July 9, 2020

Cadet research at AF Academy in full swing despite coronavirus

Cadet 1st Class John Byrne works on his academic research project at his family home in Chesterfield, Missouri. The U.S. Air Force Academy cadet will return to the school in September to begin his senior year. (Courtesy photo) Story by Ray Bowden, July 9, 2020 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- The top research official at the Air Force Academy said it takes more than a global pandemic to stop summertime research at the school. Despite the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on universities across the U.S., cadet researchers are busier than ever, said Col. Chris McClernon, the Academy’s associate dean...

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July 2, 2020

Lt. Gen. Richard Clark nominated to be next Academy superintendent

U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs, July 2, 2020 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- President Donald Trump has nominated Lt. Gen. Richard M. Clark to become the Superintendent of the U.S. Air Force Academy. “I am extremely humbled and honored by the nomination to serve as the Superintendent of the Air Force Academy,” said Lt. Gen. Clark. “I’m also excited for the opportunity to build on the tremendous work of Lt. Gen. [Jay] Silveria and to give back to the institution that has given me so much. Go Falcons!” If confirmed by the Senate, Clark will direct the Academy’s undergraduate academic program,...

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June 26, 2020

Cadet Research Spotlight: The New and Improved Digital Holography Demonstration System

Cadet Research Spotlight: The New and Improved Digital Holography Demonstration System The Digital Holography Demonstration (DHD) project began in 2019 as a partnership between Air Force Research Labs (AFRL), the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) and the United States Air Force Academy Physics Department to build, test and improve a hands-on demonstration tool intended to show basic-to-advanced principals in optics, lasers, atmospheric physics and signal processing. The tool is designed to convey these complex topics in an interactive manner for both STEM outreach and for discussing these technologies with high-level leadership.  AFRL funded the project to help encourage more participation...

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June 25, 2020

AF Academy’s Class of 2024 begins Basic Cadet Training

Story by Ray Bowden, photos by Josh Armstrong and Tech. Sgt. Benjamin Stratton, June 25, 2020 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --  The COVID-19 pandemic may have changed how more than 1,100 young men and women arrived at the Air Force Academy and began Basic Cadet Training June 25, but the school’s top officer is confident the precautions will pay off. Lt. Gen. Jay Silveria, the Academy’s superintendent, said while the coronavirus has presented challenges to the Academy, there are strict plans in place to protect the basic trainees and the school’s staff and families. “We are dedicated to keeping...

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June 19, 2020

AF Academy remembers 2017 graduate, pilot ‘Kage’ Allen

Story by Ray Bowden, June 19, 2020 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- The Air Force Academy graduate who died earlier this week when his fighter jet crashed into the North Sea is remembered for his smile and love for people. First Lt. Kenneth Allen, 27, was assigned to the 493rd Fighter Squadron at Royal Air Force Lakenheath’s 48th Fighter Wing, England, when his F-15C fighter jet went down off the East Yorkshire coast, June 15. Allen was from Perry, Utah. He left the Academy in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical engineering and went on to pilot training...

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June 8, 2020

‘Why limit yourself?’: Cadet combines majors to make Shakespeare more accessible

Ray Bowden, June 8, 2020 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- A cadet’s project has the potential to benefit next year’s crop of English students as they wade through the works of William Shakespeare. Cadet 2nd Class Brynn Sulte, a computer science and English major, created a database to help other students at the Air Force Academy analyze more than 150 sonnets written by the English playwright and poet. “The goal is to make this database available in a classroom setting and develop it more broadly for research,” she said. Daniel Couch, an English professor at the school, said Sulte’s...

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June 5, 2020

Academy announces new data science major

By Jennifer Spradlin, June 5, 2020 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – Data + analysis = command decision. This simple equation can be applied to most modern military action and shows how one element must be in concert with the other to create the right sight picture for commanders. “It’s not enough to have more data than our adversaries. It’s how we understand the information and use it at the speed of relevance that matters,” said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein. To better prepare future officers in the Air and Space forces, the Academy has created a data science...

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June 5, 2020

Getting a ‘space sense’: Academy adds space warfighting class for cadets

Story by Ray Bowden, photo by Trevor Cokely, June 6, 2020 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Cadets at the Air Force Academy will see a new minor added to their academic schedules: space warfighting. The Academy Board approved the addition of a mandatory space warfighting minor earlier this month, starting with the class of 2023. The board determines educational policies at the school under Air Force and Defense Department guidelines. “It’s exciting that the Academy has a leading role in educating Space Force officers and that we’re the first commissioning source to commission those officers,” said Academy board adviser...

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May 29, 2020

Update: AF Academy extends public health emergency, continues to reopen

Story by Ray Bowden, May 29, 2020 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- The Air Force Academy prolonged its public health emergency until Aug. 18. Originally slated to expire May 23, the base extended its public health emergency based on information from the Defense Department and State of Colorado, according to the school’s superintendent, Lt. Gen. Jay Silveria. “As we slowly open back up, we need to reanalyze our risk and make smart and safe decisions,” he said. The base first declared a public health emergency March 23 due to the COVID-19 threat, and elevated the Academy's health protection condition...

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May 18, 2020

United Launch Alliance launches 6th orbital test vehicle for U.S. Space Force; project contains satellite built by Air Force Academy cadets

United launch Alliance, May 18, 2020 CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, Colo. -- A United Launch Alliance Atlas V 501 rocket carrying the USSF-7 mission for the U.S. Space Force lifted off from Cape Canaveral May 17. This marks the 84th successful launch of an Atlas V rocket, 139th launch for ULA, the second launch for the U.S. Space Force and sixth flight of the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle or “OTV-6.” “The success of this mission resulted from collaboration with our customer while working through challenging, and ever changing, health and safety conditions,” said Gary Wentz, ULA vice president of government...

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