April 1, 2024

Academy celebrates 70 years since founding

Renowned photographer Ansel Adams was commissioned by architects Skidmore, Owings and Merrill to photograph the site chosen for the newly-founded U.S. Air Force Academy May 14-15, 1955. The Academy celebrates its 70th Founders’ Day on April 1, 2024. (Photo courtesy of Ansel Adams Collections) By Katherine Spessa U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – Built of glass and aluminum, the post-modern facades of the U.S. Air Force Academy stand stark against the sky and rugged mountains of Colorado, evocative of early aircraft and their juxtaposition of man and nature. This was precisely the intent of...

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March 28, 2024

Cadet capstone centers on robotic swarming

Cadet 1st Class Jabari Bowen test-flies a drone in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering March 21, 2024. Bowen is part of a team working on a robotic swarming cadet capstone research with a leading aerospace and global security company. (U.S. Air Force photo by Dylan Smith) By Randy Roughton U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – Three cadets carefully observe their drone swarm’s flying patterns in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The three drones are cadet-built, modified and tested. Cadets 1st Class Jabari Bowen, Mason Rolph and Marcus Sander will add...

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March 26, 2024

Cadets learn, instruct during legal conference

U.S. Space Force Gen. Stephen Whiting, Space Command commander, speaks during the Fourth Annual USSPACECOM Legal Conference March 6, 2024 at Polaris Hall, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado. (Courtesy photo) By Katherine Spessa U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – The U.S. Air Force Academy hosted the U.S. Space Command’s fourth annual legal conference in Polaris Hall here, allowing cadets to attend and present at the event, which welcomes industry leaders each year. The conference was organized by USSPACECOM, the Office of the Staff Judge Advocate and the U.S. Air Force Academy’s Law, Technology and...

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March 18, 2024

Experts help cadets understand the future of war-fighting

U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet 1st Class Lauren Blackwelder flies a simulator in the Multi-Domain Laboratory during the Firstie Flag exercise Feb. 10, 2024. The Institute for Future Conflict places cadets in the lab to provide a glimpse into missions in a potential conflict with a great-power adversary. (U.S. Air Force photo by Travis Cokley) By Randy Roughton U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – First-class cadets eyeing the roles they will play in competition with other world powers will face different adversaries and threats than previous generations of officers. The Institute for Future Conflict...

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March 14, 2024

Metallurgy: creating art through knife-making

Cadet 1st Class Ryan Hebert forges a knife in the U.S. Air Force Academy Department of Mechanical Engineering March 11, 2024. Cadets in the senior-level Physical Metallurgy course construct a knife for their class project. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Trevor Cokley) By Randy Roughton U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – Each cadet in Capt. Michael Lee’s Physical Metallurgy course constructs a knife for their class project. This semester, two cadets satisfied the requirement by producing knives for the 2024 Minerals, Metals and Materials Society Bladesmithing Competition in Orlando, Florida. In early March, Cadets...

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March 12, 2024

Management course transforms cadets into innovators

Cadets 1st Class Christopher Lindley, left, Trevin Mabe, and Isiskyra Budd watch an exercise on market sizing and analysis during a U.S. Air Force Academy Department of Management Leading Innovation class March 8, 2024. The new experiential course teaches critical innovation theories by applying a customer discovery process to real-world problems. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Justin Pacheco) By Randy Roughton U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – A new Department of Management course prepares cadets to lead innovation efforts at their first U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force assignments. The Leading Innovation course...

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March 11, 2024

Miss America tours alma mater with 27 other state delegates

Miss America 2nd Lt. Madison Marsh talks to Institute of Future Conflict Director Bradford J. Shwedo in the Multi-Domain Laboratory during her homecoming tour with 27 other state delegates Feb. 23, 2024. Marsh, a 2023 Academy graduate, became the first active-duty U.S. Air Force officer to win the Miss America Pageant the previous month. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Dylan Smith) By Randy Roughton U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – Miss America returned to her alma mater, the U.S. Air Force Academy, with 27 fellow state delegates Feb. 23. 2nd Lt. Madison Marsh, Class...

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March 1, 2024

Madera Cyber Innovation Center nears completion

The Madera Cyber Innovation Center is expected to open for cadet use in time for January 2025 despite weather delays to construction. (U.S. Air Force photo by Rayna Grace) By Katherine Spessa U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – Construction on the Madera Cyber Innovation Center here is close to completion and the center is expected to open for cadet use in time for January 2025, providing a vital training environment for cadets. Construction in a Colorado winter Its construction has been delayed in recent weeks due to typical Colorado weather of high winds, cold...

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February 29, 2024

Planned airfield overlook honors Tuskegee Airmen

An artist’s rendering of the upcoming Tuskegee Airmen Memorial overlooking Davis Airfield at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo. By Katherine Spessa U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – Officials renamed the Academy’s airfield in November 2019 to Davis Airfield after Gen. Benjamin O. Davis Jr., a renowned Tuskegee Airman and barrier-breaking Air Force leader. Four years later, the U.S. Air Force Academy is now taking a further step toward honoring black World War II pilots with a planned Tuskegee Airmen Memorial overlooking the airfield. Officials are working hand-in-hand with the Air Force Academy Foundation...

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February 29, 2024

Missy Franklin shares team concepts with cadets

Five-time U.S. Olympic swimming gold medalist Missy Franklin speaks at the National Character and Leadership Symposium Feb. 23, 2024. Franklin discusses how culture and connection were a part of her journey to Olympic gold. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Rayna Grace) By Randy Roughton U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – It isn’t every day that you get to meet your childhood hero, but the 31st annual National Character and Leadership Symposium provided Cadet 2nd Class Darien Tompkins with so much more. The U.S. Air Force Academy Women’s Swimming and Diving Team member led a...

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