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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 938-5105.
Picture of the Week
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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
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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.
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Dr. Scott Helfstein on the Crime-Terror Nexus in Africa
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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: http://blog.netsciwestpoint.org/
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 email interactions. The
challenge gave these young women a better understanding of different networks they interact with every
day and why researchers study them.
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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’.
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Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership
12 March 2014
Completed Events
Follow BS&L on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/West-Point-NY/Department-of-BehavioralSciences-Leadership/44253274507
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.
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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.
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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): 494-497. Available online at http://afs.sagepub.com/. POC:
morten.ender@usma.edu
Department of Chemistry and Life Science
Cadet Derrick Hall Wins GEM Fellowship
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Cadet Seth Harbol Receives the ACS College Recognition Award
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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.
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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 2014.
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
http://seceij.net/seceij/winter14/engineering_per.html. The POCs are MAJ Baideme at
matthew.baideme@usma.edu or MAJ Lewandowski at stephen.lewandowski@usma.edu.
Image: First page of published report.
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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
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G&EnE STEM Outreach I. On Saturday, March 8th, LTC Chris Oxendine from the
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applications as demonstrated and taught at USMA. The POC is LTC Chris Oxendine at
christopher.oxendine@usma.edu.
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
Steven.fleming@usma.edu.
Pictures: (L) CDT Samuel discusses airborne imagery with STEM participants, (R) CDT Baggson uses
GoogleEarth to teach GIS techniques
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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.
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CSCMO / EV482: Military Geography Lecture. On 3 March, Dr Jack Clarke gave a
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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Pictures: Dr. Balling discusses the uncertainty surrounding global warming with Cadets.
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Department of English and Philosophy
Past Events
1. Elsie Sannes-Pinnell Art Appreciation Forum:
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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 750-735 BC.
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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.
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Cadets from the Elsie Sannes-Pinnell Art
Appreciation Forum pose in the hall of Ancient
Greek Architecture.
The Corbin Women’s Leadership Summit performance
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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.
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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.
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a. Chinese SAP: Cadets in Shanghai visited the cities of Kunming, Shilin and Guilin as
part of their broadening experience. The Cadets observed:
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2. Semester Abroad Program (SAP) / Academic trip sections:
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“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.
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Photos: From Cadet Sickman’s recent cultural excursions.
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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.
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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.
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Palace of the Popes in Avignon, France
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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 2014.
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 8th, 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.
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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.
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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.
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COL Naessens presents COL Nelson with the coveted PaNE Plaque
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Mrs. Reva Nelson, COL Ed Naessens, and COL Ray Nelson
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COL Nelson receiving a special gift from CDT Wink
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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, 3D modeling, building bridges, learning about Physics and Chemistry and designing engines.
See the STEM FACEBOOK page at West Point Center for STEM Education or our website for more
photos from the event. http://cse.usma.edu
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“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
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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.
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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.
Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering
Completed Events
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.
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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
2nd 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.
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Pictured from left to right are CW5 Carl Schoenwald (2nd Aviation Detachment Standardization
Pilot), CPT Pafford, and CW5 Alan Mack (2nd Aviation Detatchment Commander).
Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science
Castle Lecture with Guest Speaker, Meg Whitman, CEO of Hewlett Packard
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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.
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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
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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.
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Fireside Chat
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Meg Whitman with cadets after the Castle Lecture.
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Meg Whitman answers cadet questions after the Castle Lecture.
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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.
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On February 27th 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
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Department of Systems Engineering
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system architect fits in the development of highly complex and technologically advanced
systems such as automated mail sorting systems and helicopters.
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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!
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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!
http://thebayonet.com/2014/03/12/562221/west-point-cadets-visit-post-as.html
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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.
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THE DEPARTMENT OF LAW