South Dakota Mines
students are undertaking hands-on, real-world projects that help the Department
of Defense (DoD) solve problems in a new course called “Innovating for National
Security.” This course offering is supported by the National
Security Innovation Network (NSIN),
a program office within the U.S. Department of Defense.
This innovation
class, which is based on the nationally-recognized curriculum of the Hacking
for Defense (H4D)
course, is designed to invite the talents of communities that have not
previously been fully explored for defense innovation, like colleges and
universities. Through the course, students are taught to work with the defense
and intelligence communities to rapidly address the nation’s emerging threats
and security challenges.
Specifically,
class projects are sponsored by the DoD and the students spend the semester on
customer discovery to ensure they comprehend the problem and then work to
produce novel solutions.
Earlier this
year South Dakota Mines further developed its relationship with the Department
of Defense with the appointment of an on-campus university program director
from NSIN, Jason Combs.
This partnership is already beginning to show its value as the “Innovating for
National Security” course has launched within the Department of Industrial
Engineering, led by department head Jeff Woldstad, Ph.D.
“During this
course, Mines students have a tremendous opportunity to positively impact our
nation by finding solutions to national security challenges,” said Woldstad.
The specific
projects in this inaugural course span a wide range of needs ranging from
tackling environmental challenges to developing resilient infrastructure, to
meeting the software coding needs of military installations. All of the projects have been sourced by
Combs, who serves as a liaison between the DoD and the university.
This past
summer, Combs met with officials at Ellsworth Air Force Base and identified two
engineering projects that Mines students could consider. Through the NSIN
network, Combs also brought forward a third project tied to the Joint Personnel
Recovery Agency (JPRA) mission at U.S. Army Fort Belvoir in Virginia.
- One team is working with the 28th Civil Engineer Squadron at Ellsworth to
improve the lifecycle of the concrete parking locations for the base’s B-1
aircraft. The parking pads require replacement every three years compared to
the standard 20-year life expectancy cycle of other portions of the airfield.
Extreme conditions caused by high temperature B-1 exhaust as well as fluids
that come in contact with the concrete are some of the factors that contribute
to the shortened lifespan of the concrete.
- The second team is working with the 28th Maintenance Group at Ellsworth. The
maintenance group commander has a wide range of data on the training level of
each Airman. The Mines team will help build a new computer system to process
and organize the data in a way that enables easy analysis for decision making.
The outcome of this project will optimize Air Force personnel into the best
maintenance tasks and highlight those who may need additional training to
maximize their potential.
- The third team will work with the joint staff from Fort Belvoir. JPRA is
responsible for survival and recovery operations and planning for deployed DoD
personnel. Students working on this project will help build an information
system and other tools that help JPRA modernize the way they support DoD
personnel. Mines students have the
opportunity to help military members across every service by providing more
accurate information in far less time than is currently realized.
Oftentimes
innovation that meets a DoD need has a wider benefit to the public. “There are a number of examples where H4D
students have been empowered to take their ideas to market as a startup,” Combs
said. “This is a win-win for the DoD as it can purchase a new product at an affordable
rate because it has a dual-use purpose and can be sold in a wider marketplace.”
The inaugural
class offering of “Innovating for National Security” includes a diverse mix of
both undergraduate and graduate students representing multiple disciplines and
varying backgrounds.
“The class has
been very popular across the student body and this diverse mix of talented
students will help yield strong results,” said Joseph Wright, the Vice
President of Research and Economic Development at Mines. “We’re super excited
about this opportunity to raise the profile of the talent and types of students
at Mines and to show off our abilities on a national platform. I’m confident
that by the end of the semester, people will be talking about the kind of
innovation that came out of this course.”