3630 mile contact. The club s 600 watt linear amplifier was also validated during this contact. This marks the first time W2KGY has made a European contact from their new station. W2KGY once again wants to thank Mr. Victor Soto W2AAS for his generous gift-in-kind made through AOG to W2KGY that provided this radio equipment. This station can allow the Corps of Cadets to make long distance radio contacts with amateur radio operators from around the world and get a chance to practice their foreign language skills. Although the standard language amongst all amateur radio operators is English, most operators are more than happy to speak in their native language. The contact was made using only HF radio waves that reflected off the ionosphere, an electrically charged layer of the upper atmosphere, and the Earth s surface. No Internet, no fiber optics cables, and no satellites were used to make this contact. 4
USMA Cadet Amateur Radio Club Participates in Nationwide Solar Eclipse Ionospheric Propagation Research West Point s Cadet Amateur Radio Club W2KGY participated in the Solar Eclipse QSO Party on 21 August 2017 along with more than 600 other stations throughout the US in order to provide data that researchers at the New Jersey Institute of Technology and Virginia Tech will use in research funded by NASA and the National Science Foundation. Researchers are investigating the effects the solar eclipse will have on ionospheric propagation, radar, and GPS signals. West Point s very own HF station located in Bartlett Hall room BH266 operated during the solar eclipse and contributed 20 HF radio contacts made with other amateur radio operators located in Florida, Michigan, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Illinois, and North Carolina. 5
Current Week HIGHLIGHTS: Chinese Department of Foreign Languages USMA Cadets and Faculty from DFL, GENE, and HIST meet with the Honorable Kevin Rudd, former Prime Minister of Australia. At the end of last semester, 6 Cadets and Faculty members from DFL, GENE, and HIST met with the Honorable Kevin Rudd, the former Prime Minister of Australia. Mr. Rudd discussed his long career in diplomacy and politics, sharing insights from 40 years of studying China, its culture and politics. Cadets asked insightful questions and benefited tremendously from the discussion. Mr. Rudd was very impressed with the Cadets and would like to follow up his interaction through another visit to the Academy either this semester or next. 6
Cadets and Dr. Gallagher pose in front of the National Palace Museum in Taipei, Taiwan Cadets visit a temple in Beijing, China 7
Cadets take a break during a run around West Lake in Hangzhou, China During the Summer of 2017, the Chinese Section led four AIADs: 3 to China and 1 to Taiwan. Twenty-five Cadets and four instructors spent three weeks at a time in each location: Fu Jen University, Tsinghua University (twice), and an AIAD that traveled to six cities on the Yangtze River. In addition to rigorous language study, Cadets also explored a different culture in an immersive setting. Individual Cadets also conducted research in the Pearl River Delta and Jinmen Island (Taiwan.) German German Section with new exchange student contingent and USMA sponsor Cadets 8
On 14 August, USMA received nine German Exchange Students, two from the Universität der Bundeswehr München (UniBwM), and seven from the Helmut-Schmidt-Universität - Universität der Bundeswehr Hamburg (UniBwH/HSU). The Students will spend the semester attending USMA academic courses relevant to their majors and as full participants in all aspects of the West Point Leader Development System. The exchange program provides the opportunity for reciprocal development of German-American Military Relations, as exchange students often have the chance to host West Point Cadets during their own future AIAD and SAP programs. Integration of international peers into the Leadership Development System enables Cadets to develop increased Social, Self, and Cultural Awareness while preparing them for combined cooperation with international partners in future Army operations. AIAD 14142 Cadets Alvendia, Jarrell, Darash, at the Bundestag On 11 August, three Cadets returned from completing their DFL German AIAD rotation in partnership with the German Bundeswehr. This was the last contingent of four separate AIADs during the Summer of 2017, incorporating a total of 12 Cadets. These AIADs were conducted in conjunction with the Offizierschule des Heeres (Army Officer School), Panzerpionierbataillon 1 (Heavy Armored), Gebirgsjägerbataillon 232 (Mountain Infantry), Aufklärungsbataillon 6 (Reconnaissance), and Jägerbataillon 1 (Light Infantry). Through reciprocal sponsorship, the Cadets were able to build their international capacities and functional knowledge with a key NATO partner. Most importantly, this exchange has laid the groundwork for increased self-development among Cadets and enhancement of their capability for future cooperation with important allied partner nations. 9
Spanish Five Cadets recently returned from the Chilean Mountain School course in Lonquimay, Chile. The course took place from 22 July to 15 August in the Sierra Nevada Mountains south of Santiago the capital city. This course stressed basic principles in snow skiing, to include downhill and cross country; winter mountain survival, to include nutrition, shelter, first aid, and avalanche training; and standard day and night operations. Cadets Nicholas Cobos, Alfred Girardot, Wyatt Stackpole, Samir Streatfield, and Ander Thompson Upcoming HIGHLIGHTS Next two weeks: Chinese From 10-12 September, USMA, DFL, and the Chinese Section will host a contingent from Taiwan s Military Academy. Ten Cadets and two officers (including the Chief of Staff of the Academy) will visit West Point during a visit to the U.S. USMA Cadets will host Taiwanese Cadets, allowing for a prime opportunity to deepen Language Proficiency, Regional Expertise and Cross- Cultural Competence (LREC) learning. 10
Completed Events Department of Physics and Nuclear Engineering West Point Cadet Astronomy Club Meets for the First Time in AY2018 Attendance at Record Levels The West Point Cadet Astronomy Club had its first regular meeting on 28 AUG 2017. There is a lot of cadet interest in using the new Observatory and 16-inch Meade telescope, thus attendance was at record levels. More than 30 cadets attended the first meeting! The attached photo depicts CDT Samuel Galbreath, the CIC of the Astronomy Club, leading a discussion relating to activities planned for the new school year. Club OIC and assistant OICs, Dr. Paula Fekete, LTC Diana Loucks (both members of PaNE) and Dr. Kevin Grazier (from EECS) had a great spread of activities ready for the first club meeting. In the fifth floor Observatory CDT AnnaMaria Dear introduced cadets to the Observation Terrace and they were also able to observe the moon through the 16-inch telescope permanently housed in the dome. Additionally, cadets were able to view a short planetarium show presented by Dr. Grazier in the inflatable planetarium that was set up for the occasion in the departmental library. The team of OICs, as well as members of the club, are looking forward to yet another year dotted by astronomy-related fun on Monday evenings! Joint Directed Energy Transition Office Meeting: On 21-23 August, COL John Hartke traveled to Albuquerque, NM, to participate in the Joint Directed Energy Transition Office s Inter-Technical Area Working Groups meeting. COL Hartke serves as the chairman for the Advanced Concepts Technical Area Working Group and represents the views of the Army and the warfighter as the Joint Transition Office works to develop high energy laser systems for the Department of Defense. 11
Future Events Superintendent Visit: On 5 September, LTG Caslen will conduct his semi-annual visit with the Department Leadership. Promotion Ceremony: On 5 September, CPTs/P Andrew Gillick and Gregory Sablan will be promoted to the rank of Major by COL Ed Naessens. Triathlon: During 7-11 September, Dr. Ken Allen will be traveling with the Triathlon team to the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Chattanooga, TN. Tailgate: On 9 September, the Department will celebrate Army Football thumping Buffalo at a tailgate following the game. Department of Systems Engineering Systems Thinking Seminar with Professors Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University The 23 August seminar supported the mission to facilitate the introduction to critical thinking in the introductory courses to the Department of Systems Engineering. The methods communicated in this seminar are unlike any other critical thinking methods taught here at USMA. These skills directly tie to what graduates are expected to do - provide potential candidate solutions. The seminar exposed the Cadets to leading experts, Drs. Laura and Derek Cabrera from Cornell University, who discussed Systems Thinking and facilitated a breakout session. The prompt for the breakout session was truly ambiguous What are the implications of Cyber on the Nation s Energy Infrastructure. In addition, these visiting Professors are connecting current industry practices into their discussions that are asymmetric to most techniques. POC is MAJ Thomas Ryan (thomas.ryan@usma.edu). Left: Dr. Derek Cabrera discussing his concepts of DSRP and how they equip us to understand & shape the real world. Right: Dr. Laura Cabrera provides tips and techniques on how to apply DSRP with their software Kingfisher. Kingfisher allows Systems Thinkers to build their mental models in a virtual world that can be shared, analyzed, and data driven. 12
After the completion of the breakout session, two teams were selected by the Cabrera s to brief the insights, structure, and implications of their mental models. The prompt given for the breakout session dealt with Cyber Security and Energy Infrastructure. Initial Client Meeting with Engineering Research and Development Center On 28 AUG 2017, four SE/EM cadets hold their initial client meeting/briefing with Engineering Research and Development Center (ERDC) via teleconference in the IVL. Their problem deals with securing an Inland Petroleum Distribution System (IPDS). The cadet capstone team will conduct an analysis of alternatives to recommend methods of securing an IPDS in support of a Joint Logistics Over The Shore (JLOTS) operations. The cadets will use Systems Engineering methods to recommend placement of the IPDS and optimal security solutions based on varying security environments. POC is MAJ David Hughes, Department of Systems Engineering, (david.hughes@usma.edu). Cadets (from left to right) Steven Bushold, Egbezien Obiomon, Matthew McCarthy, and Lauren Muckey conduct an initial client teleconference meeting with Engineering Research and Development Center (ERDC 13