May 31, 2019

President Trump says mission of Academy grads is vital to keeping U.S. safe

(U.S. Air Force photo/Darcie Ibidapo) Staff report, May 31, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- President Donald Trump told graduates of the Air Force Academy’s Class of 2019 that they have a vital mission: protecting the U.S. The president said this and more during his commencement speech to the class of nearly 1,000 new Air Force officers before handing each graduate their diploma, May 30. “Your country is sending you on a vital mission,” he said at the graduation ceremony in Falcon Stadium. “With your help, nothing will ever, ever, ever stop the United States of America.” The president spoke...

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May 30, 2019

The breakdown: The stats on the Air Force Academy’s Class of 2019

(U.S. Air Force photo/Darcie Ibidapo) Story by Ray Bowden, May 30, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- (Editor’s note: This report is based on admissions data from Class of 2019.) Here’s the breakdown for the Class of 2019 graduating from the Air Force Academy May 30. -- 1,559 were offered appointments to the Academy. Last year, 1,498 were offered appointments to the Academy. -- 1,242 men and women were inducted into the Academy, including 10 international cadets. Last year, 1,206 men and women were inducted into the Academy, including 14 international cadets. -- 913 men, or 73.5 percent, and...

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May 29, 2019

Grad Week Commentary: Cadets are promise, purpose and passion of 10th Air Base Wing

(U.S. Air Force photo) Commentary by Col. Shawn Campbell, 10th Air Base Wing commander, May 29, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- The Air Force Academy prides itself on developing leaders of character and we are making good on that promise, purpose and passion. I'm not an Academy graduate, but have thought for many years now, that this is my Academy too. I'm a professional Airman in the profession of arms. Regardless of my commissioning source, and having led officers, enlisted and civilian Airmen as a two-time flight commander, squadron commander, group commander and now wing commander, I think I have the experience,...

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March 25, 2020

Cadets continue their education online during COVID-19 outbreak

U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet 1st Class Edward Lopez. Story by  Ray Bowden, March 25, 2020 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo -- Online distance learning for nearly 3,000 Air Force Academy cadets sent home to their friends and families will start March 25. Academy Superintendent Lt. Gen. Jay Silveria released all but the senior cadets and a few underclassmen-and-women from campus to increase the seniors’ chance of graduating on time and to promote the health of the base population. “Ultimately, the deciding factor was recommendations from our public health officials and the inability to execute social distancing for over 4,000 cadets...

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April 3, 2020

‘We’ve got this’: Cadet Wing commander thanks parents, grads

Cadet 1st Class Haeley Deeney (right), Air Force Academy Cadet Wing commander, and Brig. Gen. Michele Edmondson, the school's commandant of cadets. Commentary by Cadet 1st Class Haeley Deeney, Air Force Academy Cadet Wing commander, April 3, 2020 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Having dealt with myriad uncertainties over the past two weeks, I asked Lt. Gen. Jay Silveria, the superintendent of the Air Force Academy, if I could draft a letter to both parents and grads to let them know the cadet mindset and truth of our current situation. We are immensely grateful for your love and support over the past...

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March 8, 2019

Cadets grab attention on world-wide debate stage

U.S. Air Force Academy Cadets 1st Ciera White (left) and Class Samantha Potter (Courtesy photo from Gina Iberri-Shea) By Ray Bowden, March 8, 2019 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Two senior cadets have made a name for themselves and the Air Force Academy on the global forensics competition circuit. Air Force Cadets 1st Class Samantha Potter and Ciera White have debated against students at Harvard and Stanford, the universities of Oxford and Cape Town, the London School of Economics and Political Science, and others in the last year. “Forensics is not about dead bodies -- it’s a debate program,”...

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April 6, 2022

Cadets launch the future of space imagery

Falcon Neuro is hosted on the STP-H7/8 external payload in outer space. The payload was photographed by external cameras on the International Space Station. (Photo credit: NASA) By Public Affairs/Strategic Communications Photos by Joshua Armstrong/Trevor Cokley U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – Cadet research projects at the United States Air Force Academy are frequently launched into low-Earth orbit, giving cadets ample opportunities to learn space by doing space. An ongoing project is Falcon Neuro, with cadets and faculty using neuromorphic cameras attached to the International Space Station to study lighting across the Earth and electrical discharges in space known as...

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May 20, 2022

Innovation at the Academy: It’s like riding a bike

(Photo/Col. Christopher McClernon) Commentary By Col Christopher McClernon U.S. Air Force Academy associate dean of research U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. - A 1973 article by S. S. Wilson in Scientific American compared the efficiency of animals in motion and found birds and fish are much more efficient than walking or running humans. However, Wilson then tested a human on a bicycle and found that a cyclist was more efficient than all other animals studied. Steve Jobs, co-founder and former CEO of Apple Inc., often cited these findings to emphasize the value of tools, referring to the computer as a...

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May 11, 2022

Cadets experience operational Air Force at Cannon ABF, NM

Story by Airman 1st Class Drew Cybert, 27th Special Operations Wing Public Affairs CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  Cadets from the U.S. Air Force Academy visited the 27th Special Operations Wing at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico, to get a look at an operational Air Force base, April 21. This is the first time in two years that cadets from the Academy toured Cannon for a sponsor base wing trip to witness how an operational Air Force Special Operations Command base functions. "It’s an awesome opportunity for the cadets to get their hands on some aircraft, talk to...

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May 9, 2022

Community celebrates Planetarium reopening

By Rachelle Stoll, Strategic Communications Photos by Joshua Armstrong An audience gazes at the galaxy in the Planetarium’s hemispheric dome on May 7, 2022. U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, COLO., -- Cadets, base employees, local community members and their families celebrated the official Planetarium reopening at the United States Air Force Academy with a public open house on May 7, 2022. Over 1,500 people were in attendance for the celebration, which included live astronomer shows, food trucks, a glider exhibition, and an inflatable planetarium. The Bird mascot greeted guests in the area while the Academy’s Falconry team showed four live falcons...

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