June 21, 2021

‘So many moving parts’: Academy’s field engineering readiness lab concludes summer operations

Story by Ray Bowden, Photos by Trevor Cokley U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. - The top civil engineer at the Air Force Academy was excited to have the school’s field engineering readiness laboratory – FERL - in action May 31-June 19 after the lab shut its doors last year due to the global coronavirus pandemic. “You can feel the collective enthusiasm for FERL this year and it’s not just coming from cadets,” said Col. Joel Sloan, head of the Academy’s civil and environmental engineering department. “We’re all enthusiastic because this,” he said with a smile, referring to the hustle and bustle...

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June 18, 2021

10th Air Base Wing update: Academy’s host unit gets new commander

Lieutenant Gen. Richard Clark, superintendent of the Air Force Academy (left), and Col. Christopher Leonard, commander of the 10th Air Base Wing, June 18, 2021. Story by Ray Bowden, all photos by Joshua Armstrong U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. - The 10th Air Base Wing at the Air Force Academy gets a new commander as the school adjusts to the declining effects of the global coronavirus pandemic and adapts to producing officers for the Space Force. Colonel Christopher Leonard took charge of the wing, the school’s host unit, during a ceremony on the 10th ABW headquarters’ front lawn, June 18....

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November 26, 2020

Academy superintendent celebrates Thanksgiving with cadets

U.S. Air Force Academy Superintendent Lt. Gen. Richard Clark speaks to cadets during a Thanksgiving Dinner in civilian attire in Mitchell Hall, Nov. 26, 2020. Clark encouraged the cadets and all at the Academy to be thankful for their friends, families and fellow cadets, as the Academy continues to function safely despite the coronavirus pandemic. He also thanked the Mitchell Hall staff for their care and concern for cadets and their efforts to provide them a full-course holiday meal. (U.S. Air Force photo/Joshua Armstrong) Story by Ray Bowden, photos by Joshua Armstrong U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- U.S. Air Force...

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November 25, 2020

Air Force Academy cadets earn prestigious scholarships

Cadet 1st Class Aryemis Brown, recipient of the Rhodes scholarship. Staff report, Nov. 25, 2020 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Two seniors at the Air Force Academy received celebrated international scholarships this week. Cadet 1st Class Aryemis Brown, a humanities and legal studies major, received the Rhodes scholarship, and Cadet 1st Class Emily Berexa, an aeronautical engineering major, received the Holaday scholarship. Academy Superintendent Lt. Gen. Richard Clark said the Holaday and Rhodes scholarships are “incredibly competitive” and "require enormous amounts of talent and preparation.” “Congratulations to Aryemis, Emily and their families, and thank you to all who helped prepare them...

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November 20, 2020

Air Force Academy’s contact tracing program proves vital

Photo/Trevor Cokley   U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs, Nov. 20, 2020 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- To ensure the health and safety of cadets, Airmen and families on base, the Air Force Academy has and continues to stringently apply all health and safety precautions in accordance with local, state and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. To combat the recent COVID surge in Colorado, Academy leadership has implemented two rounds of 100% testing of the Cadet Wing over the last three weeks, and is limiting staff and faculty interactions with cadets to the greatest extent possible. Cadets are...

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November 3, 2020

AF Academy’s energy conservation saves tax dollars

By Ray Bowden, Nov. 3, 2020 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- The Air Force Academy saved taxpayers more than $1 million by clamping down on energy use at the 18,000-acre installation. The school’s energy bill for the 2020 fiscal year was $5.5 million, a more-than $1 million drop from its $6.7 million energy bill for the fiscal year 2019. Daniela Lawrence, the Academy’s facility planning and sustainability manager, said that decrease comes on the heels of measures taken to protect cadets and staff when the coronavirus pandemic began to spread across the U.S. earlier this year. “We saw a...

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November 2, 2020

2018 Academy grad shares MMIII test launch experience with mother

1st Lt. Taylor Tonnies, 742nd Missile Squadron operator, Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Brittany Murphy) Story by Capt. Leva Bytautaite, 20th Air Force Public Affairs, Nov. 2, 2020 F. E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. (AFNS) -- In the early morning of June 8, 1994, then-1st Lt. Linda Tonnies, 740th Missile Squadron operator, Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, turned the launch key to launch an unarmed Minuteman III ICBM for Glory Trip 155 at Vandenberg AFB, California. Little did she know that 26 years later, her daughter 1st. Lt. Taylor Tonnies, 742nd Missile Squadron operator, Minot AFB, would do the same....

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October 29, 2020

Distinguished Service Award goes to Academy graduate, AOG volunteer

U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs, Oct. 29, 2020  U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- A former volunteer faculty member will receive the school’s Distinguished Service Award later this year. Garry Dudley, a 1968 Academy graduate, is scheduled to receive the award in a ceremony later this year but the date of that event has not yet been announced. Dudley was notified of his selection for the award in an August letter from former Academy Superintendent Lt. Gen. Jay Silveria. “This award is given to an individual or group that has contributed significantly and directly to the morale or well-being...

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October 28, 2020

A clear barrier to COVID-19: Academy installs Plexiglass shields across campus

All photos by Josh Armstrong Story by Ray Bowden, Oct. 28, 2020 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Plexiglass barriers have been installed in classrooms across the Air Force Academy to help shield cadets and faculty from the coronavirus. In all, 800 Plexiglass shields have been mounted in classrooms and common areas across the campus since July. “The dean of the faculty and the Academy at-large bought a significant amount of materiel to make sure Fairchild Hall was safe for cadets and faculty,” said Chief Master Sgt. Sean Milligan, the dean of faculty’s senior enlisted manager. "The health and safety of...

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October 23, 2020

Academy to host 12th Annual SoTL Forum

Story by Jennifer Spradlin, photo by Sarah Goldblum, Oct. 23, 2020 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- The Air Force Academy will host its 12th Annual Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Forum virtually, Oct. 27 and 29. SoTL uses a systematic research approach to understanding teaching and learning to improve student’s academic outcomes. For example, instructors might examine the impact of adding technology to the classroom or the implementation of team-based learning. This year’s keynote speaker is Dr. Jeff Karpicke, a renowned cognitive psychologist from Purdue University who has researched learning and memory in laboratory settings. Results from his lab illustrate the...

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