Mr. Gregory Kirkpatrick, SES, Chief of the National MASINT Office, Defense Intelligence Agency, presents the National MASINT Committee’s Academic Excellence Award placard to Dr. Todd Stewart, AFIT Director and Chancellor, at a ceremony on 11 Dec 2018 (U.S. Air Force Photo by K. Scott)
 

Each year, the Measurement and Signature Intelligence (MASINT) Committee sponsors an award at AFIT’s Graduate School of Engineering and Management’s spring commencement award ceremony.  The National MASINT Committee’s Academic Excellence Award is given to the author of the master’s thesis judged to make the best overall contribution to the field of measurement and signature intelligence.

At a ceremony on 11 Dec 2018, Mr. Gregory Kirkpatrick, Chief of the National MASINT Office and Chair of the MASINT Committee, Defense Intelligence Agency, presented AFIT with a perpetual plaque to display the names of the award winners.  The placard will be placed next to other prestigious awards that are prominently displayed in the Graduate School’s main office hall.

During his comments, Mr. Kirkpatrick said AFIT provides a place to educate Airmen in relevant, strategic and technical thinking to maintain the advantage over our adversaries.  He also challenged the faculty and students to focus on areas such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, remote sensing, and pattern recognition.  “Think about the hard problems that we are facing now and expect to face over the next 20 to 30 years because that is the kind of thinking we need right now,” said Kirkpatrick.

Dr. Adedeji Badiru, Dean, Graduate School of Engineering and Management, emphasized the importance of the National MASINT Committee’s Academic Excellence Award in the advancement of graduate education.  “AFIT responds to the Air Force’s needs in the advancement of national defense.  The recognition of our capability is very important and we are delighted to have everyone witness the ceremony,” said Badiru.

“Having an external agency select the research they find most impactful represents an independent validation of that research in particular and of the general importance of the research aspect of AFIT's mission,” said Dr. Michael Hawks, Research Professor in AFIT’s Center for Technical Intelligence Studies & Research.  “AFIT always welcomes more ways to keep a finger on the pulse of what our customers need. The feedback we get about the nominated theses is valuable in shaping the research topics we present to the next class of students. Of course, the real product of AFIT's graduate school is not just research and theses, it is the graduate who will take the skills they've learned here and apply them to operational needs. Completing any thesis builds skills in critical thinking, analysis, and communication.”

Recent winners of the National MASINT Committee’s Academic Excellence Award include:

• 2018 - CPT Peter Anderson, U.S. Army, M.S. Nuclear Engineering
• 2017 - Capt Brian Pitman, M.S. Astronautical Engineering
• 2016 - Capt Aaron Knoblauch, M.S. Aeronautical Engineering
• 2015 - Maj Michael Fish, M.S. Nuclear Engineering
• 2014 - Capt Matthew Flynn, M.S. Electrical Engineering
• 2013 - 2nd Lt Anthony Runco, M.S. Electrical Engineering
• 2012 - Capt Glenn Hammond, M.S. Electrical Engineering
• 2011 - Capt Hannah Hocking, M.S. Nuclear Engineering and 1st Lt Bradley Jones, M.S. Nuclear Engineering

Dr. Kevin Gross, Director, AFIT CTISR and Associate Professor of Engineering Physics, Col David Scanlon, Deputy Chief, National MASINT Office, Mr. Gregory Kirkpatrick, SES, Chief of the National MASINT Office, Dr. Todd Stewart, AFIT Director and Chancellor, and Dr. Adedeji Badiru, Dean, Graduate School of Engineering and Management (U.S. Air Force Photo by K. Scott)

Dr. Adedeji Badiru, Dean, Graduate School of Engineering and Management with the National MASINT Committee’s Academic Excellence Award placard that will be prominently displayed outside his office next to other Graduate School prestigious awards (U.S. Air Force Photo by K. Scott)