Dean’s Weekly Significant Activities Report Weekly Activity Report P… · · 2016-07-20The...

Reported by Dean’s Institute of Innovation and Development www.westpoint.edu/innovation

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Dean’s Weekly Significant Activities Report

11 March 2015

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

Members of the Sociology Program of the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership (BS&L) contributed to the Eastern Sociology Society (ESS) Conference.


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Department of Law

On 3-4 March, the Center for the Rule of Law (Department of Law) and the

Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies (Department of History)

co-sponsored a trip to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Twenty

five cadets travelled to Washington D.C. where they toured the museum and

met with scholars. Presentations included talks on the camp system, the

surprising "independence" of the German judicial system, and presentations

from the Museum's senior historian and the current Atrocity Prevention and

Response Advisor. The trip was capped off with a talk by Henry Greenbaum

who survived years in ghettos, work camps, and Auschwitz before being

liberated by the U.S. Army.

Department of Foreign Languages

Current Week HIGHLIGHTS:

Russian: Cadets studying intermediate and advanced Russian were recently given a lecture entitled "Military Conflict and Patriotism as Represented in Music: Analysis of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture" presented by SSG Anna Pennington of the USMA Band. The lecture included a performance of the Overture conducted by the Band's 1LT


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Theriot. SSG Pennington analyzed Tchaikovsky's famed overture, explaining the cultural importance of each portion of the music, and why it is so widely heard in the United States during our Independence Day celebrations.

CDT David Hill '16 discusses the Overture with a bassist (Photo credit: SSG Chrissy Rivers)

CDT Anastasia Morin '16 sits among the clarinets while listening to the lecture (Photo credit: SSG Chrissy Rivers)


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SSG Pennington, USMA Band, presents the lecture (Photo credit: SSG Chrissy Rivers)

Arabic Language Club: “In honor of International Women’s Day, the Arabic Language Club helped facilitate a “Women’s Majlis” (مجلس النساء) to discuss what it's like for women - and women officers - living and working as professionals in the Middle East. A group of thirteen cadets gathered in the home of Mrs. Carolyn Clark, SOSH Professor and U.S. Foreign Service Officer, to partake in tea, coffee, and authentic Middle Eastern cuisine, while talking with USMA professors and USMA spouses who have worked in the Middle East in both officer and civilian capacities. Mrs. Clark (SOSH), LTC Hailey Clancey (Chemistry), Mrs. Stephanie Irani-Tehrani (Farsi), along with Mrs. Mary Ann Ebner and Mrs. Mai Attiya offered their perspectives and answered questions.”

Cadets from the Arabic Language club honoring International Women’s Day


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Department of Systems Engineering

1. Capstone team and Instructors attend the MORS Education and

Professional Development Colloquium at George Mason University. CDTs

Samantha Dorminey and Daniel Lasche (Dr. Kwinn's capstone) traveled to the MORS

Education and Professional Development Colloquium held at George Mason University.

The cadets had the opportunity to present their capstone project to an audience consisting of

OR professionals and students from other schools, including Navy, Air Force, the Citadel,

and VMI. The cadets also had the opportunity to compete in the annual Rosenthal

Competition, and CDT Dorminey was a member of the winning team, which also included

students from Navy, Air Force, and VMI. Pictures attached of the cadets presenting their

work, and of CDT Dorminey receiving her award from the President of MORS, Dr. Rafael

Matos.

2. DSE Professor speaks at MD Anderson Cancer Center. On 9 March, the staff

and faculty at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston invited Dr. Mike Kwinn to give a

parent's perspective on the journey and the impact of losing a child to a brain tumor. Dr.

Kwinn's presentation, titled "14 Months with Michael: And the Rest of my Life without

Him," focused on the devastating effects of pediatric brain tumors, his son's development of

The Friends4Michael Foundation and how these researchers need to involved parents and

kids in their research efforts for motivation and support. The briefing was very well received

and appreciated.

3. The West Point Chapter of the Women Engineers (SWE) attends the Regional SWE

Conference. On 27 February 2015, 6 Cadets (including 2 DSE majors) and 1 OIC (DSE

Instructor) from the West Point Chapter of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) traveled

to Boston, MA to attend the Region F SWE Conference. This year’s conference theme was

“SWE are the future.” Cadets attended workshops and seminars focused on sustainability,

creativity, and preparing oneself to be successful in the engineering profession. The Cadets

also presented a bid to host next year's Region F Conference at West Point and won the bid.


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Next year's Regional SWE Conference will be hosted at West Point with the them:

Leadership in Engineering. We are very happy to have been selected to host the 2016

conference, given that is the 40th anniversary of the first class of women entering West

Point.

Department of Physics and Nuclear Engineering

Completed Events

Northeast Collegiate Triathlon Conference: On 8 March, the West Point Triathlon Team hosted an

indoor time trial for the Northeast Collegiate Triathlon Conference (NECTC) in the team’s state-of-the-

art indoor Compu-Trainer studio in Cullum Hall. The indoor event was an inclement weather alternate

to the duathlon planned at Camp Buckner for the same date. Athletes throughout the NECTC to include

Syracuse, Rutgers, Bentley, and Yale came to compete head-to-head on the Central Park time trial

simulation. The event was open to the public and there were three non-collegiate athletes who tested

their skills on the course. In addition to hosting the event, five West Point cadets raced with CDT Paige

Dougherty ’18 putting down the fastest female time in her first-ever cycling competition. Top collegiate

male score went to James Peterson of Bentley University who is also the NECTC conference

director. The overall fastest time was set by Mr. Richard Ringling who is a DOD school teacher at West

Point Middle School and a volunteer representative for the West Point Triathlon Team. In addition to

serving as a great racing event, the indoor TT served as a sanctioned conference qualifier for the USA

Triathlon National Championships in Clemson SC on 24 April 2015. LTC Ken Allen and MAJ Will Koch

helped organize and run an indoor time trail for the conference. Photos below.


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American Physical Society March Meeting: During 2-5 March, Dr. Paula Fekete traveled to San Antonio,

TX to participate in the 2015 APS March Meeting, the largest physics conference organized in the USA,

where she presented her research on Plasmon Excitations of Multi-Layer Graphene Interacting with a

Conducting Substrate. This year’s meeting was attended by nearly 10,000 scientists. In addition to

attending presentations given by other physicists working in Dr. Fekete’s field of research, she attended

conference sessions dedicated to teaching physics, the history of physics, physics and technology, as

well as the Nobel Prize session. The session on teaching physics was entitled Inspirational Approaches

to Teaching Physics. Among others, a UC Berkley professor described the innovative course, Physics for

Future Presidents, which aims to enable students to make decisions in a technological world based on

their physics knowledge. Another remarkable talk given by a U Texas professor in the same session was

Bruno, Galileo, Einstein: The Value of Myths in Physics, in which the presenter debunked numerous

myths, many of them published in textbooks as facts, that are not based on any historical evidence, such


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as Galileo dropping objects from the leaning tower of Pisa. Another session Dr. Fekete attended was

entitled A Legacy of Energy Technologies. In this session she learned about cutting-edge innovations in

the field of renewable energy production, such as the talk presented by an MIT professor entitled

Deterministic Modeling of Carbon Nanotube Near-Infrared Solar Cells. All presentations in this session

provided fresh ideas related to innovative ways to produce energy that could be incorporated into the

interdisciplinary project administered by the Department of Physics and Nuclear Engineering. During

the final day, Dr. Fekete attended the symposium Frontiers of Light, where, no fewer than three 2014

Nobel Prize winners – two in Chemistry, including Stefan Hell, native of her home town of Arad,

Romania, and one in Physics – presented their research relating to light. The UN proclaimed 2015 the

International Year of Light, and not surprisingly, the Nobel prizes of 2014 all relate to light: the

Chemistry prizes were awarded for developing microscopes that use light in innovative ways, while the

Physics prize was awarded for the invention of high intensity blue LEDs. Attending the Meeting was an

outstanding professional development opportunity for Dr. Fekete.

Dr. Fekete interacting with postdocs from Taiwan working in her research field

Dr. Fekete with Shuji Nakamura, inventor of blue LEDs and winner of the 2014 Physics Nobel Prize


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Indian Point Trip Section: On 10 March, cadets enrolled in NE300 (Fundamentals of Nuclear

Engineering) participated in a trip to Indian Point Energy Center, with their instructors, MAJ Sam Heider

and COL Bryndol Sones, to gain understanding of the nuclear fuel cycle and electrical power generation.

Network Science Center

For the latest information from the Network Science Center visit our blog

The Central Node: http://blog.netsciwestpoint.org/

IEEE Integrated STEM Education Conference

On Saturday, 7 March, Lori Sheetz presented at the IEEE Integrated STEM Education

Conference held at Princeton University. The purpose of the conference was to provide an

opportunity to share cutting-edge research and experiences with integrated approaches to the

study of science, math, and technology through experiences and activities based in engineering

and other design disciplines. Her presentation on, ‘Professional Development for Network

Science as a Multi-disciplinary Curriculum Tool’ generated a lot of conversation and positive

comments providing an opportunity to broaden awareness of the field of network science and its

application to curriculum as early as high school.

The conference also organized a poster session for high school and undergraduate students to

share some of their research. Through NetSci High the Network Science Center at West Point

has mentored teams of high school students doing network science research for three years.

Three NetSci High student teams had posters accepted to be presented at the conference. This

experience was very beneficial to the high school students who are in the process of applying for

http://blog.netsciwestpoint.org/


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scholarships and admission to college. It also brought great exposure to West Point and the

Network Science Center for some of the cutting-edge work they have done in the field of

network science education at this level.

Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering

Army Sailing’s first regatta of the season. Although the Hudson may still be frozen, CPT Matty Haith and

the Army Sailing Team traveled to Old Dominion University to compete in mere 34ᵒ water on 7 & 8 March.

Despite fierce competition, Army Sailing came from behind to defeat Princeton, Drexel and Stevens Institute,

but fell to sailing powerhouses like New York Maritime and St. Mary’s College. Cadets Mike Danko (’17) and

Mike Wegner (’17) performed exceptionally well as wind speeds peaked at above 14 mph on Sunday. In

addition to the regatta, the team attended the Hampton Roads Founders Day Dinner at Ft. Eustis, where BG

Trainor served as the guest speaker. Like others at West Point, Army Sailing looks forward to warmer weather

and finally being able to practice on the Hudson. Any officers interested in sailing and serving as a team OIC

should contact CPT Matty Haith at [email protected].

Army Sailing sporting the Dress Gray for the competition

Army Sailing with the BG Trainor at the Hampton Roads Founders Day

mailto:[email protected]


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Book Chapter Published- Using Non-authoritative Sources during Emergencies in Urban

Areas. LTC Chris Oxendine, with colleagues, Emily Schenebele (U.S. Geological Survey),

Guido Cervone (The Penn State University), Celso Ferreira (George Mason University) and

Nigel Waters (University of Calgary) recently published a book chapter “Using Non-

authoritative Sources During Emergencies in Urban Areas” in Computational Approaches

for Urban Environments (http://goo.gl/dKrOKd). POC is LTC Chris Oxendine at

[email protected].

Abstract – During emergencies in urban areas, it is paramount to assess

damage to people, property, and environment in order to coordinate relief

operations and evacuations. Remote sensing has become the de facto

standard for observing the Earth and its environment through the use of air-

, space-, and ground-based sensors. These sensors collect massive amounts

of dynamic and geographically distributed spatiotemporal data daily and

are often used for disaster assessment, relief, and mitigation. However,

despite the quantity of big data available, gaps are often present due to the

specific limitations of the instruments or their carrier platforms. This

chapter presents a novel approach to filling these gaps by using non-

authoritative data including social media, news, tweets, and mobile phone

data. Specifically, two applications are presented for transportation

infrastructure assessment and emergency evacuation.

Department of English and Philosophy

1. Hudson Valley Culture Forum Trip to Hyde Park and Poughkeepsie.

Twelve members of the Hudson Valley Culture Forum conducted a day trip in order to

remember the past, eat at a hidden gem, and support the local arts. The first stop was President

Franklin Roosevelt’s residence in Hyde Park, NY, which has been preserved largely in its

original condition since the president last visited. A former Army sergeant, now a National

Parks Service guide, gave the Cadets a guided tour through the residence. Afterward, the Cadets

toured the newly renovated Roosevelt presidential library and museum, the nation’s oldest

presidential library. The second stop was the Mill House Brewing Company in Poughkeepsie,

NY. Situated in downtown Poughkeepsie, Mill House Brewing Company uses ingredients from

local farms and dairy farms. The Cadets ended their trip with a visit to the Martel Theater at

Vassar College where the touring Shakespeare group, actors from the London Stage, performed

Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Actors from the London Stage is one of the oldest touring Shakespeare

theater companies in the world, and they have an innovative approach to acting out the plays—

five actors perform all of the parts in the play, each handling multiple roles. The performers

hail from such stages as the Royal Shakespeare Company and Shakespeare’s Globe Theater. POC is MAJ Dansberger, DEP, [email protected].

http://goo.gl/dKrOKd



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2. Officer Women Leadership Symposium, Arlington, VA.

From 6-8 March, LTC Naomi Mercer accompanied a group of nine Corbin Forum Cadets to the

Officer Women Leadership Symposium (OWLS). The two-day conference took place at the

Women in Military Service for America (WIMSA) Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery.

The conference consisted of multiple panels and coaching sessions regarding women’s service,

professionalization in the military and the civilian sector, and the conference’s theme of

“Learning from the Past – Leading into the Future.” The conference’s message of empowerment

was inspirational, as was the opportunity to learn from others’ varied experiences. POC is LTC

Mercer, DEP, [email protected].

Cadets in the Hudson Valley Culture Forum attentively listen to their guide speak about

the history of the Roosevelt family and residence on their way to the house.

Cadets pose with the members of the “Women Too Were There: A Living History of America’s Military Women” panel.

Front row (L-R): Hon. Gwen Cody, BG (Ret) Pat Foote, CSM (Ret) Cynthia Pritchett, and BG (Ret) Wilma Vaught.

Back Row (L-R): CDTs Nicholas Kim, Krista Spada, Lisa DeLacey, Sidney Gonzalez Rosario, Geneva Vezeau,

Jacqueline Parker, Haley Hollimon, Madelyn Crimmins, Nikaila Glassy, and LTC Naomi Mercer.


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Department of History

Accompanied by MAJ Erik Davis, MAJ Rick Anderson, and CPT Mark Ehlers, 34 plebes from HI 155 – Advanced History of the United States toured Independence and Valley Forge National Historic Parks in and around Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 28 February and 1 March 2015. The trip provided cadets an opportunity to expand their understanding of the origins and context of not only the American Revolution, but also the U.S. Constitution. Cadets began their trip in Philadelphia with a stop at the Benjamin Franklin Museum. The museum is one of the National Parks Service’s flagships for the integration of technology and interactive learning. After lunch, the cadets watched the “Freedom Rising” presentation at the National Constitution Center and toured the museum, where they saw one of the original fourteen copies of the Bills of Rights. The cadets ended their day in Philadelphia at the historic Christ Church, an Episcopal church founded in 1695, for dinner and a tour. During dinner the cadets were joined by a member of the Society of the Cincinnati who presented on his organization’s history and current mission. Additionally, the cadets met and discussed West Point history with COL(Ret.) William Dieal (USMA ’62). The second day of the trip began with a tour of Independence and Congress Halls. After a short bus ride, the cadets enjoyed a quick film and tour at Valley Forge National Historic Site. Rangers at Valley Forge rode along on the bus to discuss the three main sites visited by the cadets, including the Muhlenberg Brigade Huts, Washington’s Headquarters, and The Grand Parade Field under the statue of Baron von Steuben.

Cadets pose in front of a replica hut in the snow at Valley Forge with National Park Service

Ranger William Troppman. Dressed as a Continental Army infantryman, Mr. Troppman spoke to the cadets about the daily life and equipment of soldiers at Valley Forge.


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Plebes enrolled in HI155 – Advanced History of the United States pause to take a photo outside Independence Hall in Philadelphia, PA, where the Declaration of Independence was signed and

the U.S. Constitution was drafted and debated.

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CPT Nathan Jennings has published an article and a book review. His article—“Texas Ranger Auxiliaries: Double-Edged Sword of the Campaign for Northern Mexico, 1846-1848” appears in the peer-reviewed Small Wars and Insurgencies vol. 26, no. 2, pages 313-334. The article discusses the role of Texas Ranger auxiliaries in the American invasion of Northern Mexico in 1846. Based on primary source observations of involved participants, CPT Jennings argues that the Texan irregulars’ contributions centered on reconnaissance, direct assault, and counter-guerilla patrolling, and that their efforts enhanced, at some cost, the U.S. Army’s operations. His second work reviews Matthew Muehlbauer’s and David Ulbrich’s Ways of War: American Military History from the Colonial Era to the Twenty-First Century and is featured in the March-April 2015 edition of Military Review, pages 142-143. CPT Jennings recommends Ways of War as an ideal primer for defense professionals seeking greater understanding of the United State's versatile and evolving approaches to waging war from colonial times to present.

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The West Point Department of History has helped shape the discussion within the Pentagon over joint and combined close air support doctrine. In cooperation with the Army Capabilities Integration Center (ARCIC), CPT Brian Drohan, MAJ Dave Musick, Prof. Nick Sambaluk, and


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CPT Jon Romaneski co-wrote a history of close air support for use during a "Future of Close Air Support" conference hosted last week by Gen. Mark Welsh, Chief of Staff, U.S. Air Force, and Air Combat Command chief Gen. Herbert Carlisle. The History Department team's essay traced the historical effectiveness of close air support compared to air interdiction bombing and demonstrated that close air support has been vital to ground combat forces since the Vietnam War. Going forward, close air support assets must remain persistent, accurate, and adaptable in order to defeat unpredictable adversaries.

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In a first-of-its-kind study, cadets from West Point’s class of 2018 joined with ROTC cadets and history students from Purdue University for a staff ride of the Gettysburg battlefield 6-8 March 2015. The staff ride was led by the Department of History in collaboration with the West Point Band. The cadets and students joined in an exploration of the role of command decisions, terrain, information, and technology during the battle. The Purdue students are members of the new "Technology, Innovation, and the Civil War" course offered by joint Purdue-Army Cyber Institute faculty member Dr. Nick Sambaluk. They have been examining the intersections between factors such as political and strategic goals, invention, resources, command, leadership, and ideology in shaping the development and exploitation of innovations such as the rifled musket, railroad, telegraph, ironclad, repeating rifle, and balloon as well as the incorporation of African-American units in the Union Army, the role and impact of civilians in military telegraphy, and changes In transportation and care for the wounded and the sustenance of the army in the field. LTC Dave Siry, LTC Jason Musteen, and MAJ Greg Jenemann facilitated cadet-led discussions that highlighted the use and understanding of terrain on the battlefield, while MAJ John "Rocky" Rhodes helped cadets and students understand issues such as movement across terrain. West Point Band members SGM Eric Sheffler, MSG James "Butch" Barnard, and SSG Jorge Zepeda played period music as the cadets marched Longstreet's attack into the Devil's Den and Pickett's Charge. They also explained the vital role of regimental bands in the war, from mobilization to morale to discipline and communication, and they described acts of valor and service that constituted part of the role of a military band at that time. The students and cadets posed insightful questions to each other and to faculty, while also offering analysis about commanders' roles, in the tradition of the Army staff ride.


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Cadets, History Department faculty, West Point Band members, and Purdue University students pose in front of the Major General John Reynolds Statue on McPherson’s Ridge during a staff

ride conducted at the Gettysburg battlefield on 7 March 2015.

USMA Cadets and Purdue University students retrace Armistead’s brigade’s approach to the Bloody Angle during Pickett’s Charge.

_________________________________________


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The History Department hosted another successful History Trivia Night event at the Firstie Club on 10 March 2015. Although attendance was down from last month’s event because a research paper for HI 302—History of the Military Art was due the next morning, approximately 40 cadets attended the event. The History Department is happy to know that at least forty HI 302 papers were not written the night before they were due. Department faculty collectively came up with three rounds of twelve questions across four categories: general history knowledge, history of science and technology, history of sports, and history of entertainment. The prize for the most creative team name went to “Les Quizerables.” In an extremely competitive night of trivia, an interdisciplinary team of History and Social Sciences majors edged out representatives of the women’s rugby team by two points to win the grand prize of $100 in DCA gift certificates. Cadets had a great time and some asked for more rounds of trivia. The History Department and DCA look forward to hosting the next History Trivia Night event at the Firstie Club in April.

A team comprised mostly of players from the women’s soccer team reacts as MAJ Brett Lea reveals an answer during the latest History Trivia Night at the Firstie Club.

Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science EECS Systers

On 26 February, there was a gathering of EECS Systers to share a meal and stories of their

experiences. The EECS Systers consists of the female Electrical Engineering, Computer Science and

Information Technology majors and includes EECS staff and faculty, as well as a few faculty members.

The faculty members in attendance were: LTC Tanya Estes, Dr. WenLi Huang, Dr. Suzanne J. Matthews,

Professor Susan Schwartz, MAJ Ben Klimkowski, CPT Janice Blaine, and CPT Mari Torres. Cadets in


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attendance were: Cadets Holly Rodeo, Alissah McGill, Vanda Niemi, and Rebecca Marigliano. This

gathering takes place every semester to build camaraderie and foster long lasting professional

relationships. Cadets engage with faculty members about their current courses, projects and interesting

research initiatives. Membership is open to all female EECS majors. If you are interested in participating

in future EECS Systers functions, please contact Dr. Matthews ([email protected]) or CPT

Mari Torres ([email protected]).

EECS Cadets Attend 2015 SIGCSE Conference

Four EECS cadets and Dr. Suzanne J. Matthews attended the 2015 SIGCSE conference, held on

March 4-7 in Kansas City, MO. SIGCSE is run by the Association of Machinery, and is the premier

computer education conference in the field. Students also have an opportunity to network with

students, researchers, and faculty from other universities. The cadets presented their accepted poster

at the ACM Student Research Competition held at SIGCSE. Dr. Matthews for her part chaired a paper

session and presented as part of two special sessions at the conference. The first was on two small

parallel clusters that she designed and uses for teaching Parallel Computing (CS 485). The second was a

lab on Packet Sniffing that she co-designed with LTC David Raymond, director of the Army Cyber


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Institute. All contributions appear in the proceedings and can also be downloaded from the ACM Digital

Library:

Kellas A, Molnar A, St. Amour L, Ulrich F, and Matthews SJ. “Parallel Author Verification of Email

(Abstract only)”. In proceedings of the 46th ACM technical symposium on Computer science education (SIGCSE'15), March 2015.

Adams J, Caswell J, Matthews SJ, Peck C, Shoop E, and Toth D. “Budget Beowulfs: A Showcase of Inexpensive Clusters for Teaching PDC". In Proceedings of the 46th ACM technical symposium on Computer science education (SIGCSE'15). Kansas City, MO. March 6-8, 2015. Teaching materials available at: http://serc.carleton.edu/csinparallel/workshops/sigcse15/sigcse15_budget_beowulfs.html

Parlante, N, Zelenski J, Osera PM, Stepp M, Sherrif M, Tychonievich L, Layer R, Matthews SJ, Oburn A, Raymond D, Hug J, Reges S. “Nifty Assignments." In Proceedings of the 46th ACM technical symposium on Computer science education (SIGCSE'15). Kasas City, MO. March 6-8, 2015. Teaching Materials Available at: http://nifty.stanford.edu/ .

POC: Dr. Suzanne J. Matthews

EECS Capstone Team’s Outreach in Newburgh

The Cadets educated the students on the Linux operating system, and gave an introduction to

the Ubuntu and Kali Operating distributions, using some techniques to test a website for vulnerabilities.

The high school students walked away with knowledge of the cross-site scripting and remote file

inclusion vulnerabilities as well as how to build better secured websites. This paralleled the student's

high school studies in building web sites in a well-timed guest lecture. Our cadets received feedback on

their Vulnerable Web Server curriculum and will incorporate their knowledge into a paper which will be

submitted for the Colloquium for Information Systems Security Education conference this summer.

http://serc.carleton.edu/csinparallel/workshops/sigcse15/sigcse15_budget_beowulfs.html

http://nifty.stanford.edu/


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Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership

Completed Events

Follow BS&L on Facebook: 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

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


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Members of the Sociology Program of the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership (BS&L) contributed to the Eastern Sociology Society (ESS) Conference. Members of the Sociology Program of the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership (BS&L) contributed to the Eastern Sociology Society (ESS) Conference in New York City, New York, from 26 February to 1 March 2015. Dr. Morten Ender, LTC Remi Hajjar, CPT Jessica Dawson (Duke University graduate student – reports to BS&L in June), Cadet Ian McWilliams, and Cadet Chelsey Miranda all presented their research. Dr. Ender and LTC Hajjar also presided over multiple panels at the conference, and Dr. Ender was one of two major co-organizers for the special military mini-conference embedded within the overall ESS. The military mini-conference included six panel sessions comprising 24 presentations with 36 participants. Additionally, Major Laura Weimer brought twenty BS&L cadets for a one day visit (26 FEB) to participate in and observe panels of the ESS (see photograph). USMA presentations included: Dr. Morten Ender (“Are Military Brats More Tolerant?”); LTC Remi Hajjar (“Military Linguists: Vital Intercultural Intermediaries;” and, “The Potentially Powerful Teaching Tool of Auditory Feedback”); CPT Jessica Dawson (Duke University and BS&L inbound – “The Halo Effect: Does Status Affect Perceptions of Wrong Doing in the Military Moral Community?”); Cadet Chelsey Miranda (“Female Relational Aggression: The Impacts of Tokenism at West Point”); and Cadet Ian McWilliams (“Why Do Veterans Miss War?”). POC: LTC Remi Hajjar, x5630.

West Point Negotiation Project helps prepare 82nd ABN Division Commanding General and Non-Lethal Staff Primaries for Iraq Deployment

On 20 February, West Point Negotiation Project ran a 1-day training seminar for MG Richard Clarke, Commanding General of the 82nd Airborne Division and 14 of his primary staff Officers during their leader development visit to West Point. The training team led by MAJ Christina Fanitzi (BSL) included MAJ Michael Rybacki (BSL), CDT Gene Fogh (’15, B4), and CDT Zachary Panto (’17, F1). During the workshop, Chief Warrants Officers and Officers in the grade of O-4 to O-8, were introduced to negotiation as a leader competency,

learned how to analyze negotiation situations, practiced managing difficult negotiation counterparts, and learned multi-party mediation tools. The Project developed specialized scenarios for the unit as they prepare for their late Summer 2015 Iraq Deployment in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. The West Point Negotiation Project is a USMA faculty effort to improve the ability of military leaders to negotiate and is an activity within BS&L's West Point Leadership Center. POC: MAJ Christina Fanitzi, BSL, x3295.


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BS&L's West Point Negotiation Project ran a 1.5 day training seminar for 35 Navy SEALs, special warfare combatant craft crewmen, and Air Force XXX enrolled in the Naval Special Warfare (NSW) Platoon Leaders Course. From 23-24 February 2015, BS&L's West Point Negotiation Project ran a 1.5 day training seminar for 35 Navy SEALs, special warfare combatant craft crewmen, and Air Force XXX enrolled in the Naval Special Warfare (NSW) Platoon Leaders Course, at Naval Amphibious Base (Coronado, CA). The mobile training team included MAJ Christina Fanitzi (BSL), Mark Gordon (Vantage Partners), MAJ Michael Rybacki (BSL), CDT Gene Fogh (B4, ’16), and CDT Lewis Black (F3,’16). During the workshop, leaders (E-7 through O3) were introduced to negotiation as a leader competency, learned how to analyze negotiation situations, and practiced managing difficult negotiation counterparts. Cadets and faculty visited the Navy Basic Underwater Demolition School (BUDS) Complex and completed the BUDS Obstacle Course. The Project has run training for SEALs two times annually, since 2011, and expanded to serve as the primary negotiations training team for all four NSW Platoon Leader’s Courses, annually. The West Point Negotiation Project is a USMA faculty effort to improve the ability of military leaders to negotiate and is an activity within BS&L's West Point Leadership Center. POC: MAJ Christina Fanitzi, BS&L, x3295.

Students from PSYC 373 (Lifespan Human Development) had the opportunity to observe and interact with young children at the Child Development Center. “Students from COL Ness and CPT Spencer’s PSYC 373 (Lifespan Human Development) had the opportunity to observe and interact with young children (ages 20 months to 4 ½ years) to see aspects of infant and early childhood development in action. From their observations, cadets were able to analyze different domains of development to include physical and motor development, cognitive and language development, and emotional and social development, through small group interactions with the children.” POC: CPT Spencer, D/BS&L, x3623


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From 24-26 February 2015, the Engineering Psychology Program and the Army Chief of Staff's Strategic Studies Group sponsored the Human Performance Optimization Workshop. Scientists engaged in leading edge research from Army labs and universities presented papers and led discussions on optimizing Soldier cognitive, physical, and social performance. Brigadier General Burleson, Director of the Combined Arms Center's Mission Command Center of Excellence, capped off the workshop with an integrative discussion of the Human Domain initiative and its role in optimizing Soldier performance. In addition, members of the Strategic Studies Group engaged in small group discussions with workshop attendees and experts from the West Point community. The ideas generated from the workshop will be included in the Strategic Studies Group's recommendations to the Army Chief of Staff, GEN Odierno, on human performance optimization. POC is Dr. Mike Matthews, BSL, email: [email protected].

Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering

1. Mid-Hudson Engineer Week Dinner: The Mid-Hudson Engineer Week Dinner was held on 24

February 2015 at Anthony’s Pier 9 in New Windsor. The featured speaker, Dr. Led Klosky,

Professor of Civil Engineering in the Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering, shared

his presentation “Men of Action: The Founding of American Civil and Military Engineering.”

Four members of the West Point Library displayed unique and original documents from the

Special Collections, including 18th and 19

th century engineering manuals and textbooks, early

maps of West Point and other items of interest, such as Sylvanus Thayer’s passport. Over 200

engineering professionals, teachers, and students attended the event. COL Daisie Boettner is a

member of the dinner planning committee and was the master of ceremonies for the evening.

POC: [email protected].



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Dr. Klosky answers questions at the conclusion of his presentation

2. Civil Engineering Cadets Visit New Cadet Barracks: Students from CE472 (Advanced Soil

Mechanics) and CE450 (Construction Management) were given tours of the New Cadet Barracks

construction project site by Matt Ludwig and CPT Ben Shean (CE ’06), both members of the

USACE project team for the project. Working 5 sections through the site, students were able to

learn about many aspects of the project, including excavation details, project management

challenges, rock bolting details, column placement and crane design. This collaboration with the

USACE team is a great resource for educating cadets and a real bonus for the Civil Engineering

students involved. POC for this action is Dr. Led Klosky at [email protected]



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SAE Baja Off-Road Driver Training: On 28 February 2015, an experienced off-road racer,

Mr. Tim Tokarsky and members of the Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering’s SAE Baja

capstone team conducted drivers’ training. The training started with a classroom discussion of off-road

driving techniques, ways to increase vehicle survivability and methods to reduce pit times. Next, the

SAE Baja team conducted hands-on training with a UTV at Camp Natural Bridge. The training

concluded with driving and testing of the SAE Baja vehicle, noting areas for improvement in the design.

The cadets thoroughly enjoyed all training and will implement the recommendations for their competition

at Auburn in April. POC is MAJ Elsa Johnson at [email protected].

(L) Mr. Tokarsky with members of the SAE Baja team and the UTV he

provided for training.

(R) As Cadet Justin Ganzer drives, cadets Roman Cacha and Ryon Keith

observe vehicle performance.



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Combating Terrorism Center

Department of Social Sciences The US Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) invited Dr. Geoff Porter of the Combating Terrorism Center to Camp Lejeune, NC to present research to the leadership of the 3rd Marine Special Operations Battalion from 25 – 27 February. Dr. Porter, the CTC’s North Africa specialist, discussed the various threats from terrorism and political instability in the Battalion’s various areas of focus. This training session was the first of several engagements with 3rd Battalion, potentially culminating with Dr. Porter’s travel with the unit during an upcoming North African deployment.

LTC Bryan Price, CTC Director, opens the Bank of New York – Mellon’s annual summit on 3 March (left). LTC Price was joined at the summit by Dr. Scoff Helfstein, a CTC Non-Resident Fellow and

BNY-Mellon Vice President (right). The Combating Terrorism Center’s Director, LTC Bryan Price, opened the Bank of New York - Mellon's annual summit in NYC last week (3 March). LTC Price discussed the current threat landscape and some recent research on the Islamic State. Current CTC Non-Resident Fellow Dr. Scott Helfstein is also the Vice President of Global Market Research for BNY-Mellon.

Mr. Michael Morell, former Acting Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, visited the Combating


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Terrorism Center on 6 March. Mr. Morell provided his thoughts on combating terrorist threats and radicalization during a roundtable discussion. Also present were COL Cindy Jebb, the Department Head of the Department of Social Sciences, Ambassador Michael Sheehan, Distinguished Chair of the CTC, and LTC Bryan Price, CTC Director. Mr. Michael Morell, the former Acting Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, visited the Combating Terrorism Center last week (6 March). Mr. Morell provided his thoughts on national security threats to the CTC leadership during a roundtable discussion and to cadets during a Dean’s Hour lecture. During his visit, Mr. Morell agreed to become a CTC Senior Fellow and to continue his partnership with the CTC and West Point.

Mr. Michael Morell, former Acting Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, discusses the terrorist threat landscape with a group of cadets after his Dean’s Hour lecture on 6 March.

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