West Point Public Affairs' photostream Pro User

AVARS: This project’s intent is to enable individual robots within a swarm to detect vulnerability while providing continous network coverage to mobile clients in a tactical environment through the use of an application on an Android device. U.S. Army photo by Mike Strasser/USMA PAO

In March 2012 the Department of Physics and Nuclear Engineering installed the academy’s first pelletron accelerator. It has the capability of speeding up all sorts of particles like electrons, positrons and ions for applications in nuclear physics research.

Cadet Derek West was part of the team, including Cadets Eliot Bieletto and Kurt Yeager and advisor Lt. Col Kenneth Allen, to run the Rutherford Backscattering Experiment. This was the first experiment which validated the proper operation of the pelletron and its standard operating procedure. U.S. Army photo by Mike Strasser/USMA PAO

The SAE Design, Build, Fly Competition is a collegiate contest for graduate and undergraduate engineers that requires a systems approach to designing an autonomous aircraft but also integrates other engineering disciplines: aeronautical, mechanical, electrical, and computer engineers. The goal of the competition is to build a remote-controlled airplane that can complete one lap around a flight pattern while lifting as much weight as possible.

This year's team included Cadets Mitchell Acosta, Jack Balstad, John Barnes, John Barr, John Buckley, Andrew Eck, Erik Najera, Bradley Soviak, Nicholas Thurston and Bryan Wilson. Buckely was the cadet in charge of the project and oversaw the work of the wing, engine and fuselage teams. U.S. Army photo by Mike Strasser/USMA PAO

Cadets Sean Fitzgerald and Dan Prior worked with Col. Russ Lachance in a research project with the Cobleskill College of Agriculture and Technology on the Design and Optimization of a Self-Contained, Portable, Waste to Energy Gasification System. U.S. Army Photo by Mike Strasser/USMA PAO

At the Simulation Center in Washington Hall, a team of cadets prepare a virtual simulation exercise to demonstrate Project Prometheus May 2 during the Projects Day at the U.S. Military Academy. U.S. Army photo by Mike Strasser/USMA PAO