Pictured left to right: Ms. Aphrodites Donald (KBR Wyle), Mr. Mark Pride (KBR Wyle), Ms. Leigh Method, SES (HAF F-35 Integration Office), Ms. Jessica Smith (The Perduco Group), Mr. Zachary Shannon (WSU), Mr. Matt Mangen (ONU), Mr. Jordan Frye (WSU), Dr. Paul Hartman (AFIT/COA)
 

The Air Force Institute of Technology’s (AFIT) Center for Operational Analysis (COA), directed by Dr. Paul Hartman, experienced great success in its second year executing the Aerospace and Defense Scholar Development Program (A&D SDP).

A&D SDP is a program sponsored by AFIT’s COA and participating industry partners, uniquely designed for undergraduate and graduate students to gain exposure to the vast array of critical operations within the aerospace and defense sector, while utilizing and growing their existing analytical and technical skills. Due to AFIT’s unique mission of “education, research, and consultation,” the COA’s program is strategically positioned to bridge the knowledge gap between civilian students and the aerospace and defense sector regarding the multidisciplinary support efforts required in day-to-day operations. A&D SDP also strategically aligns participants for future collaboration with industry partners, providing scholars the opportunity to achieve continuing education goals within AFIT.

The Aerospace and Defense Scholar Development Program has two major components. The first component involves exposing scholars to Senior Leaders within the United States Air Force and Executive-level Industry Partners through a combination of formal and informal briefings, meetings, and tours. A&D SDP’s second focus is to afford scholars the opportunity to learn and perform structured data collection and analysis methods.

Scholars involved in this year’s program visited numerous centers and program management offices within Wright-Patterson AFB to gain knowledge of their capabilities and current projects. Trips included, but were not limited to, the 711th Human Performance Wing, the Autonomy and Navigation Technology (ANT) Center, and the Center for Technical Intelligence Studies and Research (CTISR). Participants also had the privilege of attending and participating in multiple presentations from guest speakers at the Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) Enterprise Logistics Executive Capstone Course including representatives from AFMC/A4, Air Force Safety Center, Defense Logistics Agency, General Services Administration, and Program Element Office Mobility Programs, further introducing scholars to facilities and topics of interest within the Department of Defense.

One particular highlight of the 2017 A&D SDP was traveling to Washington, D.C., to meet with Senior Leaders in the HAF/A9 and tour the Pentagon. Scholar Matthew Mangen commented, “It was an amazing experience to be able to see the inside of the Pentagon and meet with Mr. Kevin Williams. Being able to sit with a senior leader and learn about some of the day-to-day operations that take place inside the building was such a privilege.”

Civilian entities that participated in the A&D SDP included original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) such as Booze-Allen Hamilton and Pratt & Whitney. Scholars also visited USAF industry partners IBM, KBR Wyle, SEGUE Technologies, and Yaskawa Motoman. When asked what he thought about this aspect of the program, scholar Jordan Frye said, “Being able to meet some of our industry partners gave us a great perspective into what kind of work they do for the military and showcase some of their specialized skills.”

The second component of the A&D SDP, structured data collection and analysis, was addressed through specific research projects the scholars selected from the COA’s core focus areas: Harnessing the Power of Data, Improving Decision Cycle Times, and Reducing the Cost of Readiness. Scholars selected projects of interest to them and were assigned AFIT faculty advisors to assist them with their research efforts. Additionally, participants received in-depth education and training on AFIT’s research tools and public DOD databases.

Data was collected through classic literature review techniques, as well as via semi-structured interviews with subject matter experts. Upon completion of the project, scholars presented findings and lessons-learned to the Director of the COA as well as their academic advisors, industry partner representatives, and a senior leader representative from HAF/IO. “This experience has provided an opportunity to gain a fundamental understanding of graduate level research all the while giving us exposure to high level problems the COA, AFIT, Industry partners, and the Air Force face on a daily basis,” said scholar Zachary Shannon.

AFIT looks forward to continuing the A&D SDP next year. Program coordinator and A&D SDP graduate, Jessica Smith, has been working with current graduate-level scholars George Diehl and Chris Krolikowski to further formalize and strengthen the program. Jessica will graduate with her master’s degree from AFIT in Logistics and Supply Chain Management in September of 2017 and will continue her education at AFIT as a PhD student in the Logistics and Supply Chain Management Program. “As the first graduate of the program, it is amazing to see how much the A&D SDP has grown. The educational and professional benefits the program provides, paired with the synergistic combination of DOD and industry partner involvement, is invaluable to participants in all stages of their academic careers.”

This year’s scholars included:

Jordan Frye, Wright State University – Jordan is a Supply Chain Management major and will be graduating with his bachelor’s degree in the spring of 2018. He has experience in Operations Coordination and is interested in 3-D Printing and Directed Energy within the defense sector. Upon graduation, Jordan intends to apply to AFIT’s master’s degree program in Logistics and Supply Chain Management.

Matthew Mangen, Ohio Northern University – Matthew, a second year participant of the A&D SPD, is a Business Management major with minors in Business Analytics and Entrepreneurship. In the winter of 2017 he will graduate with his bachelor’s degree and is looking forward to applying to AFIT’s Operations Research master’s degree program. Specific interests of Matt’s include the Industrial Internet of Things and Predictive Maintenance.

Zachary Shannon, Wright State University – Zachary is a Finance major, pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Business.  He is a member of the USAF Air National Guard and has experience with tier two IT operations and meeting accounting compliance deadlines. When he graduates, he plans to work towards obtaining his Certified Financial Planner (CFP) License and enroll in the Cost Analysis master’s degree program at AFIT.

Aerospace and Defense Scholar Development Program participants Jordan Frye, Matthew Mangen, and Zachary Shannon during a trip to Washington D.C. to visit the Pentagon and meet with Senior DOD Leaders

Zachary Shannon, Aerospace and Defense Scholar Development Program participant during a visit to Yaskawa Motoman, a robotics company headquartered in Dayton, Ohio.