dean’s weekly significant activities report - west point - … weekly activity... ·...

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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

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.

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.

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’.

http://blog.netsciwestpoint.org/


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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-Behavioral-

Sciences-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: [email protected].

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.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/West-Point-NY/Department-of-Behavioral-Sciences-Leadership/44253274507

http://www.facebook.com/pages/West-Point-NY/Department-of-Behavioral-Sciences-Leadership/44253274507

mailto:[email protected]


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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:

[email protected]

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

http://afs.sagepub.com/



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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

[email protected] or MAJ Lewandowski at [email protected].

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

http://seceij.net/seceij/winter14/engineering_per.html




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applications as demonstrated and taught at USMA. The POC is LTC Chris Oxendine at

[email protected].

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

[email protected].

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 [email protected] or LTC Andrew Lohman at

[email protected].






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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

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 [email protected].



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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 [email protected].

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

[email protected].




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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:

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 750-735 BC.


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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.

Cadets from the Elsie Sannes-Pinnell Art Appreciation Forum pose in the hall of Ancient Greek Architecture.


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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:

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 >>


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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.

Photos: From Cadet Sickman’s recent cultural excursions.


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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.


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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 Spanish-

language 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.

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.

COL Naessens presents COL Nelson with the coveted PaNE Plaque


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COL Nelson receiving a special gift from CDT Wink

Mrs. Reva Nelson, COL Ed Naessens, and COL Ray Nelson


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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, 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. http://cse.usma.edu


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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 non-

profit 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, [email protected].

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, [email protected].




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Pictured from left to right are CW5 Carl Schoenwald (2

nd 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

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

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

Meg Whitman answers cadet questions after the Castle Lecture.

Meg Whitman with cadets 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.

Department of Systems Engineering

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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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!


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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

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.

http://thebayonet.com/2014/03/12/562221/west-point-cadets-visit-post-as.html

dean’s weekly significant activities report - west point - … weekly activity... ·...

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