dean's weekly significant activities report 10 june 2015 (repaired)

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

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Dean’s Weekly Significant Activities Report

10 June 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

DEP- LTC Laura Bozeman and former Captain Norman Tardiff, a

centenarian who served in the US Army during World War II,

including the Battle of the Bulge, greet each other following the

Chelsea Yacht Club's Memorial Day Ceremony.


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Department of English and Philosophy

1. Honoring the Fallen on Memorial Day

On 25 May, LTC Laura Bozeman, Assistant Professor of English in the Department of English

and Philosophy, gave a speech at the Chelsea Yacht Club's Memorial Day Ceremony in

Wappingers Falls, New York. In her remarks, LTC Bozeman reflected on the history of

Memorial Day and its continued significance to the Nation. In attendance was former Chelsea

Yacht Club historian Norman Tardiff, who recently celebrated his 100th birthday. Tardiff served

in the US Army during World War II. POC is LTC Bozeman, DEP, [email protected].

2. Exploring Collaborative Contestations

Dr. Graham Parsons presented a paper at a conference organized by Hypatia: A Journal of

Feminist Philosophy. The conference was on the theme of “Exploring Collaborative

Contestations” and sought to explore disagreements among feminists in search of opportunities

for collaboration among diverse perspectives. The conference was massive. It encompassed over

60 panels and almost 200 papers. Dr. Parsons presented his paper, “Families and Armies in Early

Modern Social Contract Theory.” The paper argues that just as the household has historically

been excluded from civil society because of the presumption of gender norms so too has the

military been excluded from civil society because of the presumption of gender norms. Dr.

Parsons hopes that this way of looking at the role gender plays in the military will open a more

fruitful conversation between feminists and military ethicists. This event is another example of

LTC Laura Bozeman addresses the members of the

Chelsea Yacht Club and their families.

LTC Laura Bozeman and former Captain Norman Tardiff,

a centenarian who served in the US Army during World

War II, including the Battle of the Bulge, greet each other

following the ceremony.

mailto:[email protected]


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the expertise of our faculty in issues of significance to the military and the ability of our faculty

to engage with diverse constituencies. POC is Prof. Parsons, DEP, [email protected].

3. Scholarly Pursuit

MAJ Michael Kieser has had his article “‘He was a Good and Handsome Knight’: Locating

Masculine Individual and Social Identity through Redefining Illegalities in Marie de France’s

‘Bisclavret’” accepted to be published in HARTS & Minds, a peer reviewed digital Arts and

Humanities scholarly journal out of the UK. Publication of the issue and article is due out in the

July or August timeframe. POC is MAJ Kieser, DEP, [email protected].

4. War & Narrative: Eastern European WWII Case Studies AIAD (13106)

Over the past two weeks, Dr Jessica Stock, LTC Todd Burkhardt, and eight Cadets traveled to

Prague, Krakow, and Budapest in order to study literature and the ethics of war regarding

specific WWII cases. This AIAD linked philosophy and literature, fundamentally merging the

two disciplines in a generative relationship that reveals the theoretical and the human costs of

war. The AIAD focused on Czechoslovakia's appeasement, the violation of Poland's political

sovereignty and territorial integrity, and Hungary's ill-fated foreign policy. By studying just war

concepts and examining the literature of WWII, Cadets were able to better understand the human

element of war and see how the psychic and emotional costs of war are expressed and processed

through the literary aesthetics of the Czech Republic, Poland, and Hungary. An academic study

like this could not be complete without a large emphasis on the Jewish experience and the

Holocaust of WWII. POC is LTC Burkhardt, DEP, [email protected].





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After touring the Czech Republic's Army Museum in Prague, Cadets Zachary Turner, Kelsey

Wohleben, Madison Maguire, Marah House, Araceli Sandoval, Logan Gorsuch, Danielle

Diulus, and Marco Aveledo Quijada climbed on top of a WWII Russian T-34 tank to celebrate

Czechoslovakia's expulsion of Nazi Germany in 1945.

Auschwitz I (pictured above) was part of the Auschwitz complex and was liberated by the Russians on

27 January 1945. Approximately 1.1 million people (at least 950,000 of them Jews) were murdered at

Auschwitz I, Auschwitz II-Birkenau II, and Auschwitz III-Monowitz.


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Combating Terrorism Center

CTC’s USASOC Fellow MAJ(P) Kent Solheim is pictured with

his son, CDT Brook Solheim, after completing Air Assault school

last week at USMA.

Combating Terrorism Fellow MAJ(P) Kent Solheim graduated Air Assault school at USMA

last week with his son, CDT Brook Solheim. MAJ(P) Solheim is the CTC's U.S. Army Special

Operations Command Fellow and the OIC of the CTC's Irregular Warfare Group. This father-son

picture was taken at Trophy Point shortly after they earned their Air Assault wings.


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Department of Physics and Nuclear Engineering

Completed Events

Department Academic Award Ceremony: On 21 May, The Department of Physics and Nuclear

Engineering hosted an academic award ceremony to present the LTG Leslie R. Groves Award to

the cadet with the highest average in nuclear engineering. Dick Groves, grandson of LTG Leslie

Groves, attended to present the award to CDT Victoria Ollo. Spring course awards were also

presented at the ceremony.

Mr. Dick Groves and COL John Hartke presenting CDT Victoria Ollo the Groves Award


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Class of 2015 Nuclear Engineering Majors with Dr. Brian Moretti and COL Bryndol Sones

LTC Corey Gerving presenting a memento to CDT Melissa Yasnowski


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LTC Rob Prins, CDT Paul Asare Agyapong and COL Bryndol Sones

LTC Sam Amber and CDT Caitlin Anderson


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AIAD: Below are pictures of CDTs Christina Bouvier (’18), Ezra Engel (PHY0, ’17), and

Thomas Moore (PHY0, ’16) with a DV at LANL. BGen Stephen L. Davis is the NNSA

Principal Assistant Deputy Administrator for Military Application. Also, pictured is former

faculty member, LTC John Weidner.


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STEM: During 25-28 May, the Department of Physics and Nuclear Engineering participated in

the STEM Program. This program is designed for middle school children who participated in

hands-on experiments. The following Department members participated in the event: Dr. Brian

Moretti (PNE OIC), LTC Dave Williams, MAJ Sam Heider, Dr. Terry Tarnowsky, Mr. Nsikak

Okosi, MAJ John Shannon, Mr. Bud Warran, as well as, Mr. George Geysen and Mr. Bill

Lennon, former lab staff members, who volunteered with Department for this program.


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Summer Leader’s Experience: During 1-12 June, the Department of Physics and Nuclear

Engineering is participating in the Summer Leader’s Experience (SLE). The following

Department members are participating: Dr. Mitch Pfenning (O/Dean, OIC), Dr. Dan Schultz

(PNE OIC), LTC Dave Williams, MAJ Sam Heider, Dr. Terry Tarnowsky, Mr. Nsikak Okosi,

Mr. Bud Warran.


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Conference: During 5-7 June, LTC Corey Gerving attended the American Physical Society /

American Association of Physics Teachers annual Department Chairs Conference in College

Park, MD. The conference addressed topics of significant concern to chairs, including strategies

for increasing physics majors, managing faculty effectively, tying the curriculum to physics

careers, and promoting diversity and inclusion. In addition there were a number of opportunities

for networking, and breakout sessions by type of institution.

NYC Engagement: COL John Hartke and LTC Lou Florence traveled to Governor’s Island on

8 June for the change of command for the Corps of Engineers New York District. COL Paul

Owen (USMA 90), a former member of the department, relinquished command to COL David

Caldwell. COL Owen was a great supporter of USMA and the construction efforts on the

Academy. He is deploying to Afghanistan this week to assume command of the Afghan

Engineer District in Kabul and Bagram. We look forward to working with COL Caldwell as we

complete the Bartlett Hall renovation.

Current Events

CST: During summer 2015 (17 May – 9 August), five officers from The Department of Physics

and Nuclear Engineering are supporting cadet summer training events.

IAD(A)s: The Department of Physics and Nuclear Engineering has 43 cadets (including seven

plebes) going on AIADs to nineteen locations (two international) this summer.


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Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering

Summer Leaders Experience: The Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering

conducted 12 sessions for the Summer Leaders Experience for over 220 Candidates during the

first two weeks of June. Candidates learned about the 5 majors within the department and

received 2.5 hours of teaching on both the Geospatial Information Science (GIS) and

Environmental programs. Candidates explored military and commercial applications of GIS,

participated in laboratory experiments that examined typical pathogens in drinking water,

assessed drinking water quality, and tested the efficiency of different water purification devices

commonly used by backpackers. POC is LTC Chris Oxendine at

[email protected]

Photo caption: SLE students enjoying learning about the geography of West Point while others learn

about water quality and purification. (photos by Dr. Jon Malinowski).



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Institute for Innovation and Development

Center for Faculty Excellence

Dr. Stephen Finn (CFE), MAJ Bridgete Bell (BSL), MAJ Robert Nahabedian (GENE),

and MAJ Renee Ramsey (SOC) gave a presentation at the Spring Lilly Conference

on Teaching on 28 May 2015 in Bethesda, MD. The conference presentation was

called 'Developing a Community of Reflective Teachers: The West Point Model'

and it focused on the myriad ways in which West Point develops its faculty to

become better teachers.

dean's weekly significant activities report 10 june 2015 (repaired)

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