Reported by Dean’s Institute of Innovation and Development www.westpoint.edu/innovation Page1 Dean’s Weekly Significant Activities Report 9 April 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 Law Major Cadets Meghan Mitchiner, Gabrielle Mangru, Allyson Hauptman, Brianna Miller, James Doyle, Andrew Fitzsimmons, and Jared Heslop at the International Institute of Humanitarian Law in Sanremo, Italy.
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Dean's Weekly Significanct Activities Report 9 April 2014
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Reported by Dean’s Institute of Innovation and Development www.westpoint.edu/innovation
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Dean’s Weekly Significant Activities Report
9 April 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
Law Major Cadets Meghan Mitchiner, Gabrielle Mangru,
Allyson Hauptman, Brianna Miller, James Doyle, Andrew
Fitzsimmons, and Jared Heslop at the International Institute
of Humanitarian Law in Sanremo, Italy.
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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
5th
Annual West Point Negotiation Workshop.
On 3-4 April 2014, BS&L's West Point Negotiation
Project ran a negotiation education workshop for
approximately 85 participants, including 43 West
Point
cadets, 29
visiting
cadets, and
13 officers.
Visiting
cadets came
from the
U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Air Force Academy, Royal Military
College (Canada), and ROTC programs at Princeton, Yale, MIT,
University of CT, Cornell, Dartmouth, Norwich, Boston
University, Syracuse, University of Virginia, and University of
North Carolina. During the workshop, cadets learned the
importance of negotiation as a leader competency, were introduced to a framework for systematic analysis
of negotiation situations, and practiced negotiating in a series of role-playing exercises, including a team
competition. Cadets also heard from guest speakers, who helped them understand how they will use
negotiation as junior officers. Guest speakers included the Superintendent, LTG Caslen; the Commanding
General of the Maneuver Center of Excellence, MG (P) McMaster; Supervisory Special Agent Mark Flores,
of the FBI Crisis Negotiation Unit; and MAJ Steve Flanagan, a Special Forces officer in BS&L who shared
with cadets how he used negotiation to avert a tribal
uprising while deployed to Iraq. Cadets also heard from
three recent West Point graduates who took the course
Negotiation for Leaders (MG390) as cadets and used
negotiation skills while leading in the Army. 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.
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The students, cadets, and advisors of the 2014 Wharton-West Point Leadership Exchange.
BS&L Hosts the annual West Point-Wharton Leadership Exchange. On 4-5 April, 20 undergraduate
students from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business along with 15 cadets, mostly
from BS&L, participated in the West Point-Wharton Leadership Exchange. The cadets escorted the
Wharton students and taught them about leadership and leader development at West Point. Activities
included briefings on the West Point Leadership Development System (WPLDS), weapons and military
equipment static displays, the Leadership Reaction Course (LRC), the Engagement Skills Trainer, eating
Meals Ready to Eat (MRE), a leadership discussion between students and instructors MAJ Brett Lanier, and
an After Action Review (AAR). Each Fall, BS&L sends a group of cadets to learn from Wharton students
in Philadelphia, while each Spring, Wharton sends a reciprocal group to West Point. POC: MAJ Brett
Lanier, BS&L, x5021.
Cadet Wes Mathews demonstrates Cadet Phil Le and his team work together to lay a
How to put on and properly seal the plank on one the Leadership Reaction Course
Protective Mask during the military obstacles.
equipment and Weapons static display.
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Cadets attended the expo as part of their PL372: Marriage and the Family course. Cadets focused on
elements of marital ceremonies in American culture, marriage ritual artifacts, and wedding costs. The floral
center pieces stole the show. Cadets (left to right) Jozlyn McCaw (’14), Stephanie Koo (’15), Jocelyn
Lewis (’14), and a reluctant Zachary Hoffman (’15), got serenaded by a music and entertainment vendor at
the Hotel Thayer Wedding Expo on April 6, 2014. POC: [email protected].
Dr. Lily Cushenbery spoke in PL300: Military Leadership classes. On 4 April 2014, Dr. Lily Cushenbery, Assistant Professor at Stony Brook University's School of Business,
spoke in MAJ Lovelace's and MAJ Fanitzi's PL300: Military Leadership classes. Dr. Cushenbery discussed
her research on leader mistakes and recovery strategies. The discussion with cadets defined leader errors,
reviewed several studies that Dr. Cushenbery conducted to examine leader errors, and reviewed multiple
strategies that leaders can employ to recover from their mistakes. The session culminated with a discussion
between Dr. Cushenbery and the cadets about general lessons leaders should keep in mind when they do
make an error.
Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science
EE&CS Honors Top Scholars
By: CPT(P) John Zehnpfennig, EE&CS
Photo Credit: CDT Joseph Delay, 2015
On Wednesday, 26-March, the Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science hosted
its annual honor society induction. The dinner celebrated the academic, moral, and social achievements of
sixteen cadets majoring in electrical engineering, seventeen cadets majoring in computer science, and five
cadets majoring in information technology as well as two members of the EE&CS faculty. This ceremony
was made possible by a generous donation by Professor and Mrs. Harry Van Trees, a USMA ’52 grad, MIT
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Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
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4. ME496 Capstone Quadrotor Testing with ARDEC at Picatinny Arsenal
USMA Cadets Anthony Grady (Company H1, Class of 2014), Trevor Knowles (C2, ’14), Jay Trexler
(D2, ’14), and Kevin Zander (H1, ’14), and research engineers from the Armament Research,
Development, and Engineering Center (ARDEC) conducted tunnel navigation testing at Picatinny
Arsenal’s Homeland Defense site on 3 April 2014. The cadet team modified and equipped a
commercially available quadrotor with sonar sensors to force the vehicle to remain at a predisposed
altitude in the tunnels. This initial test successfully demonstrated the vehicles ability to navigate
tunnels while being controlled remotely by a pilot; ultimately, the goal of this project is to map and
navigate tunnel networks semi-autonomously. The Vertical Take Off and Landing (VTOL) Quadrotor
project is part of ME496, Mechanical Engineering Capstone; the project is supported by the Rapid
Equipping Force (REF) Grand Challenge. POC: LTC Van Poppel, [email protected]
Department of English and Philosophy
Past Events 1. Studio Arts Forum participated in a photography workshop
On 31 March, Studio Arts Forum cadets participated in a photography workshop led by Dr. Laura Vidler of the Department of Foreign Languages. The workshop introduced cadets to both the technical and aesthetic principles of photographic work, concepts that overlap in a number of ways with those practiced in the plastic arts to include subject placement, use of light and
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lines, and how to use the tool- the camera- to create aesthetically interesting images. The workshop blended a technical orientation to digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) and mirrorless cameras, what their settings mean, and how to manipulate the settings to achieve different visual effects.
2. PY201x Workshop, Reed Making: The Craft Behind the Magic
On 26 March two sections of PY201x participated in the third of four workshops on creativity created by elements of the West Point Band. SSG Anna Pennington led the workshop on the craft of reed making in the world of professional oboists. She began with a lovely performance and then discussed through hands-on demonstration the process and tools of reed making and the variety of decisions that go into the crafting of a single reed for a given performance. Achieving the magic one observes during a professional performance, like the one cadets saw at the beginning of the workshop, requires a great deal of technical mastery, not only of music and the instrument itself, but also of the hand-crafting of the reed, where hundredths of a millimeter can make a difference in sound quality. The oboist must create
Dr. Vidler helps CDTs Anna Gulbis and Daniel Ivey understand some of the technical functions of the DSLR camera.
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new reeds on a regular basis, spending many hours per week crafting new reeds in addition to practicing her instrument.
3. The Fourth Mid-Hudson Undergraduate Conference at Marist College
On 5 April, Third-Class Cadet David Grossman (Company H3) presented his paper, “Principles
Governing the Morality and Ethics of Business,” and First-Class Cadet Sean Gill (Company F2) provided a
commentary on a student paper, during the Fourth Mid-Hudson Undergraduate Philosophy Conference at
Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York. The two cadets interacted and exchanged ideas with
undergraduates from local colleges (Bard, Marist, and Vassar colleges) and presenters from the University
of Detroit-Mercy and Skidmore College/University of Madrid. In attendance for both cadets’ presentations
was Catherine Wilson, the Distinguished Professor of Philosophy from the City University of New York
SSG Pennington introduces cadets to the variety of tools (displayed on the table) required to execute the reed making
process.
(Left) CDT Bethany Russell (Class of 2016), observes the raw material for great reeds—special bamboo cane imported from France. (Center) SSG Pennington demonstrates one of the many steps in the reed making process. (Right) CDT Chandler Cole (Class of 2016)
admires the finished product.
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(CUNY) Graduate School. During the open discussion, Professor Wilson questioned if Cadet Grossman’s
three business principles sufficiently addressed the ethical challenges of the corporate environment. As an
economics major, Cadet Grossman responded by using his understanding of business practices and ethical
theories to suggest that morality and profit are not exclusive from one another. Cadet Grossman’s paper
was an expanded and refined version of an assignment from PY201 (Introductory to Philosophy); his
presentation and responses to impromptu comments/questions displayed the excellent critical thinking,
reading, writing, and speaking skills that are required and developed during cadets’ core philosophy course.
Cadet David Grossman (Right) and Ryan Ellman (Left) have a friendly discussion about business ethics during the Fourth Mid-
Hudson Undergraduate Philosophy Conference at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York.
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4. EP380 Cadets participated in the Japanese Tea Ceremony (chanoyu)
On 1 April, members of the Omotesenke Domonkai discussed the cultural meaning of the Japanese
Tea Ceremony (chanoyu) and demonstrated the ceremony for cadets enrolled in EP380 (Eastern Thought)
and for cadets who are members of the Japanese Forum. Each cadet received a serving of tea and Japanese
dessert (wagashi), and two cadets were able to participate in the ceremony. The Tea Ceremony illustrated
many of the ideas that cadets have studied in EP380.
Cadet David Grossman (left) presents his paper “Principles Governing the Morality and Ethics of Business” and later takes notes while Ryan
Ellman (middle) compliments and critiques the premises of his paper. Also, Cadet Grossman (right) was afforded the opportunity to respond to
comments from a businessman sitting in the audience.
Cadets David Jerome and Patrick Monfort participate
in the Japanese Tea Ceremony. The Kanji characters
on the scroll mean harmony, respect, purity, and
tranquility.
Members of the Omotesenke Domonkai perform the
Japanese Tea Ceremony.
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5. 2014 Northeast Modern Language Association conference in Harrisburg, PA
Four members of the Department of English and Philosophy English faculty presented papers at the 2014 Northeast Modern Language Association (NEMLA) conference in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 3-6 March. LTC Peter Molin presented a paper titled “Contemporary War Theater: The Violence That is There and the Violence That is Not” for a panel entitled “Doing Violence in Literature and Photography.” MAJ Nick Utzig presented “’Ick can dat wel doen’: Stage Dutch in Thomas Dekker’s The Shoemaker’s Holiday” for a panel titled “Reconfiguring Linguistic Hierarchies in Early Modern Literature.” MAJ Karin Gresham’s paper, “Magical, Beastly Ambition: John Webster’s Critique of Political Power in The White Devil,” contributed to a panel titled “Sorceresses and Witches: Enchanting Women On and Off the Renaissance Stage.” Dr. Richard Johnston read a paper titled “Rereading/Misremembering/Forgetting” for a panel on “The Art of Reading: Theory, Practice, and Pedagogy.” The four DEP members’ contributions to the 2014 NEMLA conference represent significant professional accomplishments and demonstrate the range of expertise within the department’s faculty, as well as its ability to participate in important contemporary scholarly debates. NEMLA is one of the nation’s premier literary conferences, attracting scholars from across the nation and around the world who specialize in English literature and the literatures of a number of foreign languages.
6. Dr. Richard Johnston Presents at the DEP Works-in-Progress Colloquium
On 1 April, Dr. Richard Johnston gave a presentation during the Department of English and Philosophy’s (DEP) monthly Works-in-Progress Colloquium. Dr. Johnston's shared his work on Rereading/Misremembering/Forgetting that he will present at the NEMLA convention. There were approximately 20 staff, faculty, and cadets in attendance who provided valuable feedback to Dr. Johnston's work. The DEP Works-in-Progress Colloquium is a monthly reoccurring forum for faculty and cadets to share their current research projects and engage with the work of their colleagues from within the department—and from other departments as well.
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7. The Philosophy Forum hosted Professor Randy Dipert, the C.S. Pierce Professor of American
Philosophy at SUNY- Buffalo and former USMA faculty member
On 1 April, the Philosophy Forum hosted Professor Randy Dipert, the C.S. Pierce Professor of
American Philosophy at SUNY- Buffalo and former USMA faculty member. Professor Dipert discussed
“The Distinctive Ethical Problems of Cyber Warfare,” previously published in the Journal of Military
Ethics. Cadets and faculty from a number of academic disciplines and the Cyber Research Center
highlighted the multidisciplinary nature of the talk. Earlier in the afternoon, Professor Dipert also
facilitated a seminar for Department of English and Philosophy faculty where he discussed his views on a
moderate form of military realism.
Dr. Richard Johnston presents to a group of 20 cadets, faculty, and staff at the DEP Works-in-Progress Colloquium on 1 April.
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8. COL John Nelson co-authored an interdisciplinary paper with COL Greg Conti and COL Lisa
Shay
COL John Nelson co-authored an interdisciplinary paper titled “A Conservation Theory of
Governance for Automated Law Enforcement,” with COL Greg Conti and COL Lisa Shay, of the
Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and Professor Woodrow Hartzog, of Samford
University. The paper was presented on 5 April at “We Robot 2014,” a conference on legal and policy
issues and robotics, hosted by University of Miami School of Law.
9. The Interdisciplinary Nineteenth-Century Studies Annual Conference
Dr. Jason Hoppe recently attended the annual conference of the Interdisciplinary Nineteenth-
Century Studies Association, an international group of scholars dedicated to interdisciplinary discussion
and research grounded in the long nineteenth-century. The conference was held in Houston, Texas. The
theme of this year’s conference was “Nineteenth-Century Energies.” Dr. Hoppe’s paper examined the
dynamic relationship of the deeply religious Mary Moody Emerson (1774-1863) to her famous nephew
Ralph Waldo, whose literary ambitions she sought to channel to theological purposes by way of a strangely
energizing poetics of ‘mortification.’ His participation in the conference contributed to the continuing
enhancement of the academic reputation of the Unite d States Military Academy.
10. Cadet Writing Fellows Present Papers at the University of Connecticut’s Annual Conference on the Teaching of Writing
On 4 April, a select group of Cadet Writing Fellows—Judy Farrow (’15), Matt Hager (’16),
Melissa Wells (’15), and Matt Williams (’15)—participated in the Ninth Annual Conference on the
Professor RandyDipert discusses “The Distinctive Ethical Problems of Cyber Warfare” with cadets and faculty from at
least three academic departments and a number of disciplines.
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Teaching of Writing, hosted by the University of Connecticut. Their panel, “Maximizing Peer-to-Peer
(Author)ity: Voice, Risk, and Process According to the West Point Writing Fellows,” explored the
challenges that first-year college writers face from their unique perspectives as peer consultants at the
newly established West Point Writing Center. Connecting their experiences tutoring fellow cadets to
extensive research in the field of composition studies, the Writing Fellows took up issues that often hinder
the development of student writers—flagging confidence, frustration with grading, inadequate planning and
outlining—and proposed nuanced, thoughtful, and creative solutions to them. Ultimately, their participation
in this conference, which was otherwise dominated by full professors and graduate students, testifies to
their exceptional ability to contribute to high-level scholarly conversations; such contributions, in turn,
enhance the resources on hand to all West Point cadets for the development of their thinking and writing.
The cadets’ panel was chaired by LTC Sean Cleveland (Officer in Charge, Writing Fellows Program) and
received additional support from Dr. Mary Anne Myers (DEP) and Dr. Jason Hoppe (Director, Writing
Fellows Program).
Cadets Matt Williams (’15), Matt Hager (’16), Melissa Wells (’15), and Judy Farrow (’15) recently
presented papers at the Ninth Annual Conference on the Teaching of Writing, hosted by the University of Connecticut on 4 April. Their panel, “Maximizing Peer-to-Peer (Author)ity: Voice, Risk, and Process According to the West Point Writing Fellows,” grew out of their experiences
researching high-level scholarship in composition studies and tutoring fellow cadets at the West Point Writing Center.
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11. Eminent Scholar Carol Gilligan Discussed Gender at the Philosophy Forum and Visited EP373
On Monday April 7th, the acclaimed scholar of gender and moral development, Dr. Carol Gilligan,
presented a talk at the Philosophy Forum titled “Resisting ‘Masculinity’ and ‘Femininity’” and visited Dr.
Graham Parsons’ class, EP373: Topics in Ethics, to discuss her work. This semester EP373 is focused on
gender and ethics. Between the class and the Philosophy Forum lecture, Dr. Gilligan continued the
discussion with cadets over dinner in the Mess Hall. Throughout the day, Dr. Gilligan focused on the
gender binary, its effects on the psyches of boys and girls, and the importance of psychological resistance to
the binary for democracy. Dr. Gilligan was profound and inspiring. She gave cadets conceptual tools to
think and speak about gender and its importance. After the Philosophy Forum talk, a male cadet, inspired
by Dr. Gilligan’s research on girl’s development, said, “I am going to go call my 13 year-old sister to talk
about what she has been going through.” Carol Gilligan has written numerous books, including the
international bestseller “In a Different Voice,” and is also a novelist and playwright. She was the first chair
of gender studies at Harvard University and is currently University Professor of applied psychology and the
humanities at New York University. She has been named by Time Magazine as one of the 25 most
influential Americans. This event is an example of the department’s ability to address issues of
contemporary relevance, to contribute to cadet’s ethical development, and to promote diversity among the
Corps.
Cadets Matt Williams (’15), Matt Hager (’16), Judy Farrow (’15), and Melissa Wells (’15) present their papers at the Ninth Annual Conference on the Teaching of Writing, hosted by the University of Connecticut on 4 April. Their panel, “Maximizing Peer-to-Peer (Author)ity: Voice, Risk, and Process According to the West Point Writing Fellows,” grew out of their experiences researching high-level scholarship in composition studies and tutoring fellow cadets at the West Point Writing Center.
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12. USMA represented at Inauguration of Connecticut College’s 11th President, Katherine Bergeron.
On 5 April, COL Krawczyk represented USMA as one of 100 delegates from colleges and
universities around the country that participated in the ceremonial activities marking the installation of
Connecticut College’s 11th President, Katherine Bergeron, former Dean of Brown University. COL
Krawczyk marched in a procession that included representatives from Harvard, Yale, Princeton, UNC, the
University of Michigan, Middlebury College, USNA, and the Coast Guard Academy, among others.
During the day’s events, COL Krawczyk attended lunch with Connecticut College undergraduates and
parents, toured the campus, and attended one of the academic panels sponsored by the Blaustein
Humanities Center: “The World Is Our Home: Higher Education in Local/Global Communities.”
COL Krawczyk makes a comment during a panel held as part of events celebrating the Inauguration of
Connecticut College’s 11th
President, Katherine Bergeron, who is pictured here looking on (front row,
far right). Six panelists, representing five different disciplines, addressed the theme, “The World is
Our Home: Higher Education in Local/Global Communities.”
Dr. Gilligan discusses gender and moral development at the Philosophy Forum. The talk gave cadets
conceptual tools to think about gender and its importance.