December 28, 2023

SEAC encourages cadets to listen, lead

Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman Troy E. Black speaks at the U.S. Air Force Academy Athletic Department during a visit to Colorado Dec. 20, 2023. Black visited the Academy on his tour of all Defense Department combatant commands after taking the role in November 2023. (U.S. Air Force photo by Trevor Cokley) Katherine Spessa U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -  Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman Troy E. Black visited the U.S. Air Force Academy on Dec. 20 and took the opportunity to share a senior NCO’s leadership philosophy with enlisted members, cadets...

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November 13, 2023

Program opens Academy admission for enlisted

Kiana Baruela, pictured here as a prior-enlisted Airman first class at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, graduated from Basic Military Training Jan. 14, 2016. Baruela, now a U.S. Air Force Academy cadet first class, earned her appointment through the Leaders Encouraging Airmen Development program. (Photo provided by Cadet 1st Class Kiana Baruela) By Randy Roughton U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo.- In 2018, then-Senior Airman Kiana Baruela was on track for a successful U.S. Air Force health management career, but she had one concern. She wanted to be an officer. Fortunately, Baruela’s attitude and leadership...

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November 14, 2023

Cadet-built satellite launches into space

Cadets watch the deployment of FalconSAT-X on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 from the Department of Astronautics Space Systems Research Center. The satellite launched at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, Nov. 11, 2023. (U.S. Air Force photo by Justin Pacheco) By Randy Roughton U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo.- U.S. Air Force Academy cadets celebrated as they watched the launch of the FalconSAT-X satellite from the Department of Astronautics Space Systems Research Center Nov. 11. FalconSAT-X launched from SpaceX’s Falcon 9 mission at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. Learn space by doing space Seniors from each Academy...

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November 14, 2023

Academy cadet selected for postgraduate Rhodes Scholarship

U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet 1st Class Madelyn Letendre was selected for a Rhodes Scholarship, a fully funded postgraduate program in the United Kingdom. (U.S. Air Force photo by Justin Pacheco) U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet 1st Class Madelyn Letendre, Class of 2024, was selected for a highly competitive Rhodes Scholarship, a fully funded postgraduate program in the United Kingdom. The Rhodes Scholarship is the oldest international scholarship program enabling young people from around the world to study at the University of Oxford, according to the program’s website....

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November 17, 2023

Celebrating 65 years of Academy Assembly

Panelists speak at the 65th Academy Assembly Nov. 7, 2023 at Polaris Hall, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado. This year’s Assembly theme was “The Dragon Roars Back: China’s Return to the World Stage.” (U.S. Air Force photo by Rayna Grace) By Katherine Spessa U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communication U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – The U.S. Air Force Academy celebrated its 65th year of the Academy Assembly and addressed China’s growing presence in the Indo-Pacific region and international spheres during a three-day event held at Polaris Hall here, Nov. 6-8. As a top priority of the National Defense Strategy,...

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November 17, 2023

Cadet critical thinking is crucial for department professor

Lt. Col. Neil Rogers stands in the U.S. Air Force Academy Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Oct. 31, 2023. Rogers is the department’s senior military faculty member and assistant professor. (U.S. Air Force photo by Trevor Cokley) By Randy Roughton U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo.– Every fall, Lt. Col. Neil Rogers searches for two distinct types of U.S. Air Force Academy Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering cadets. First, the department’s senior military faculty member and assistant professor looks for cadets who show a penchant for solving the most difficult problems with plans to...

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December 6, 2023

Team wins gold for iGEM research in Paris

U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet 1st Class Cosmo Cao conducts an experiment as part of his research. Cao was part of the Academy’s 17-cadet iGEM team that earned a gold medal for their Lyme disease research during the international Genetic Engineering Machine Grand Jamboree in Paris Nov. 2-5, 2023. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Jordan Steel) By Randy Roughton and Jeff Troth U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications  U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo.- The U.S. Air Force Academy iGEM team’s Lyme disease research helped them win a gold medal at the international Genetically Engineered Machine Grand Jamboree Nov. 2-5. The gold...

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December 7, 2023

Cadets design planes to solve problems

Three cadet-designed and built sub-scale flying models of stealthy target drones appear outside the U.S. Air Force Academy Department of Aeronautics after flight testing Nov. 28, 2023. (U.S. Air Force photo by Justin Pacheco) By Randy Roughton U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo.- For three decades, U.S. Air Force Academy Department of Aeronautics aircraft design cadets have tackled real-world problems by designing, building and testing airplanes and rockets. About 75 cadets in the fall aircraft design course completed flight testing and final modifications to their aircraft in November. Their mission was to apply aeronautical concepts...

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December 11, 2023

Academy Cadet selected for post-graduate Marshall Scholarship

U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet 1st Class Owen Graham was selected for a Marshall Scholarship, a fully-funded postgraduate program in the United Kingdom. (U.S. Air Force photo) U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. - Cadet 1st Class Owen Graham has just been selected as the Academy’s 24th Marshall Scholar, earning a fully-funded, two-year postgraduate education in the United Kingdom. Graham will graduate in May with a degree in aeronautical engineering and applied mathematics and will commission as a second lieutenant into the U.S. Air Force. Following graduation, Graham hopes to attend the University of Cambridge...

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December 19, 2023

Cadet’s astronaut father to speak at NCLS

U.S. Air Force Academy Basic Cadet Kai Lindgren returns from Basic Cadet Training at Jacks Valley with his father, Dr. Kjell Lindgren, July 28, 2023. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Kjell Lindgren) By Randy Roughton U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo.– When U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet 4th Class Kai Lindgren was born in 2004, his father was training in emergency medicine in Minneapolis. Five years later, Dr. Kjell Lindgren was accepted into NASA’s astronaut program, completing an unusual path to space since his Academy graduation in 1995. A medical issue derailed Dr. Lindgren’s hopes for...

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