August 2, 2019

Cadet Summer Research Program: ‘Let’s play in a sandbox!’

Commentary by Lt. Col. Thomas Smicklas, Center of Innovation deputy director U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Since 2007, the Department of Homeland Security and the Air Force Academy have championed game-changing innovations for the U.S. government by leveraging unique public-private partnerships. Our Center of Innovation has become a one-of-a-kind “sandbox” for government agencies, private industry giants, and academia to perform collaborative research, share expertise and shape technologies within the private sector to fit government needs. The value of these partnerships allows the government to see into the future of market-shaping research technology; private industry to gain insight into the...

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August 1, 2019

Academy cadets’ invention to support battlefield Airmen awarded patents

Story by Jennifer Spradlin, Aug. 1, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Looking for a challenge? Try coming up with a 100 different ways to get a battlefield Airman loaded with gear from a hovering aircraft to the ground -- quickly and safely. A team of Air Force Academy cadets took on this exact challenge while completing their mechanical and systems engineering degrees in 2016 and now their technology has been awarded three patents by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The project was part of an annual Air Force Research Laboratory University Design Challenge. Each service academy and...

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July 31, 2019

Basic cadets march back from Jacks Valley with Academy graduates

Story by Jennifer Spradlin, July 31, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. — Basic cadets from the Class of 2023 marched back from Jacks Valley to the main Academy campus today after completing field training. During field training, cadets honed the mental, teamwork and physical conditioning skills critical to becoming fourth class cadets in the Cadet Wing. Among other rigorous demands, they tackled the challenges of the leadership reaction course and ran the confidence and assault courses. They also conducted first aid and combat arms training. “The skills and abilities you’ve garnered over the past 34 days are invaluable and...

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July 30, 2019

Academy plays central role in developing tomorrow’s STEM leaders

Story by Jennifer Spradlin, July 30, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- A recent article in Forbes noted the highest percentage of CEOs with Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) degrees aren’t who the reader might expect: four star generals in the military. Devin Cate, the director of the Air Force’s Test and Evaluation directorate, said that trend is likely to continue as leaders at all levels of the military prepare for a complex 21st century battlespace. “We need to create a community of young engineers and scientists focused on cybersecurity, energy delivery and electronic communications,” Cate said. “Airmen...

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July 29, 2019

5 Things You Need to Know About Wednesday’s March Back

Staff Reports, July 29, 2019 For basic cadets of the Air Force Academy’s Class of 2023, their transformation from civilians to cadets began a new chapter July 21st as they marched out to Jacks Valley for 10 days of intensive field training. During the week-and-a-half long training, basic cadets live in field-like conditions and endure arguably the most difficult portion of their 6-week Basic Cadet Training. Everything from learning how to properly handle and fire an M-4 Carbine to chemical warfare training to several trials on various obstacle courses, Jacks Valley serves as the “unofficial” culmination of BCT. The march...

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July 23, 2019

USAFA to hold open house to share AICUZ study results

By Staff Reports, July 22, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- The U.S. Air Force Academy will host a public release open house to share the recommendations of its recent Air Installations Compatibility Use Zones (AICUZ) study at the Pikes Peak Library District East Library on July 24, 2019 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. The 2019 study, which is an update to the Academy’s 2005 AICUZ study and 2015 noise contours revalidation, evaluates aircraft noise and land use compatibility associated with the Air Force Academy’s flight operations. “We look forward to sharing information with our community about the...

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July 19, 2019

AF Academy professor, astronaut reflects on space program, Apollo 11 mission

By Jennifer Spradlin, July 19, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- What does the Air Force Academy have to do with man’s first flight to the moon? A lot, actually, if you ask Gary Payton, a NASA astronaut and distinguished visiting astronautics professor at the Academy. “We’re preparing cadets for a space domain that has transitioned from a sanctuary – pretty much since the Apollo era – to what is now considered a warfighting arena,” he said. He’s right. In 2019 alone, two cadet-designed satellites are slated to join a collection of U.S. space assets. FalconSAT-8 will carry a new...

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July 18, 2019

Operations Air Force: Cadets volunteer at equine therapy center

U.S. Air Force Academy Cadets Zack LaRocque, left, and Evan Place, dig post holes to place a sign at the Therapeutic Riding Institute. LaRocque, Place and 18 other cadets traveled to Spring Valley, Ohio, July 6, to volunteer with the institute. (U.S. Air Force photo/John Van Winkle) By John Van Winkle, 88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs, July 18, 2019 SPRING VALLEY, Ohio – Twenty Air Force Academy cadets hit the farm July 6, helping the Therapeutic Riding Institute prepare its new Spring Valley location for operations. The cadets were visiting Wright-Patterson Air Force Base as part of an Academy immersion...

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July 17, 2019

Field training begins July 21 for AF Academy’s basic cadets

Staff report, July 17, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Basic cadets at the Air Force Academy are scheduled to begin the field portion of their training when they march out to Jacks Valley, July 21. Upon arriving at Jacks Valley, the cadets will be welcomed by the commandant of cadets and construct a "tent city" where they will live until they complete field training and march back to the main campus July 31. During field training, cadets will hone their mental, team, and physical conditioning skills critical to being welcomed into the Cadet Wing as cadet fourth class.

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July 17, 2019

Feature story: AF Academy cadets take educational journey to Normandy, pay tribute to D-Day

(Courtesy photo) By Ray Bowden, July 17, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Cadets from the Air Force Academy spent two weeks of their summer break near the beach, but it probably wasn’t the shoreline you’d expect. They went to Normandy, France, to pay their respects to the 160,000 allied troops who crossed the English Channel on D-Day, June 6, 1944, to begin clawing-back Europe from Nazi control. The two-week academic journey took the cadets and some of their faculty to Normandy where the allied campaign, Operation Overlord, occurred. The group also participated in the D-Day 75th Anniversary memorial...

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